Interesting materials on the situation with the provision of potato and vegetable seeds in the Urals are published by the FederalPress portal. Let's get in touch with them to sort things out.
“Imported varieties prevail today, because Russian selection is just starting to accelerate. In the next three or four years, we will be heavily dependent on imports, because we ourselves are in the super-elite stage. This is the primary seed material that needs to be intensively propagated for two or three years so that it can be offered to large farms,” explains the owner of the Potato company, deputy chairman of the Union of Vegetable Growers Igor Kartuzov.
Scientists believe that more state support is needed for the development of domestic selection. In particular, although specialized research institutes have been allowed to receive subsidies and subsidies for farmers at the federal level, such a decision has not yet been made in the Sverdlovsk region.
“Foreign companies enter Russia, acquire acreage and build seed plants, investing in high-quality seed preparation. And the institutes work on old equipment, which is from 30 to 50 years old. Therefore, production volumes and quality do not meet the needs,” says Andrey Bezgodov, a leading researcher at the Ural Research Institute of Agriculture, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences.
Institutes need not only new equipment, but also new personnel, emphasizes Igor Kartuzov. According to him, the entire selection of the Ural potato is based on the chief researcher of the Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture Elena Shanina, and there are no specialists in root crops at all. The businessman believes that it is possible to attract scientists, for example, with the help of affordable housing.
“Foreign varieties are mainly planted in our country, but we conduct our own selection. Every year, one or two of our varieties are included in the register and allowed to be used in the regions that we declare. In 2020, we have released two varieties - Terra and Alaska, in 2021 - Legenda, in 2022 - Argo, - Elena Shanina, chief researcher at the Ural Federal Agrarian Research Center, told the FederalPress correspondent.
According to her, there are no problems with the sale of elite seeds: every year, breeders sell from 60 to 80 tons of original material.
But the main problem may be global warming, which will not only make old developments useless, but also completely change the face of agriculture in the Sverdlovsk region. As Kartuzov predicts, if the droughts last another year, potato growers will think about moving to Siberia.
“Seed material begins to accumulate fatigue from heat and drought, this affects the yield. He does not have immunity, he begins to be affected by sores that he has not been affected in his life. We see this everywhere. If this does not stop, it will be necessary to change something in the crops - roughly speaking, switch to the production of grapes or early potatoes, ”concluded the business executive.