Born in , Bulgaria. Graduated from Secondary School “Neofit Rilski” in Knezha in 1984. In 2000, obtained a Master’s degree in Agroengineering – Field Crops. Awarded the PhD degree in ... (year) after defending a dissertation on hybrid maize breeding. Fluent in English and Russian.

PhD Thesis:
“Study on heterosis and seed production of a new generation of hybrids developed by the Maize Research Institute – Knezha”

Research Interests

·      Plant breeding, variety maintenance, and seed production

·      The role of seed quality and plant flowering biology in hybrid seed production

·      Development of new breeding material through mutation and recurrent selection methods

·      Application of genomic tools for accelerating the breeding process

·      Integration of novel evaluation techniques for initial breeding lines

Academic and Administrative Positions

·      Academic Career:

·      Assistant – 2002

·      Chief Assistant – 2011

·      Chief Assistant, PhD – 2013

·      Associate Professor, PhD – 2016

Administrative Positions at the Maize Research Institute – Knezha:

·      Deputy Director (2018 – 2024)

·      Head of Department “Plant Breeding and Seed Production” (since 2024)

·      Chair of the Seed Production Methodological Council (2021 – 2024)

·      Principal Investigator on research projects funded by the Agricultural Academy

·      Member of the Scientific Council

Scientific Contributions

Author and co-author of 10 maize hybrids created between 2018 and 2023:

·      Knezha 560 (2018), Knezha 317 (2019), Knezha 320 (2021)

·      Knezha 568, 570A, 573, 575, 576, 651, 652 (2022–2023)

Projects and Scientific Programs

Project Leader:

·      ZFTK 5 (2019–2022)

·      ZFTK 33 (2023–2026)

Project Participation:

·      ZFTK 4 (2019–2021)

·      R160, R159 (2015–2018), R164 (2017–2020)

·      ZFTK 34 (2023–2025)

National Research Programs:

·      “Healthy Foods for a Strong Bioeconomy and Quality of Life” (2018–2021), Component 1: Climate change, ecosystem services, and food systems

·      “Smart Crop Production” (Ministry of Education and Science) (2020–2024)

Awards and Distinctions (selected)

·      Gold Plaque – AGRA 2024 for hybrid Knezha 576

·      Innovation Diploma – AGRA 2022 for Knezha 573, 575, and 651

·      Gold Plaque – AGRA 2020 for Knezha 320

·      Gold Medal and Diploma – ITI’2017 for Knezha 560

·      Certificate of Recognition – AGRA 2019 for Knezha 317, 461, and 560

·      Gold Plaque – ITI’2019 for Knezha 317 (category: New Varieties)

Selected Publications

·      Georgieva V., Kazandjiev V., Ilchovska M., Petrovska N., Valkova V. (2023). Agrometeorological conditions in Central North Bulgaria region for maize growing. SGEM, 23(4.1): 227–235

·      Valkova V., Petrovska N. (2018). Knezha 560 – a new mid-late maize hybrid. Agricultural Science and Technology, 10(3): 191–194

·      Valkova V., Petrovska N. (2019). Study on seed production of the medium-early maize hybrid Kn 461. Journal of Mountain Agriculture on the Balkans, 22(6): 15–23

·      Valkova V., Petrovska N. (2019). Seed production characteristics of lines KS 109 and HM 99 23. Field Crop Studies, XIII(1): 61–70

·      Valkova V., Petrovska N. (2022). Inheritance of quantitative traits and biometric indexes of Knezha 560 hybrid. I. Ear length, number of rows per ear, grain row number. Agricultural Sciences, Special Issue 29: 108–114