Field: Plant Protection and Fertilization
Specialization: Maize Breeding and Seed Production
Current Position: Director of the Maize Research Institute – Knezha

Education and Academic Degrees

• 1986 – Graduated from Secondary School "Vasil Kolarov", Knezha
• 1994 – B.Sc. in Agroengineering, Specialization: Plant Protection and Fertilization
• 1999 – M.Sc. in Agroengineering with Pedagogical Qualification
• 2006 – Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences

Doctoral Thesis:
“Research and Improvement of Initial Material for Maize Breeding”

Languages

• English – working proficiency
• Russian – working proficiency

Academic Positions

• 2006 – Chief Assistant, Maize Research Institute – Knezha
• 2016 – Associate Professor

Leadership Positions

• 2006–2018 – Head of Scientific and Applied Activities Department, MRI – Knezha
• 2018–Present – Director, Maize Research Institute – Knezha

Other Governance Roles:

• Member of the Board of Directors (2015–2018)
• Chair of the Board of Directors (2018–present)
• Member of the Scientific Council of MRI– Knezha and the Institute of Viticulture and Enology (2015–2018)
• Member of the Scientific Council for Cereal, Forage, and Industrial Crops (2018–present)
• Member of EUCARPIA (European Association for Research on Plant Breeding) since 2022

Scientific Interests

• Plant protection and fertilization
• Maize breeding and seed production
• Supervision and training of Ph.D. students
• Application of genomic tools in breeding
• Climate-resilient agriculture

Scientific Achievements

• Co-author of 14 registered maize hybrids, 11 of which have been awarded gold medals at innovation and international agricultural exhibitions
• Scientific supervisor of 3 Ph.D. students:
1. Kalina Tsoneva – “Study on moisture release rates in self-pollinated maize lines for use in breeding programs”
2. Maria Lakova-Gornishka – “Development of initial material and implementation of modern genomic tools in maize breeding”
3. Yuliana Yordanova – “Research on local and introduced synthetic maize populations for breeding stress tolerance”

Selected Research Projects (Past 5 Years)

• Heterosis studies, inheritance of agronomic traits, and methods for breeding stress-tolerant maize genotypes (2019–2021)
• Breeding, maintenance, and seed production of high-yielding maize hybrids across all maturity groups (2019–2022)
• Breeding and seed production of high-yielding and stress-tolerant maize hybrids under climate change (2023–2026)
• Development of new genetic plasma for breeding high-yielding maize hybrids with improved grain quality for processing (2023–2026)
• National Science Program “Healthy Foods for Strong Bioeconomy and Quality of Life” – Ministry of Education and Science (2018–2021)
• National Science Program “Intelligent Crop Farming” – Ministry of Education and Science (2020–2024), Component: AI-based diagnostics and forecasting

Awards and Distinctions

• 11 national and international awards, including gold plaques for maize hybrid innovations

Selected Publications (Last 5 Years)

1. Ilchovska M., Vulchinkova P., Petrovska N., Valkova V. (2022). Ecological stability and plasticity assessment of experimental maize hybrids. Book of Abstracts, MRI Zemun Polje.
2. Vulchinkov S., Petrovska N., Vulchinkov Zh., Valkova V. (2022). Evaluation of the stability of early maize hybrids by parametric and nonparametric methods. Book of Abstracts, MRI Zemun Polje.
3. Vulchinkov S., Reseleshka L., Vulchinkova P., Ilchovska M., Petrovska N., Valkova V. (2021). Stability assessment of maize hybrids in relation to zoning. Agricultural Sciences, Special Issue 29, pp. 65–76.
4. Petrovska N., Valkova V. (2021). Use of recurrent selection in middle-late synthetic maize populations: First cycle results in synthetic “1/2017”. Special Issue 30, pp. 79–83.
5. Ilchovska M., Vulchinkova P., Petrovska N., Valkova V., Reseleshka L. (2021). Ecological stability of experimental maize hybrids (FAO 400–499). Journal of Mountain Agriculture on the Balkans, Vol. 24(5), pp. 150–161.
6. Petrovska N., Valkova V. (2019). Synthetic population 1/2017 – new starting material for maize breeding. Journal of Mountain Agriculture on the Balkans, Vol. 22(3), pp. 115–122.