Plant Protection Department

Hello, my name is Mustafa Bitigen. I am from Aksaray. I am a senior student at Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University, Department of Plant Protection. We are currently at our central campus in Taşlıçiftlik. Plant Protection Department, as the name suggests, is a department that aims to protect plants. What will we protect plants from? We will protect crop plants from diseases, pests and weeds. Of course, while protecting the plant, we do not only focus on plant protection. We will protect the plant, but while protecting the plant, we will not harm the water, soil and other components. This is the biggest agenda of the Department of Plant Protection today. While protecting the plant, we aim to produce nutrients that do not carry pesticide residues which are dangerous for human health by making sustainable agriculture with more environmentally friendly methods without harming the nature. The courses given on diseases in the Plant Protection Department are the following. Virology examines viruses that cause disease in plants; Bacteriology deals with bacteria that cause disease in plants; Mycology studies the microscopic fungi that cause plant disease. On the subject of pests, there are courses on the distribution of insects, an Insect Ecology and Epidemiology course on insect control and drugs, and a basic course on insects called Entomology. We also learn about it in our Herbology course. There are phytopathology and entomology laboratories in the Plant Protection Department. Here, plant disease agents and pests are examined, researched and their control is ensured. Plant Protection Department students have the opportunity to do internships in various institutions and organizations when they complete their 3rd year. Among these institutions and organizations, we can count dealers selling plant protection products, provincial and district organizations affiliated to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. After completing your training, Plant Protection Department students can take the Plant Protection Products Dealership and Wholesale Exam, and if they are succesful, they can get their certificate and sell plant protection products. If they wish, they can apply to institutions and organizations affiliated to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. They can find work there. They can also apply to private companies engaged in agricultural production.
In various articles I read on Plant Protection, I realized that humanity needs scientists working on one of its main problems, the consumption of fruit and vegetables without pesticides. I chose the Department of Plant Protection because of my interest in this field. Because of the increasing world population, due to the chemical control methods that are highly preferred, unfortunately, there are pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables. Pesticides, that is, lethal chemicals, which are also used to fight insects and diseases, leave residues on fruits and vegetables. Therefore, I was interested in the Department of Plant Protection with the desire to participate in various studies in order to solve this basic problem and to be an active participant in this field, and I can say that I chose this department with the aim of providing professional consultancy services to the people dealing with agriculture. One of the most important reasons for me to choose Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University, is that it has a geography suitable for agriculture. I would also like to share something that I noticed and saw when I came here, It is very easy to get in touch with our professors, associate professors and other professors, and we have the opportunity to engage with them extensively. In addition, I think that the fact that we have many professors and associate professors in the department creates an advantage for us. After graduating from the Plant Protection Department, I intend to take the Plant Protection Products Dealership and Wholesale Exam and receive my certificate, to deliver the plant protection products to the producers, to counsel them, and to support the agricultural activities in the area I live in in the light of the theoretical and applied knowledge I have learned here. I would recommend the Department of Plant Protection to students who live in an agricultural environment or even if they do not, who are interested in agricultural production, the world of plants, the world of insects, who examine the cause and effect relationship, who love to learn, who are researchers and naturalists. I wish success to my fellow students who will take the university exam. I hope we meet in Tokat.