From the magazine: No. 3 2015
Category: In Focus
Boris Anisimov, Head of the Standards and Certification Department of the Federal State Budgetary Institution All-Russian Research Institute of Potato Farming named after. A.G. Lorja
In modern international practice, the use of scientifically based standards is the most important tool in solving the problem of regulating the quality of seeds of agricultural plants, including potatoes. By establishing a certain level of requirements, standards contribute to the production of high-quality seeds and serve as an objective basis for pricing, taking into account the quality of the corresponding categories and classes of seeds.
International practice in the system of production, quality control and certification of seed potatoes is focused on the development and continuous improvement of the regulatory framework based on accumulated world experience in this area. And in this regard, it is especially important to use the unique work experience accumulated by the UNECE Specialized Section in the process of developing and improving the main provisions of the international quality standard for seed potatoes.
Regular updating of the relevant provisions of the standard allows it to timely and promptly reflect changes associated with the production and marketing of seed potatoes, the introduction of new certification methods, the evolution of pests and the changing phytosanitary situation in connection with ongoing local and global climate change processes.
The UNECE Standard for Seed Potatoes is essentially an international regulatory framework that is consistent with WTO agreements on technical barriers to trade and sanitary and phytosanitary measures. The UNECE standard is intended primarily for use by national certification authorities to ensure that the quality of seed potatoes meets harmonized and internationally recognized regulatory requirements.
The application of the provisions contained in the UNECE standard, uniform terminology and harmonized requirements contributes to the correct understanding by the seller and buyer of the quality levels of seed potatoes traded in different countries of the world, and minimizes the possible risks of technical barriers in international trade.
The provisions contained in the UNECE standard cover almost all aspects of quality control and certification of seed potatoes.
The main ones are:
— authenticity and purity of the variety;
— traceability of the origin of seed lots;
— quality level for various categories of seed material in relation to diseases, pests, defects;
— tolerances regarding the dimensional characteristics of tubers, their calibration and commercial quality;
-rules of packaging, sealing and labeling.
The requirements of the UNECE standard are established for three categories of seed potatoes: pre-basic, basic and certified. Each of the three categories is further subdivided into two classes, which take into account the possible degree of reduction in quality for individual indicators with an increase in the number of field generations during the production of seed potatoes.
In accordance with the requirements of the UNECE standard, only those varieties are allowed into international trade for which their official description and characteristics in terms of distinctiveness, uniformity and stability can be obtained from the competent authorities (originators of varieties) in accordance with the regulatory and methodological guidance of UPOV (International Union for protection of new plant varieties).
Most seed potato producing countries generally strive to bring the requirements of their national seed potato standards closer to international standards. Often, national standards may have more stringent requirements for certain fundamentally important indicators in comparison with the requirements of the UNECE standard.
In modern conditions, harmonization of the main provisions of national seed potato quality standards with international analogues and, in particular, the UNECE standard is of particular relevance.
The regulatory requirements of the Russian national standard, established, for example, in relation to the proportion of plants of other varieties in plantings of various categories of seed potatoes, as well as plants with signs of viral (weak and severe mosaic) and bacterial diseases (blackleg) are quite comparable with the international norms of the UNECE standard (Table 1).
The tolerances of the Russian national standard regarding the incidence of tubers with diseases (Table 2) are also close to the level of regulatory requirements of the UNECE standard. Although the need for further harmonization of quality levels for the relevant categories of seed potatoes in the direction of bringing them closer to international requirements is undoubtedly of current importance in improving the quality of seed potatoes in Russia and will help minimize the possible risks of technical barriers in the international trade of seed potatoes.
Table 1. Comparison of tolerances of UNECE and Russian Federation standards regarding varietal purity and disease infestation of seed potato plantings.
