On May 30, at the ED 1.25 Dissertation Council operating under the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnologies of the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, a dissertation defense was held by Naima Namaz Niyazova, an employee of the Institute, on the topic “Investigation of the Response of Tomato Varieties (Solanum lycopersicum L.) to Drought Stress, Rehydration, and the Effects of Potential Biostimulants”. The scientific supervisors of the work are academician Irada Huseynova, General Director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnologies, and Dr. Biancaelena Maserti, a researcher at the Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection of the National Research Council of Italy, located in Florence, Italy. The official opponents of the dissertation are Professor and Doctor of Biological Sciences Ziyaddin Mammadov, Professor and Doctor of Biological Sciences Ramiz Aliyev, and Associate Professor and PhD in Biology Yashar Omarov.

Naima Namazova provided a detailed explanation of the main provisions of her dissertation. The applicant noted that, for the first time in Azerbaijan, the biostimulant and antifungal effects of extracts obtained from the cyanobacterium Nostoc piscinale and macroalgae on tomato plants were studied. The optimal concentration of the extract derived from the cyanobacterium that inhibits the development of the fungus Botrytis cinerea was also determined. Based on the obtained results, it was concluded that different tomato varieties exhibit cultivar-specific responses to drought and rehydration processes, as well as to the effects of potential biostimulants. The results obtained from the study are of significant practical importance and also lay the groundwork for future research.

After listening to the speeches of the official opponents, an extensive discussion was held around the dissertation, during which various suggestions and recommendations were voiced. The applicant answered the questions of the council members and responded to the comments and recommendations of the opponents. The council members also expressed their opinions regarding the dissertation. Following the applicant's closing remarks, a vote was conducted. Based on the results of the vote, a decision was made to submit a petition to the Higher Attestation Commission under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan for awarding Naima Niyazova the scientific degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biology.