Students and postgraduates of KBSU took part in the conference on plant genetic resources

The other day, the conference «VIR — 130: Plant Genetic Resources» was held in St. Petersburg at the Federal Research Center All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources named after N.I. Vavilov (VIR). It was attended by postgraduates and students of the Institute of Chemistry and Biology in the direction of «Biology» of the Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after Kh.M. Berbekov Dinara Bakhova, Oksana Tengizova, Marianna Baysultanova, Regina Kapova, Amina Kokova, Lyana Elgarova.

The issues of preserving biodiversity, forming human resources in the field of studying and using plant genetic resources and many others were brought up for discussion. The task was to highlight the entire breadth of modern areas of work with collections of plant genetic resources and their application in fundamental science, medicine, agriculture, industry.

The poster presentation “Breeding for the creation of multi-cob lines and hybrids of corn at KBSU” by the university representatives attracted wide interest from the scientific audience. For postgraduate students and students, this is a great incentive for research activities.

Dinara Bakhova, a postgraduate student at the Institute of Crops and Biology of KBSU, shared her impressions of participating in the conference:

The whole atmosphere is a real celebration of science and creativity! An unforgettable experience was getting to know the collection of plant genetic resources (PGR) of VIR of grain, legumes, cereals, oilseeds and other crops, where we learned a lot of interesting things about the preservation of the seed fund and genetic research.

More than 20% of the collection’s samples are already extinct varieties and populations, which at the same time carry genes valuable for breeding and production, which at a certain stage are in demand. The PGR collection of VIR is the only one in the Russian Federation, it is among the top 5 leading gene banks in the world along with Mexico, the USA, Italy and Australia. Visit to VIR named after N.I. Vavilov, viewing its genetic exhibits makes an indelible impression.

Our delegation thanks the conference organizers for their attention and support.

The conference «VIR — 130: Plant Genetic Resources» was held within the framework of the implementation of the National Project «Sciences and Universities» and the events of the «Decade of Science and Technology in the Russian Federation».