Timiryazev Academy is one of the leading centers for breeding agricultural plants in Russia. Hundreds of high-yielding and disease-resistant varieties of grains, fruits, vegetables and other agricultural crops have been created here. crops The head of the Department of Botany, Breeding, Seed Growing and Garden Plants, Socrates Monakhos, spoke about how the work to create such crops was carried out in the new release of the video project “MAGnit: All about Science and Technology”.
According to the scientist, one of the main directions is the development of new varieties and hybrids of cabbage: “Cabbage is our priority crop, we have particular success in terms of breeding this particular vegetable. More than 50 hybrids are in the state register, more than 15 are available for seed production.”
The main focus is on creating late-ripening hybrids of white cabbage, which have a long shelf life. This is especially true for the northern regions of Russia with a cold climate.
According to Timiryazevka scientists, every third head of cabbage consumed by Muscovites in winter is grown from seeds of their selection. The most popular hybrids are Kolobok, Dominanta, Prestige, and Valentina.
Hybrid breeding became the main focus of research in the middle of the last century. Today, commercial production primarily uses first-generation F1 hybrids. They differ from open-pollinated varieties in genetic and morphological homogeneity, as well as a number of other advantages that cannot be obtained from open-pollinated varieties.
More than 200 new gene or hybrid combinations were planted on the academy site. These are unique genotypes that did not previously exist. The task of scientists is to identify the most promising of them based on a set of characteristics. Modern breeding also aims to create genotypes that can be grown with minimal use of pesticides and other plant protection products.
Hundreds of new promising hybrid combinations of cabbage are planted and studied annually in the breeding fields of Timiryazevka. The goal is to find forms that are superior to existing ones in terms of a complex of economically valuable characteristics. One of the priorities today is the breeding of varieties suitable for environmentally friendly cultivation with minimal use of pesticides. The first onion hybrid in Russia resistant to downy mildew has already been created and handed over to the manufacturer. This will reduce the pesticide load on products, soil, water and air, since farmers and agricultural holdings will no longer have to treat onions with chemicals at least five times.
Regarding the differences between hybrids and varieties, the main advantage of F1 hybrids is their genetic uniformity. This predetermines the morphological uniformity and manufacturability of production. All plants ripen at the same time, which is economically beneficial for growers. While for gardening enthusiasts, it may be more interesting to grow varieties that offer more variety.
At the Timiryazev Academy, the breeding greenhouse is a source of genetic diversity and innovative technologies. Here the plants are maintained in seed state and self-pollinated using cotton pads to avoid cross-pollination. This makes it possible to obtain seeds of the next generation and grow explants for further research in laboratories.
Plant breeding at the Timiryazev Academy is experiencing its third stage of development. If the initial goal was to create highly productive forms to ensure food security, then attention turned to the quality of the product. Now the emphasis is shifting to the environmental safety of the crops grown.
Modern technologies, such as molecular breeding and cell culture methods, can speed up the breeding process and increase the competitiveness of breeding companies. The Academy actively uses methods for producing doubled haploids, which makes it possible to obtain new genotypes in the shortest possible time.
White cabbage, which is one of the flagships of the Academy’s breeding, has come a long way in development. If 50 years ago, harvesting cabbage could take up to a month and a half due to uneven ripening, but now, thanks to F1 hybrids, harvesting is quick and efficient.
The academy also conducts research on plant resistance to various diseases. For example, white cabbage receives a resistance gene from its close relative, Ethiopian mustard. This reduces the use of pesticides and makes the product more environmentally friendly. One of the latest achievements is the transfer of a gene for resistance to clubroot, one of the most harmful diseases for cabbage plants, to white cabbage from turnips. This success is planned to be replicated to other brassicas such as broccoli and kohlrabi.