The pre-defense of PhD candidate Dana Omarovna Mynbayeva’s dissertation took place as part of the educational program “8D05104 – Genetics”

On June 25, 2025, the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics held the preliminary defense of the PhD dissertation by doctoral student Dana Omarovna Mynbayeva under the educational program "8D05104 – Genetics". The dissertation is titled: "Development of Pre-Selection Rice Resources with Genes for Resistance to Pyriculariosis Using Marker-Assisted Selection."

The dissertation addresses the issue of rice resistance to pyriculariosis, a disease caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, which significantly reduces yield. The research focuses on screening domestic and international rice varieties for resistance genes, developing new hybrid lines using marker-assisted selection, and evaluating their resistance under artificial infection conditions.

The scientific novelty of the study lies in the application of marker-assisted selection to develop pyriculariosis-resistant rice varieties based on highly productive Kazakhstani cultivars—an approach not previously implemented in Kazakhstan.

The practical significance of the research is in improving local breeding programs and creating new rice varieties with increased resistance to the disease, contributing to the sustainable development of rice cultivation in the country. The research is directly aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 “Zero Hunger” and SDG 15 “Life on Land”.

The study was conducted at the Institute of Biology and Plant Biotechnology under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics congratulates Dana Omarovna Mynbayeva on her successful preliminary defense and wishes her the best of luck in the final dissertation defense!

Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics