THE TENDENCIES AND PROSPECTS OF SUGAR BEET INVESTIGATION IN UKRAINE

Tendence a výhledy ve výzkumu cukrovky na Ukrajině

M.V. Roik

The Institute of Sugar Beet Research of UAAS, Ukraine

Summary: The article deals with principal directions, results and prospects of research work carried out by the Institute of Sugar Beet of the Ukrainian Academy of Agrarian Sciences. The directions of priority of the Institutes scientific investigations are the following ones: breeding and seed production of sugar beet, cereals, leguminous and groat crops; scientific foundation of technologies of sugar beet growing, and mechanization of technological processes. Under present day conditions, reorientation of scientific investigation towards more scientifically efficient and perspective directions as well as a search for new forms of introduction of results of studies into practice are carried out.

Key words: sugar beet, farm crops, breeding, seed production, technology of growing.

Souhrn: Článek pojednává o základních směrech, výsledcích a vyhlídkách ve výzkumu v Řepařském institutu Ukrajinské akademie zemědělských věd. Priority v tomto výzkumu jsou následující: šlechtění a semenářství cukrovky, obilovin, luskovin a technických plodin, vědecké základy technologií pěstování cukrovky a mechanizace technologických procesů. V současných podmínkách návrat vědeckého výzkumu k efektivnějším, vědečtějším a perspektivním směrům, stejně jako výzkum nových forem zavádění výsledků výzkumu do praxe.

Klíčová slova: cukrovka, zemědělské plodiny, šlechtění, semenářství, pěstební technologie

Sugar beet is one of the traditional industrial crops in Ukraine. In 2001, sugar beet acreage amounted to 841.5 thousand ha and 1.75 mln t sugar were produced. During the last decade, the sugar beet production was in state of permanent crisis. Thus, in 1999, sugar beet acreage was reduced 1.5 times and beet yield was reduced 1.3 times as compared with the corresponding results of 1990.

But during the last two years, the tendency towards increasing beet acreage and root yields was observed. For instance, in 2001, sugar beet crop was sown on the area of more than 1.0 mln ha, but about 150 thousand ha of lost stands had to be resown with other crops because of extremely unfavourable weather conditions in spring and at the beginning of summer. It is clear that such weather conditions greatly affected beet yields as well.

But in spite of all these temporary difficulties, sugar beet remains to be a strategically important item of the agroproduction complex of Ukraine.

The Institute of Sugar Beet of the Ukrainian Academy of Agrarian Sciences (ISB UAAS) is a coordination-methodical centre of problems of sugar beet growing in Ukraine. ISB began its activity in 1922 as the Scientific Institute of Breeding, having only 4 laboratories: of breeding, morphology and systematics, farming and anatomy and physiology. At present the Institute consists of 22 scientific subdivisions. For conducting scientific investigations, the Institute has a developed structure which includes the Uman filial, 6 Experimental Breeding Stations and 13 Experimental Farms (Fig. 1). Now about 2000 persons are working in the Institute and its system.

Land tenure of the Institute, on the basis of state ownership, comprises about 49.000 ha agricultural land. Experimental structure of network of ISB UAAS makes it possible to carry out scientific-research work directly in each zone of sugar beet growing of Ukraine (Polissya, Forest-Steppe and Steppe). Accordingly, the Institute works out recommendations adapted to each soil-climatic zone.

The scientific activity has the following directions of priority:

· training of scientific workers and scientific-technological provision of sugar beet growing branch of Ukraine;

· working out genetic, biotechnological and physiological-biochemical technologies for creation of new initial materials of sugar beet for breeding for heterosis and for resistance to a complex of unfavorable factors;

· development of new competitive high-productive varieties and hybrids of sugar beet resistant to a complex of unfavorable factors of environment and adapted to mechanized production, which guarantee sugar yields on the level of 8.5 - 9.0 t/ha and a high seed multiplication ratio;

