10
Maintenance of Cannabis germplasm in
the
Vavilov Research Institute Gene Bank - 1995
Sofia Kutuzova1, Lyudmila Rumyantseva2 and Robert C. Clarke3
1 Project Chief and 2 Researcher,
N. I. Vavilov All-Russian Research Institute of Plant Industry, St. Petersburg, Russia;
3 International Hemp Association, Postbus 75007, 1070 AA Amsterdam, The
Netherlands
Kutuzova, Sofia, L. Rumyantseva and R. C. Clarke.,
1996. Maintenance of Cannabis germplasm in the Vavilov Research Institute Gene Bank
- 1995. Journal of the International Hemp Association 3(1): 10-12.
Ninety-two samples of the Cannabis collection were planted on
the isolated plots of Kuban, Ustimovka, Ekaterinino and Pavlovsk Experiment Stations of
the VIR with the purpose of reproduction and maintenance of their viability.
Reproductions were received from 74 accessions; 4 did not germinate, 5 were stolen, and 9
failed to mature seed.
Introduction
Hemp is a traditional and important
industrial crop for Russian agriculture. However, in recent years the areas of its
cultivation have sharply diminished. Only 8,000-10,000 hectares were cultivated in
1995. Since Russia became cut off from the major cotton-producing areas in the
south, the demand of the national industry in the country's own natural fibers (including
that of hemp) has grown considerably. Hence, there is again a tendency to develop
and enhance cultivation and seed production technologies for commercial hemp cultivars as
well as breeding new high-yielding hemp cultivars free from psychoactive substances.
In such a situation the significance of hemp genetic resources stored
in the gene bank of VIR has greatly increased. However, these circumstances have
made the process of germplasm viability maintenance much more difficult due to the
separation of southern experiment stations where late-ripening thermophilous (heat
requiring) hemp samples were formerly maintained, and also because of the increased risk
of plant theft from isolated plots. Despite precautions each year a part of the
planted samples fail to yield reproductions due to poor seed ripening and theft.
The target of this work was to maintain a set of hemp accessions from
VIR's germplasm collection in order to revive their viability and confirm their identity
for future use by plant breeders.
Materials and methods
In 1995, in order to maintain germination
ability, 92 accessions were planted on isolated plots in different climate conditions at 4
experimental stations:
1) Pavlovsk (in the vicinity of St. Petersburg)
2) Kuban (in Krasnodar Region)
3) Ekaterinino (in Tambov Province)
4) Ustimovka (Ukraine)
The size of plots was dependent on the availability of seed and
their germination rate. Methods applied were the same as in previous years: manual
planting in rows with 20 cm intervals between the rows; hoeing and weeding of young
plants; removal of atypical plants during budding and flowering phases; and manual
harvesting (Lemeshev et al. 1994).
Results
On isolated plots of Pavlovsk Station 19 accessions
of hemp belonging to the dioecious Northern and Middle Russian groups were planted.
The minimum distance between plots was 2 km. The plots were protected by heavy
forest cover and landscape relief providing additional isolation. Meteorological
conditions in 1995 were even more unfavorable than in 1994. In May and June cold and
rainy weather led to soaking of the soil, which caused delays in plowing and cultivation
of isolated plots. Hence planting was also delayed. In June and August there
was hot and dry weather with temperatures in excess of 30°C. All this produced
negative effects on the development and productivity of the plants. Harvesting was
started in mid-September. Of 19 planted samples, 15 yielded reproductions and 4
failed to yield mature seed (Table 1).
Table 1. Results of 1995 VIR/IHA Cannabis Germplasm reproduction at Pavlovsk Experimental Station of VIR. | |||||||
Catalog No. |
Name/origin | Total plants |
Seed Yield (g) |
||||
317 318 80 85 99 100 148 151 156 355 357 415 416 423 424 220 227 263 251 |
U.S.S.R., Kirov Province U.S.S.R., Komi Republic U.S.S.R., Bashkirskaya U.S.S.R., Tyumenskaya U.S.S.R., Keshtovskaya U.S.S.R., Altaiskaya U.S.S.R., Altaiskaya U.S.S.R., Mariyskaya U.S.S.R., Tatarskaya U.S.S.R., Mariyskaya U.S.S.R., Mariyskaya U.S.S.R., Kazakhstan U.S.S.R., Kazakhstan U.S.S.R., Kazakhstan U.S.S.R., Kazakhstan Germany, monoecious Germany, monoecious Germany, monoecious Germany, monoecious |
815 450 610 700 1100 250 300 420 180 120 160 230 205 180 160 80 50 60 170 |
200 150 350 600 420 130 180 250 120 160 240 110 130 100 200 not ripened not ripened not ripened not ripened |
||||
Totals | 19 accessions | 6,240 | 3,340 |
Twenty accessions were planted on isolated plots at Ekaterinino Station. Weather conditions in 1995 were not favorable: due to early spring drought many young plants grew sparsely and therefore produced poor seed yields. As a result, 17 accessions reproduced seeds, 1 did not germinate, 1 was cut and stolen and 1 produced very few plants (Table 2).
