CLUSTER 5: PLANT HEALTH

Cluster passport: quality of spiked grains, corn and others harvest; highly effcient ecologically safe technologies for nutrition and protection of modern winter crops, other spiked grains and corn; variety specifc nutrition and protection systems; biofortifcation of cultivated plants; ecologically safe pesticides, regulators of plants growth and their remainders; environmentally safe technologies of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium nutrition; microelements; ICP-spectroscopy, ion-chromatography, microwave probe preparation; study of new plants varieties for recommending highly pest and disease resistant varieties for use in Ukraine according to cultivations zones.

Heads: Deputy Director of the Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics (IPPG) of NASU, Corresponding Member of NASU, Doctor of Biological Sciences V. Schwartau; Academician of NAASU Y. Syvolap, Western Center for Biotechnologies of Plants of NAASU; Institute of Agriculture, Ukrainian Academy of Agrarian Sciences (Professor, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences V. Hirko, Deputy Director, Director – Member of Ukrainian Academy of Agrarian Sciences, Professor V. Sayko); Ukrainian Institute of Plants Varieties Examination (Doctor of Agricultural Sciences O. Rudnyk-Ivaschenko); S. Omelchuk – Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Head of Nutrition Hygiene Department, Deputy Director of Institute of Hygiene and Ecology of O. O. Bogomolets National Medical University.

Legal address: Institute of Plants Physiology and Genetics of NASU, 31/17, Vasylkivska St., Kyiv, 03022, Ukraine.

Contact e-mail: schwartau@mail.ru.

Why IPPG?

Institute of Plants Physiology and Genetics of NASU is a research institution of world level. Scientists of the Institute under the supervision of
NASU member V. Morgun created more than 100 highly productive varieties and hybrids of plants. Such varieties of wheat breeded by member of NASU V. Morgun as “Smuglianka”, “Zolotokolosa”, “Favorytka” demonstrated phenomenal productivity of 115-124 centners/hectare, the highest in the history of selection in Ukraine. Winter wheat variety “Favorytka” demonstrated the highest in the history of agriculture in Ukraine productivity of 131.8 centers/hectare on the land plot of 136 hectares. More than 2,000 license agreement concluded and carried out regarding use of these varieties in crops productions; they are already cultivated on more than 1.7 million hectares making substantial contribution to the enhancing of Ukraine’s food security.

In order to strengthen the production base of the Institute the Ministry of Agrarian Policy along with NASU issued the bill transferring 178 farms in all soil and climate zones of Ukraine to the Institute’s ownership.

Institute’s collection of valuable plants samples is included to the state register of science objects belonging to national heritage of Ukraine. Annually, the Institute holds the international science conferences “Day of Field” with participation of state’s leaders, legislators, government representatives, members of the presidium of NASU, leading crops producers from Ukraine and other countries.

Therefore, researches in the direction of creation of hew highly efficient and ecologically safe technologies for agriculture and yield quality are of the foremost priority for the Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics, the powerful crops breeding and selection institution.

Among the main tasks for ensuring high quality harvests of winter wheat the following must be stressed out:

1. Development and introduction of newtechnologies to get big and high quality yields of spiked crops and other plants.
2. Development and introduction of highly efficient and environmentally safe technologies for nutrition spiked grains and other crops.
3. Biofortification of wheat. Development of technologies of modern varieties of spiked grains cultivation aimed at prevention of minerals deficiency in the grain (in particular, Fe, Zn, Cu, Cr, J, Ca, Mg, Se, Mn, Mo).
4. Study of modern varieties and cultivation technologies peculiarities influence on accumulation of substance causing the formation of acrylamide in yields.
5. Research of variety and cultivation technologies peculiarities influence on content of few substances as a factor of nutritional value of grain: content of inorganic ions, in particular calcium, selenium, zinc, iron, phenol substances, carotinoids etc.
6. Examination of new varieties and hybrids of plants as regards their resistance to diseases and pests aimed at selection of most resistant varieties with further recommendations to include them to the state register of plants varieties suitable for cultivation in Ukraine in order to introduce them into cultivation without substantial chemical treatment ensuring thus ecologically clean products.

Cluster’s work will be aimed at solving the following main problems:

• Ensuring high quality harvests of spiked grains, corn and other crops; development of highly efficient ecologically safe technologies for nutrition and protection of modern winter crops, other spiked grains and corn
• Development of variety-specific systems of nutrition and protection;
• Biofortification of cultivated plants;
• Introduction of ecologically safe pesticides, regulators of plants growth, identification of their remainders in order to ensure proper phytosanitary conditions of cultivated plants crops;
• Implementation of environmentally safe technologies of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium nutrition;
• Development of environmentally friendly system of microelements nutrition;
• Development of element analysis methods: ICPspectroscopy, ion-chromatography, microwave probe preparation;
• Environmental safety of agrocenoses.

Cluster 5 includes:

A. Science and research institutions:

1. Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics of NASU (coordinator).
2. Institute of Hygiene and Ecology of O. O. Bogomolets National Medical University.
3. Ukrainian Institute of Plants Varieties Examination.

B. Enterprises (SMEs, private companies):

1. Private stock company “Zernoprodukt MHP” (grain production, information and consulting services for agriculture).
2. “Agrisol” Ltd. (agricultural production, complex fertilizers, regulators of plants growth).
3. “Agroservice” Ltd. (agricultural production, advanced technologies of nitrogen nutrition).