Plant Genetic Resources and Scientific Activities of the Uzbek Research Institute of Plant Industry

Abstract

The Uzbek Research Institute of Plant Industry, located in Tashkent Province of the Republic of Uzbekistan, was established in 1924 by the renowned Russian plant collector and geneticist Nikolai I. Vavilov (1887–1943). As director of the extensive Leningrad Institute of Applied Botany, Plant Genetics, and Breeding, Vavilov recognized that Central Asia was an important center of origin of many crop species and subsequently developed the Central Asian Branch of the institute. Since then, Academician Nikolai I. Vavilov, Konstantin I. Pangalo, Galina M. Popova, Pavel A. Baranov, Alexander M. Negrul, Yakov F. Katc, Klavdiya F. Kostina, Nikolai V. Kovalev, and many others have organized an expansive worldwide collection of tree fruits, grapes (Vitis vinifera L.), melons (Cucumis melo L.), vegetables, forage, and fiber crops at the institute. In addition to germplasm collection, the institute has conducted evaluations, breeding, and research of wheat (Triticum spp.), cotton (Gossypium spp.), maize (Zea mays L.), melons, and grapes, as well as other promising food, forage, and fiber crops. The main goals of the early institute were the collection and storage of seeds, the evaluation of plant genetic resources from around the world under the various climatic zones of Uzbekistan (Fig. 1), the organization of seed production, and the development of improved agricultural practices for the region. In the 1970s, under the leadership of Academician Mirza Ali V. Mukhamedjanov, the institute’s role within the academic system of the former Soviet Union was expanded. The institute’s scientists trained graduate students that went on to earn advanced degrees from recognized research institutes and universities within Uzbekistan and other Commonwealth of Independent States countries. Since the institute was organized, eighty-five graduate students successfully defended PhD dissertations and were granted degrees in the field of plant breeding and genetic resources. While serving as director, Mukhamedjanov also made many important contributions to the genetic resource holdings of the institute and Currently, the main goals of the institute are to 1) enrich the existing germplasm holdings by executing collection expeditions of endangered, cultivated, and wild plant species; 2) maintain the longevity of the existing collection by seed viability testing and periodic seed increases; 3) develop and implement strategies for midand long-term storage of plant germplasm; 4) undergo reciprocal exchange of plant germplasm with research institutes, germplasm repositories, and government agencies worldwide; 5) successfully quarantine seeds and clonal materials undergoing testing for infestation with potentially threatening agents; 6) efficiently and effectively evaluate germplasm to identify and further test accessions showing agricultural promise; 7) develop and maintain a database of all accessions that includes key descriptors, such as collection site and performance parameters along with preliminary recommendations to breeding programs flourished during his time. In 1992 the institute was renamed to its current title, the Uzbek Research Institute of Plant Industry (UzRIPI), after Uzbekistan became an independent country (see Table 1 for a chronology of the institute’s names). At present, UzRIPI occupies 140 ha of arable land, including 74 ha of orchards with the remainder used for grain, melon, and vegetable crop research. UzRIPI also oversees experiment stations in Andijon (Farghona Valley) and Surkhondaryo provinces where they conduct evaluations of cultivars and other plant populations under different climatic conditions (Fig. 1). UzRIPI houses the following departments and support laboratories: Plant Introduction; Field Crops; Industrial Crops; Vegetables, Melons, and Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.); Fruits, Berries, and Grapes; Biochemistry; Seed Biology; and Plant Germplasm Resources Database Management.