Latvian and Estonian collaboration in MainPotRe project sparks the creation of potato genetic resource safety duplicate collections

On November 7th, a public workshop on the MainPotRe project was held at Pajusi Manor in Estonia. The event included a formal ceremony where representatives from both countries, Kristiina Laanemets from METK and Ilze Dimante from AREI gave each other the first five accessions of potato varieties from their gene banks to be preserved as safety duplicates of in vitro potato plants.

“I am pleased that the collaboration between our institutes has led to the exchange of safety duplicates of potato genetic resources. This initiative will strengthen food security in our countries “said AREI’s researcher Ilze Dimante who is also the MainPotRe project’s leader.

“Estonia and Latvia both benefit greatly from the long-term friendly collaboration between our countries’ gene banks. By helping each other, we can ensure that the invaluable potato cultivars of both countries are safely protected in the neighboring country “added METK’s senior researcher Kristiina Laanemets.

Plant genetic resources safety duplicate collections are created to ensure the long-term preservation of valuable genetic material by providing a backup in case of threats such as natural disasters, pests, diseases, equipment failures, human errors, or geopolitical issues, thereby safeguarding biodiversity and supporting global food security, breeding programs, and research efforts.

Potato genetic resources duplicated cannot be stored in the Svalbard Seed Vault because it is designed for seeds, while potatoes require specialized storage methods like in vitro cultures or cryopreservation.

p.s. Finnish potato varieties are safely duplicated at NordGen potato genebank

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