PROSPECTS OF BREEDING AND ORIGINAL POTATO SEED IN THE MOUNTAINS OF KABARDINO-BALKARIA
One of the main directions of researches of the Kabardino-Balkar Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture in the field of plant growing are selection and seed farming of potatoes which are directed on creation of high-yielding grades with high quality of tubers for ensuring needs of Kabardino-Balkar Republic for seed and food potatoes. Work is carried out together with the All-Russian Research Institute of Potato Economy of A.G. Lorkh. More than 10 grades of potatoes adapted for soil climatic conditions of North Caucasus region with productivity of 30-38 t/hectare are created. They all have high levels of quality and are characterized by basic economic-useful signs: high productivity, resistance to viral, fungal and bacterial diseases, resistant to late blight, macrosporiosis, skin spot, excellent taste characteristics and high starch content. Carrying out original seed farming of potatoes in mountain conditions of KBR has a number of advantages: minimum infectious load of plants, lack of carriers of viruses (UVK, VSLK) at the level of 1000 m above sea level, placement of the seed nurseries preventing repeated infection, unique conditions of phytosanitary property, the favorable environment for carrying out selection process. In the biotechnological laboratory of potatoes of institute located at the height of 1200 m above sea level in the village of Belokamenskoye of the Zolsky region of KBR improvement of seed material of potatoes from viral, bacteriemic and mushroom diseases and its accelerated manifolding, ecologically safer seeds of potatoes allowing to receive on a virus-free basis conforming to normative requirements of the national standard is carried out. In 2015, in Kabardino-Balkar Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture is tentatively planned to produce 2100-2200 tons of elite, tested, certified seed potatoes on the basis of the meristem.