Russia's EkoNiva could cut time for creating plant varieties by 2-3 years through cooperation with Chile

MOSCOW. Nov 8 (Interfax) - EkoNiva Group plans to cut the time needed for creating new agricultural plant varieties by two to three years through cooperation with Chile.

EkoNiva's Center for Breeding and Primary Seed Production has signed a memorandum on interaction with Chile's Agricultural Research Institute (INIA), EkoNiva told Interfax. It aims to help introduce accelerated breeding methods and develop the exchange of experience between the two countries' plant breeders.

Employees visited INIA and the country's breeding and seed production enterprises at the beginning of the year with the aim of introducing a tool that accelerates the breeding process.

In particular, this involves organizing the replication of EkoNiva's breeding lines in so-called winter nurseries in the southern hemisphere.

EkoNiva will be able to harvest a second crop in the southern hemisphere during the winter after cultivating the breeding lines during the summer in its Eurasian zone, it said.

The focus will be on producing seeds for soybeans, chickpeas and lentils.

"In this way, cooperation with our Chilean partners will allow EkoNiva to significantly speed up the reproduction of seeds, by two to three years, without any loss in the quality of the genetic material. This in turn will cut the time needed for certain stages of the breeding processes, and therefore [the time needed] to introduce new Russian varieties to the market," the center's director Vitaly Voloshchenko was quoted as saying by the press service.

It takes 10-12 years to develop a new variety in a traditional cycle.

When asked how this innovation could affect the cost of creating new varieties, EkoNiva said that this is the company's first experience using winter nurseries, so the economic impact still needs to be calculated. "However, to enhance competitiveness, the time-to-market for a new product (a variety) often matters more than an increase in the project's cost, especially in the context of import substitution," it said.

The agreement also provides for exchanging scientific information, expertise in genetic resource adaptation, and sharing collection materials belonging to both sides to support breeding programs and preserve and utilize various plant varieties in Russia and Chile.

"Both Chile and Russia are concerned about food security, so it's essential to create a genetic resource bank and develop breeding. Under the memorandum, we plan to jointly develop breeding programs, offer specialized training in genetic advancements, exchange genetic material, and conduct work in off-season nurseries. In northern Chile, in the city of Arica - an incredible place known as the city of eternal spring - there is a breeding station where any crop can be cultivated, with up to three harvests a year," INIA Deputy Director for Research and Development Christian Alfaro Jara was quoted as saying by the press service.

EkoNiva and INIA are currently discussing the details of their cooperation and its legal framework.

The memorandum was signed at the VIR - 130: Plant Genetic Resources international conference, which marks the anniversary of the founding of the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Industry (VIR).

EkoNiva is a leading producer of raw milk in Russia and carries out its processing, and is also involved in breeding and seed production.