Table 2. Results of 1995 VIR/IHA Cannabis Germplasm reproduction at Ekaterinino Experimental Station of VIR. | |||||||
Catalog No. |
Name/origin | Total plants |
Seed Yield (g) |
||||
508 139 465 444 312 147 400 365 363 311 399 296 210 122 171 295 168 96 398 374 |
U.S.S.R., Krasnodarskaya 56 Hungary, local Turkey, local Hungary, local U.S.S.R., Chernovitskaya U.S.S.R., Drogobychevskaya France, Fibrimon Hungary, B-7 Czechoslovakia, Shumperskaya U.S.S.R., Yuzhnaya Cherkasskaya France, Unya U.S.S.R., Byelorusskaya Romania, YCAR U.S.S.R., Transcarpathian region ?, line 13/167 U.S.S.R., Yuzhnaya Chyiskaya U.S.S.R., Kavkazskaya Portugal, local France, Fatza Romania, local |
150 204 92 115 35 120 94 65 204 86 15 36 267 71 156 - 1 10 340 196 |
394 408 92 136 84 206 156 106 270 160 42 32 682 76 260 not germinated 2 38 735 stolen |
||||
Totals | 20 accessions | 2,257 | 3,831 |
Twenty accessions belonging to the monoecious and dioecious Southern groups were planted on isolated plots at the Kuban Station. Planting was delayed due to a delay in settling financial issues. By the time of planting all other crops had already germinated. Soil moisture had already been exhausted, and therefore plants on many plots grew sparsely. Fifteen accessions were reproduced, 3 yielded insufficient number of plants and 2 were cut and stolen (Table 3).
Table 3. Results of 1995 VIR/IHA Cannabis Germplasm reproduction at Kuban Experimental Station of VIR. | |||||||
Catalog No. |
Name/origin | Total plants |
Seed Yield (g) |
||||
298 185 297 326 320 284 180 181 436 395 535 437 467 173 18 377 484 22 481 538 |
China, Keshal China, Shan-van China, Yhion China, Lun-dzin China, Bai-dzin-chun China, local China, Da-van-gru China, Sar-san Hungary, Fertody Hungary, Kompolti Hungary, local Hungary, Szegedi 9 Romania, Fibrimulta Hungary, Kompolti Yugoslavia, local Yugoslavia, Lescovashca U.S.S.R., Alma-atinskaya Yugoslavia Hungary France, Felina |
3 2 51 62 9 10 70 5 70 74 153 96 35 98 10 52 1 55 19 60 |
15 2 50 360 23 10 260 20 405 670 stolen 990 80 stolen 200 402 2 465 125 360 |
||||
Total | 20 accessions | 935 | 4,439 |
Thirty-three hemp accessions were planted at the Ustimovka Station. Twenty of them were sown at the optimum time and produced good seed yield. Thirteen additional samples were sown a little later in dry soil. Because of that, 3 accessions did not germinate, and 5 did not yield mature seeds. Two accessions were stolen, so only 23 accessions were fully reproduced (Table 4).
Table 4. Results of 1995 VIR/IHA Cannabis Germplasm reproduction at Ustimovka Experimental Station of VIR. | |||||||
Catalog No. |
Name/origin | Total plants |
Seed Yield (g) |
||||
537 378 109 471 504 138 538 117 481 449 412 172 448 447 407 539 463 474 468 469 473 483 511 514 516 526 529 520 554 485 405 228 312 |
Yugoslavia, Carmagnola Yugoslavia, Carmagnola U.S.S.R., Proskurovskaya U.S.S.R., Khorezmskaya U.S.S.R., Yuzhnaya Odnovremenno Sozrevayush 24 Hungary, line France Hungary, Fleishmann Hungary, Uniko B Hungary, Szegedi Hungary, local Hungary, Fertodi Hungary, Kompolti Hungary, Fibrimon 24 Hungary, local France, Fibrimon 24 Italy, CS Poland, local U.S.S.R., Kazakhskaya U.S.S.R., Kazakhskaya U.S.S.R., hybrid U.S.S.R., Tashkentskaya U.S.S.R., Dneprovskaya 5 U.S.S.R., Irkutskaya U.S.S.R., Armenia U.S.S.R., Armenia U.S.S.R., Primorskaya U.S.S.R., Sozrevayushchaya 28 U.S.S.R., Daghestan Yugoslavia, local U.S.S.R., Arkhonskaya Germany, monoecious U.S.S.R., Chernovitskaya |
168 234 640 40 274 208 106 260 204 102 296 106 276 54 63 76 92 119 106 53 - 95 93 65 - 58 69 75 - 105 122 316 96 |
360 700 1,035 117 470 420 360 815 500 300 55 115 1,270 110 150 stolen stolen immature seeds 160 270 not germinated 265 immature seeds 240 not germinated immature seeds immature seeds immature seeds not germinated 200 475 1,115 500 |
||||
Total | 33 accessions | 4,571 | 10,002 |
Conclusion
Ninety-two hemp accessions were planted out with
the intention of maintaining viability. Seventy accessions were satisfactorily
reproduced. Four accessions did not germinate, 6 were cut and stolen, 10 did not
yield mature seeds, and 3 samples produced an insufficient number of plants.
Thanks to the implementation of the joint VIR/IHA project, in 1993-1995
a total of 252 hemp accessions were reproduced. All of the samples were either very
old seed reproductions (before 1989) or had a small number of seeds. Successful
reproductions were received from 134 threatened accessions. In 55 accessions very
small number of seeds were produced, so it would be necessary to repeat regeneration.
In addition, repeated regeneration is required for 65 accessions, which yielded
insufficient seed quantities in 1991-1992 before the VIR/IHA project started.
On the basis of the accomplished works, it is obvious that in order to
complete this project successfully it would be necessary to enlarge the number of isolated
plots. This will require widening of the number of experiment stations participating
in the project. In 1995 the project was expanded into Italy (see pg. 7). We
hope to have cooperation with Italy again in 1996 and also initiate reproductions in
Uzbekistan and Yugoslavia.
Reference