The Ural Potato project was included in the program of state support for Russian potato growing. The seed-growing center for the production of domestic elite potato varieties, created in the Beloyarsk District of the Sverdlovsk Region, is recognized as a strategically important project to ensure the country's food security.
In the Urals, breeding work is underway with new varieties of potatoes. Photo: Tatyana Andreeva / WG
The implementation of the Ural Potato project began in 2015 with the active support of the Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region, Evgeny Kuyvashev. In November 2017, the grand opening of the first stage of the selection and seed production center took place. At the initial stage of construction, 25 million rubles were allocated from the regional budget and 15 million from the federal budget.
- The project is designed to provide not only the Urals, but also Russian farmers with potato seeds of domestic production. The company will conduct seed production of 15-20 potato varieties, of which at least 60 percent are varieties of its own selection and selection of the Ural Research Institute, another 40 percent - varieties of Russian and foreign selection. After reaching full capacity, the enterprise will produce ten thousand tons of elite potato seeds per year, which will meet the needs of the Ural District and other regions of Russia, ”says Vitaly Dunin, director of the Ural Potato Center.
In terms of equipping with laboratory equipment, Uralsky Potato is one of the most modern breeding centers today. An individual approach to each variety and its own modern laboratory for diagnosing potato diseases using real-time PCR analysis allow us to obtain seed of the highest quality. The laboratory for micropropagation of potato plants is capable of producing more than 70 plants in vitro (in vitro), and the greenhouse complex is capable of producing more than 000 mini-tubers per year.
For a short time, the center already has significant results. In the first year, 560 thousand mini-tubers of potatoes were produced. They were preserved and then planted in a field on an area of 10 hectares. This year it is planned to receive the first field generation.
Agrarians presented the project of further development of the center to Evgeny Kuyvashev. As the Minister of Agriculture and Food of the Region Dmitry Degtyarev explained, the second stage involves a significant expansion of the landing area and the construction of two vegetable stores with a total volume of 310 tons. According to plans, by 2021, agricultural producers of the country will be provided with their own seeds of an elite level of Ural production.
The inclusion of the Ural Potato project in the program of state support for Russian potato growing will allow the industry to develop at an even higher rate. Funding for the undertaking of the Sverdlovsk agrarians from the federal treasury will amount to 170 million rubles.
Source: https://rg.ru/