Categories / Classes | % of plants | ||
Other varieties | Viruses* | Blackleg | |
UNECE standard | |||
Pre-basic I(TC) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pre-basic II | 0,01 | 0,1 | 0 |
Basic I | 0,25 | 0,4 (0,2) | 0,5 |
Basic II | 0,25 | 0,8 (0,4) | 1,0 |
Certified I | 0,5 | 2,0 (1,0) | 1,5 |
Certified II | 0,5 | 10 (2,0) | 2,0 |
GOST R 53 136-2008 | |||
Source material (IM) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Original (OS) | 0 | 0,4 | 0 |
Elite (ES) | 0 | 3,0 (1,0) | 0 |
Reproductive (RS (1-2)) | 1,5 | 8,0 (2,0) | 1,0 |
* the permissible % of plants with heavy mosaic is indicated in brackets
Table 2. Comparison of tolerances of UNECE and Russian Federation standards for tuber disease infestation.
Categories / Classes | % of tubers affected by diseases** | |||||
Dry and wet rot* | Common scab, mesh, | Scab poro shitty | Rizok tonia | S'mores baby tubers | ||
UNECE standard | ||||||
Pre-basic I(TC) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Pre-basic II | 0,2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0,5 | |
Basic I | 1,0 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 1 | |
Basic II | 1,0 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 1 | |
Certified I | 1,0 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 1 | |
Certified II | 1,0 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 1 | |
GOST R 53 136 - 2008 | ||||||
Source material (IM) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Original (OS) | 0,5 (0) | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Elite (ES) | 2 (1) | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
Reproductive (RS (1-2)) | 2 (1) | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
* the permissible % of tubers affected by wet rot is indicated in brackets
** a tuber is considered affected by the disease if the area of the surface affected by common scab exceeds 33,3% or more than 1/3 of the surface; mesh scab – 33,3%; powdery scab - 10%; rhizoctonia - 10%.
To further harmonize the regulatory framework for the quality of seed potatoes in Russia, it is necessary to significantly improve the provisions regarding sampling rules, methods for determining the authenticity and purity of varieties, accounting for diseases, pests, external defects on plants and potato tubers, tolerances regarding the dimensional characteristics of tubers, their calibration and commercial quality . In this case, the introduction of differentiated norms and standard laboratory testing methods in determining the contamination of plants and tubers with latent viral and bacterial infection for the corresponding categories and classes of seed potatoes, as provided for in the national standard GOST R “Seed Potatoes. Acceptance and methods of analysis" (Table 3).
Table 3. Norms and methods of laboratory testing provided for by the standard of the Russian Federation for various classes (generations) of seed potatoes
Seed material | Class/generation | Testing standards | Methods |
Basic clones for in vitro culture, | THEM | 100% plants | ICA, PCR, ELISA |
Initial microplants for clonal propagation in in vitro culture | THEM | 100% plants | ELISA, PCR |
Plants in growing rooms to produce mini-tubers | THEM | Minimum 250 plants per variety | ELISA* |
Field nurseries (500 m isolation) | 1st field generation from mini-tubers | 200 plants per variety (or 200 tubers per batch) | ELISA* (**) |
Super-super elite | 200 tubers per batch | ELISA | |
Field nurseries (100m insulation) | Superelite | Individual plants*** | ICA, ELISA*** |
Elite | |||
*Analysis on leaf samples **Post-harvest laboratory test of tuber samples. ***Checking in the field of individual plants with insufficiently clear manifestations of disease symptoms using ICA on test strips, ELISA |
Since 2011 in Russia, the UNECE standard has been included in the official list of regulatory documents for use in the voluntary certification system of seed potatoes of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Rosselkhoztsentr".
The application of the UNECE standard for seed potatoes in Russia will undoubtedly contribute to the creation of a new competitive environment between suppliers of seed potatoes and producers of commercial potatoes. As a result, an obvious advantage will certainly accrue to those producers who will be able to offer both on the domestic market and for export higher quality seed potatoes that meet the level of international regulatory requirements. This, in turn, will contribute to the active implementation of modern innovative technologies, investment in the modernization of production, faster advancement into production of varieties that are in high demand on the market, the use of effective means of diagnosing phytopathogens, training personnel and increasing the professional level of specialists in the field of potato seed production, quality control and certification.