WORKING MEETING "REVIEW OF PROGRESS AND PROSPECTS OF DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A LONG-TERM STRATEGY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES OF UKRAINE"

On April 25-26, 2024, the Nordic Genetic Resource Center (Alnarp, Sweden) held a working meeting "Review of progress and prospects of development and implementation of a long-term strategy for the preservation of plant genetic resources of Ukraine" within the framework of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Representatives of the Crop Trust, the Scandinavian Gene Bank, the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences (vice-president M.V. Roik), the National Center for Plant Genetic Resources of Ukraine (NCPGRU) of the Yuriev Plant Production Institute (V.K. Riabchun), Ustymivka Station of Plant Production (O.V. Tryhub), and the Institute of Agriculture of the Carpathian Region (T.I. Patryka) participated in the meeting.

After the presentation on the state of major collections of field crops, vegetables, fruits, and potatoes within the Plant Genetic Resource System of Ukraine and the needs for their maintenance and long-term storage, the support stages were discussed. First of all, it is necessary to intensify integration into European and global cooperation on plant genetic resources (PGR): to ratify the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA), to appoint a representative of Ukraine to the FAO Commission on PGRFA, to ensure the participation of scientists in the European Cooperative Program on PGR, and to continue cooperation with national gene banks of the leading countries worldwide. It is necessary to found a national council on  PGRFA with representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences, and leading research institutions of the Plant Genetic Resource System of Ukraine. The National Council should define the priority issues of formation and maintenance of the National Plant Gene Bank of Ukraine for food and agriculture. After submitting the proposals by the National Council on  PGRFA, international PGR organizations will turn to international funds and sponsors for support for institutions of the Plant Genetic Resource System.

Urgent assistance to the NCPGRU and Ustymivka Station of Plant Production, as the main custodians of collections of field crops and vegetables, was discussed with the deputy head of the New Nordic Fund, Michael Skovbo (Sweden). Money can be used for staff support, energy support (electricity, fuel), and purchases of materials, small equipment, and laboratory devices). Proposals will be submitted and their implementation will be agreed upon soon.

The international community is concerned about preserving plant gene pool specimens in Ukraine during the war and is extending a helping hand. Specimens can also be stored in the Svalbard Global Repository (Norway). FAO is finalizing the technical documentation for the construction and equipment of a backup storage facility for PGR specimens in a western region of Ukraine.