· working out new, in principle, resource- and energy-saving technologies of sugar beet production and growing beet seed bearing plants adapted to soil-climatic zones of sugar beet cultivation with the aim of maximum utilization of genetical potential of the crop;

· development of technologies of presowing preparation of seed (rubbing, grading, incrustation, treatment with protective-stimulating substances, pelleting) reaching high seed quality on the level of world standards and subsequent sale of seed material;

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· creation of new high-productive and competitive varieties and hybrids of cereals, beans, leguminous, groat crops and grasses, root chicory, stevia; development of technologies of their mechanized growing and seed production, marketing original seeds and stevia seedlings;

· scientific foundation of beet rotation under new conditions, crop alternation in the rotation, system of soil tillage, fertilization taking into account the planned yield, plant protection from weeds, pests and diseases on forecasting basis;

· foundation of an organizing-economic model for optimal functioning of beet-sugar subcomplex of agroproduction complex of Ukraine.

One of the principal directions of scientific-research activities of the Institute is breeding of sugar beet and other farm crops of the beet rotation. From the first days of foundation of the Institute, breeding problems were considered to be the most important ones and they remain such up till now.

On the basis of the Institute, there have been created high-productive varieties and hybrids adapted to certain zones of beet growing, relatively resistant to many diseases, suitable for mechanized production and showing high technological qualities. In 2001, varieties and hybrids developed by the Institute were sown on 75 - 80% of all beet acreage of Ukraine.

The most important achievement in beet breeding is creation, for the first time in the world, of the monogerm form of sugar beet and its introduction into practice. This is a world achievement of Ukrainian agronomical science which makes it possible to ensure practically complete mechanization of the process of sugar beet production.

It should be also marked that considerable successes were achieved by the plant breeders of ISB UAAS with cereals, beans, leguminous and groat crops and grasses. In this respect, one should name as example of significant value: millet varieties resistant to smut developed at the Veselo-Podilska Experimental Breeding Station; pea varieties with high protein content developed at the Uladovka Experimental Station, which do not lodge, do not shed and are suitable for direct combining. During the period of 1923 - 2000, altogether 264 varieties and hybrids of sugar beet and 127 varieties of cereals, beans, leguminous and groat crops and grasses have been developed at the Institute.

It is important to note that a new for Ukraine medicinal crop - stevia was introduced by the scientists of the Institute. Two varieties of stevia have been already introduced into the List of varieties of Ukraine. The work of breeding of root chicory is also under way. Five chicory varieties are locally adapted giving yield of 30.0 - 35.5 t/ha.

By 2001, 72 varieties of 14 farm crops developed by the plant breeders of ISB UAAS were included into the List of varieties of Ukraine. It is the Institute of Sugar Beet that occupies a leading position in Ukraine in breeding sugar beet, pea, chicory, stevia and spring vetch.

In connection with sugar beet seed production, fundamental studies on indirect and direct methods of seed production have been carried out. The most perspective zones for seed production are strictly determined and all the processes are mechanized.

In the sphere of seed production, methods of seed presowing preparation (cleaning, grading, treatment with protective-stimulating substances) have been developed; state standards of qualitative indexes of seeds have been worked out.

To ensure plant protection from a complex of pathogenic organisms, specialists of the Institute have developed and introduced into practice the integrated system of protection of sugar beet from pests, diseases and weed plants according to soil-climatic zones of sugar beet growing.

For solving problems of farming, on the bases of long-term various investigations, there have been developed scientifically founded field beet-cereal rotations which ensure obtaining maximally high and stable yields of sugar beet and other crops of the rotation.

The Department of mechanization of the Institute together with other scientific-research institutions developed and introduced into operation a complex of machinery for mechanized production of sugar beet.

In connection with land privatisation in Ukraine, agricultural production determines a search for new approaches to scientific developments and their introduction into practice. That is why the collective body of the Institute and of scientific subdivisions of its system are developing new forms of cooperation with scientific institutions and beet producers in Ukraine and abroad, work on reforming problem subjects of scientific investigations in new directions and are leading a policy of active introduction of the results obtained into practice of production.

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