Despite the impact of racist shells on the buildings of the National Center for Plant Genetic Resources in Kharkiv, the samples were saved. After all, the staff of the institution duplicated them in advance.
KYIV. UkraineGate , 20 , May , 2022 | War News
However, there are other problems that make it difficult to save samples. The main one is destroyed equipment.
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“I used to assume that there were specimens that were lost forever. Fortunately, our workers managed to duplicate them and the varieties could be saved. However, rocket strikes destroyed equipment that helps preserve and maintain plants,” he said. this was stated by Avramenko.
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According to the scientist, the genetic bank of plants of Ukraine stores about 160,000 samples of plants in the form of seeds. But it loses its germination over the years, so it is replanted every few years. Not all at once, but every year a certain batch of seeds, numbering several tens of thousands. According to Avramenko, winter crops were sown in autumn and are now in the field, growing. If there is no fighting, they can be collected later. There was a problem with spring crops that had to be sown in the spring, but this was not possible due to the Russian invasion. On time, employees have time to sow late spring, such as soybeans, millet, corn, sunflowers. However, due to rocket attacks on the research facility, the equipment was destroyed.
“Completely destroyed equipment: combines, tractors, seeders, breeding equipment such as threshers, seeders. Without this we will not be able to sow late spring crops, so most likely this spring is lost. As for winter, it is also unclear how we will Since the plants first need to be protected from diseases, pests, weeds, we need equipment that is not there, and pesticides that have burned in warehouses. staff are already preparing sickles to collect at least a small number of samples by hand, “Avramenko said.
Source: Ukrgate