New promising varieties and hybrids of potato are being tested today at the Federal Research Center "All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources named after N.I. Vavilova ”(VIR).
The basis for this work of VIR specialists and Russian breeders is the world collection of potatoes, collected in VIR for almost a hundred years.
In parallel, government officials, scientists and practitioners are discussing the problems and prospects for the development of potato growing in the Leningrad, Novgorod, Vologda regions and other regions of the Northwest in the context of ensuring the country's food security.
“Field Day 2018: Ecological and geographical testing of new promising varieties and hybrids of potato” is the official name of this event organized on the territory of the Pushkin and Pavlovsk VIR laboratories in Pushkin.
The test participants were also shown experimental plots that maintain a collection of numerous species and varieties of potatoes - the VIR world collection of potatoes, which contains wild and cultivated tuberous and non-tuberous species of the genus Solanum L (nightshade).
“The task of our event is to present to colleagues the results of the VIR's work within the framework of the Comprehensive Plan of Scientific Research“ Development of Potato Breeding and Seed Production ”, discuss with colleagues from other institutes, agricultural Centers and companies the most pressing issues and outline specific joint projects for the development of potato growing - says the interim director of VIR, professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences Elena Khlestkina, who headed the institute this spring - cooperation between VIR and such institutes as the All-Russian Institute for Plant Protection (VIZR), the All-Russian Institute of Agricultural Microbiology (VNISKhMB), the Leningrad Research Institute of Agriculture " Belogorka ”in the Gatchina region allows setting and solving serious interdisciplinary tasks. Contacts with manufacturers are no less important for us. It is important for us to determine what their interests are in the Leningrad region and other regions of the North-West, and the ultimate goal is to involve producers in direct interaction. That is, we expect not only to inform about the activities of VIR, but also to find points of contact between theory and practice. "
Within the framework of Field Day 2018, a round table was held devoted to the status, problems and prospects of potato growing in the XNUMXst century, the importance of potato genetic resources for the development of traditional and modern breeding trends, relevant breeding research trends in the North-West region of the Russian Federation, and cooperation in fundamental and applied research for the improvement and innovative development of selection and seed production of potatoes in Russia.
“The basis for breeding work in Russia is the collection of genetic resources of cultivated plants and their wild relatives collected in VIR for 125 years,” said VIR Deputy Director Alexei Zavarzin in an interview with Online47. “Thanks to her, VIR is no less a sight and a treasure than the Hermitage.”
According to him, the institute’s employees work with the collection, not only “by job”, but also at the call of the heart. “Today VIR has significant human resources and scientific potential,” Zavarzin explains. - The institute and its branches throughout the country employ more than 1000 people. But the future largely depends on the influx of new interested and caring scientists and specialists, which we also need to work on in collaboration with leading universities. ”
Field Day 2018 was organized as part of the subprogram “Development of selection and seed production of potatoes in the Russian Federation” of the Federal Scientific and Technical Program for the Development of Agriculture for 2017–2025.
Evgenia Dyleva, https://online47.ru