New Potato Varieties “Umka” and “Vodar” Grown at Vitebsk Zonal Institute of Agriculture in Belarus

The Vitebsk Zonal Institute of Agriculture of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus is cultivating two new potato varieties — “Umka” and “Vodar.” The future harvest begins in a test tube, where the plant material is initially grown under sterile conditions. After preparation, the material is transferred to greenhouses for further development before being planted in open fields. The entire process, from initial propagation to the production of elite seeds, takes between two and three years.

These new varieties represent the ongoing efforts of Belarusian breeders to improve potato farming by providing high-quality seed material to farmers and agricultural enterprises. The technology employed — including in vitro culture and greenhouse cultivation — ensures that the resulting elite seeds are free from diseases and capable of delivering stable, high yields. While specific characteristics of “Umka” and “Vodar” have not been detailed in the report, their development underscores Belarus’s commitment to advancing one of its key agricultural crops through systematic breeding and modern propagation techniques.