A faculty member from the College of Agriculture served as a member of the committee for the defense of a doctoral dissertation at the College of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Mosul.

Assistant Professor Dr. Ahmad Bahjat Khaleef, a faculty member at the College of Agriculture, University of Diyala, participated as a committee member in the defense of the doctoral dissertation at the College of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Mosul. The dissertation, presented by the student Shaimaa Diyaa Ali, is entitled “The Vital Role of Climatic Changes and Their Effect on the Growth of the Green Pistachio Tree (Pistacia khinjuk) Using Dendroclimatic Analysis in Northern Iraq.”

The dissertation, which was submitted in the Department of Forest Sciences, addressed the climatic changes that have led to a decline in the growth and vitality of vegetation covers, increased average temperatures, and reduced precipitation, which have caused impacts that exceed the trees’ capacity to withstand, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. These changes have resulted in physiological alterations and a deterioration in the productivity of vegetation covers. The dendrochronological method is frequently used to understand the changes occurring during tree growth periods in specific locations. This technique is of great importance in investigating environmental changes and their effects on tree growth and development in a given area. Through this method, we can obtain local environmental data by measuring ring thickness and annual growth increments.

Assistant Professor Dr. Ahmad Bahjat Khaleef was awarded a certificate of appreciation from the College of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Mosul.