Department of Field Crops

The Department of Field Crops was established to provide education, research, and practical work in the cultivation and breeding of cereal crops, legumes for food and feed, oil crops, fiber crops, starch-sugar crops, medicinal and aromatic plants, as well as the management and improvement of grasslands and pastures. The department initiated its undergraduate program in the 1993-1994 academic year and started accepting postgraduate students in 1997. Currently, the department offers both Thesis and Non-Thesis Master's programs as well as a Ph.D. program.

The department comprises 12 faculty members, including 8 Professors, 3 Associate Professors, and 1 Research Assistant. Within the field crops department, there is a 100-acre experimental area equipped with pressurized irrigation systems, a 3,500-acre seed production area, a greenhouse, a 2-ton/hour seed cleaning unit, tractors, and various tools and equipment for field agriculture.

Research and practical work are conducted in the following areas within the department's Research and Application fields:

• Cultivation and breeding of cereal crops
• Cultivation and breeding of legumes for food and feed
• Cultivation and breeding of oil crops
• Cultivation and breeding of fiber crops
• Cultivation and breeding of starch-sugar crops
• Cultivation and breeding of medicinal and aromatic plants
• Cultivation and breeding of forage crops
• Management and improvement of grasslands and pastures
• Organic farming
• Seed production
• Plant physiology

The department features research laboratories dedicated to Seed Production, Plant Biotechnology, Physiology, Oil and Protein Analysis, as well as Medicinal and Aromatic Plants. Throughout its history, the department has successfully developed and registered 13 varieties belonging to 2 lentil, 1 cotton, 5 vetch, 1 clover, 1 fenugreek, 2 barley, and 1 wheat species. Certified seed production is also carried out in the department to meet the seed needs of local farmers.

Graduates of the department find employment opportunities in various sectors, including government agencies such as Provincial and District Directorates of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, agricultural research institutes, and related official organizations. They can also work in agricultural cooperatives, private sector organizations related to agricultural products (feed, sugar, canned goods, sauce, tobacco, etc.), seed companies, private companies marketing fertilizers and pesticides, and can even become entrepreneurs by starting their own businesses.

Academic Staff