Farmers from the Alianza Científico-Campesina, in the state of Mérida, Venezuela, were able reproduce potato seeds of the Xinhua and Chola varieties from China and Ecuador, respectively.
This group of field workers belonging to the Páramo Integral Producers network (Proinpa), with the support of the Corporation for Scientific and Technological Development (Codecyt), an entity attached to the Ministry for Science and Technology, carried out a meticulous replication work seed cell, in the laboratory, with excellent results.
According to the president of Codecyt, Juan Blanco, Merida farmers successfully obtained what is called “mirror seeds”, that is, biologically equal seeds, with all their original conditions and characteristics.
“Proinpa did this work in its laboratories, as it does the different jobs. Everything is done in microbiology. It is an interesting job that lasts for years. This project with Xinhua and Chola lasted two years, trying to replicate all the cells of those potato seeds that they had brought from Ecuador and China. They reproduced the seedlings, ”he said.
In the same way, Blanco commented that, when perfecting the cell reproduced of the seedling, they took the samples to the greenhouse and, there, the pre-basic seed was produced, then they advanced to the basic seed.
“Venezuelan farmers now have a very interesting job: knowing what the behavior of these seeds is in the national territory and how they will acclimatize. They are going to try to sow and see the behavior, the yield and the quantity produced in the upper floors, intermediate floors and lower floors, ”the spokesperson explained.
In this sense, Blanco stressed that, in Proinpa, they work on floors 3500 meters above sea level and, therefore, it is so necessary to take these varieties to an evaluation on floors of 2000, 1500 and up to 600 meters of height, indicates a press release from the Ministry of Popular Power for Science and Technology.
“The most important thing about this cell replication process is that the members of Proinpa are putting into practice all the specialized knowledge of the Scientific-Peasant Alliance. They are in the scientific stage, in the seed reproduction stage to see what the behavior is at the microbiological level ”, he explained.
The president of Codecyt, Juan Blanco, reiterated that the objective of this work is to transform the exercise of food production, through local practices of seed management.
