Siberian Federal Research Center for Agrobiotechnologies (SFNCA) RAS plans to produce 600 tons of elite seed potatoes of the first reproduction in the Novosibirsk region. Due to a twofold increase in such production in the region, it is planned to reduce dependence on imported seed potatoes.
“This year we have sown 30 hectares in the Novosibirsk region, thanks to this we will be able to increase production almost twice. This is a little more than 600 tons of potatoes of the super-super elite class,” Alexander Zakharenko, Deputy Director for Scientific Work of the SFNCA of the Russian Academy of Sciences, quotes TASS.
Super-super elite seed potatoes are mini tubers used only for potato propagation. Their harvest yields a material called super elite, which also goes not to the table, but to the reproduction material. Next comes the elite, and after that – the usual commodity potatoes. According to the information from the website “Garden from A to Z”, using seed potatoes “superelita” and “elite”, you can provide yourself with a harvest of healthy potatoes for food and seeds for the next 3-10 years, depending on the yield requirements and biological factors of the soil.
According to Zakharenko, SFNCA does not have enough land for a full cycle of reproduction, so the last stages will be produced in nurseries. But they will do it, since at the moment the share of imported seed potatoes is about 80%.
A source: https://newsib.net/
