Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

Academician Mammadtagi Jafarov was born in 1936 in the village of Okhchuoglu in the Amasiya region of the Irevan province.

He graduated from the Irevan Agricultural College with an honor diploma.

In 1954 he entered to the agronomic faculty of the Azerbaijan Agricultural Institute, and in 1959 graduated with honor.

In 1964 M.Jafarov received the scientific degree of PhD in Agricultural Sciences on the "Phosphorus compounds in the main soil types of Azerbaijan" theme.

In 1964-1973 he worked as an assistant, assistant professor at the Azerbaijan State Institute of Agriculture, in 1973-1983 – as head of the Department of Physical Geography and Agricultural Melioration.

In 1973 M.Jafarov defended Doctoral on "Problems of phosphates in soil and agriculture of Azerbaijan" in the Belarusian Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture and received a Doctorate in Agricultural Sciences. In 1975 he received the academic title of Professor.

In 1989 M.Jafarov was elected as a corresponding member of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences and in 2001 for high scientific achievements in the field of agricultural sciences and his long-term intense activity as active member.

By M.Jafarovov wrote about 200 scientific works and dozens of books, including monographs and textbooks - the monograph "Problems of phosphates in soils of Azerbaijan and agriculture", a textbook consisting of 2 parts - "Geography", "Practice of geography", "Fundamentals of the fertilizer system in Azerbaijan", "Fundamentals of geography and geology", "Application and compilation of large-scale maps", a weighty study entitled "Geography" consisting of 4 parts and other works of M. Jafarov played an important role in the development of science of geography in our republic.

Scientific activity of the outstanding scientist which is devoted to modern problems of agrochemistry and soil science can be divided into three periods.

In the first period, covering 1960-1980, he studied the problem of poorly studied phosphates in the field of agriculture in Azerbaijan. Several years ago, some soil-climatic zones and soil types of forms of phosphorus reserves, as well as the determination of phosphorus balance in soils on the scientific basis of the effective application of phosphorus fertilizers, were of great practical and scientific value. PhD and Doctoral theses of M.Jafarov were devoted to solving this pressing problem.

Valuable scientific results obtained by scientists are successfully applied in the regions of our republic such as Sheki-Zagatala, Shirvan, Guba-Khachmaz, Ganja-Gazakh, Kelbajar-Lachin. The 2nd period of scientific M.Jafarov’s activity covers the 1980-90s.

During this period, under the guidance of the scientist, complex studies of various soil and climatic zones of Azerbaijan under conditions of intensive farming were conducted to effectively use the soil and improve its fertility. The main essence of these studies is that the systems of cultivation used in the last 80 years inevitably need improvement, and therefore studying the formation of anthropogenic soils and determining their fertility is a necessary requirement. In the studies conducted in our republic in the Sheki-Zagatala region, a regional soil fertility model was prepared, conceptual models of zonal soil types and soils subjected to erosion.

Academician Mammadtagi Jafarov died in 2008 in Ganja.