Residents of the Sverdlovsk region will be able to buy elite potato varieties of Ural production in five years. 800 microplants were brought into the seed-breeding center. Before maturing, the embryos will be in test tubes under the constant supervision of scientists and farmers.
The new premises of the Seed Breeding Center resembles a medical laboratory: flasks and microscopes around it. The main object of attention is a potato sprout in a test tube. Evgeny Yushkin is one of those who will monitor the "health" of the seedlings, check the embryos' sugar level, the presence of viruses and even take DNA analysis. A nutrient medium for the plant will also be prepared here.
Evgeny Yushkin, agronomist of the Ural Potato selection and seed-growing center: “A nutrient medium is needed for test plants to grow and develop well, all the elements are added there: vitamins, growth stimulants, so that test plants grow faster.” Now hundreds of embryos are in the so-called cultural hall - about 16 hours in the room are light, the remaining eight are dark. A constant temperature of +18 degrees is also supported. In the laboratory, absolute sterility. Before entering there, employees take a shower and undergo a complete disinfection. This eliminates the possibility of viruses.
Maria Stafeeva, researcher at the Potato Selection and Technology Center of the Ural Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture: “The plant accumulates viruses, so a diseased plant can no longer produce high productivity, high yield.”
The test tube is the “residence” of the sprouts until next year. In April, potatoes will be planted in greenhouses, there will be eight in all. Inside, they will create truly heavenly conditions - they will connect round-the-clock heating and a special drip irrigation system: a nutrient solution will be supplied to each pot using a small tube.
Igor Krupsky, Deputy Director for Technical Affairs: “We will create the most favorable conditions so that this little sprout that you saw in the laboratory can grow in the time allotted to it - this is from 75 to 85-100 days. This is the growing season of a normal healthy plant. ”
According to forecasts, potatoes of three elite varieties “Miner”, “Lux” and “Bear” will appear on the market in five years. By then, production will reach an industrial scale. Tubers will no longer have to be purchased in Finland, Holland, Germany and spent on imported bulbs, and not always of good quality, up to 40 million rubles every year.
Alexander Kozhevnikov, General Director of the Belorechensky agro-industrial complex: “We start sowing in May, and in warm countries it starts in April, in February, so the best quality potatoes go there first, and we already get what the farmers have left” .
So that the Sverdlovsk region could provide itself with high-quality potatoes, farmers of the Belorechensky combine and scientists of the Ural Research Institute of Agriculture were connected to the project. In five years, ten tons of “second bread” per season will be harvested in the region.
Source: http://www.welikepotato.ru/