Formation of national varietal resources: status and prospects

Abstract

Purpose. To study the current state and structure of national plant variety resources, analyse the dynamics of their formation, identify new challenges and threats to national interests and food security of the state. Methods. The research used general scientific methods including hypothesis, observation, search with elements of extrapolation from the source database, analysis, comparative evaluation and synthesis to draw conclusions. Results. The physical and geographical location of Ukraine in the centre of Europe determines the export­import segment of resources of varieties and hybrids, which depends on international trends and trends in the food market. In recent years, our country has lost its leading position in the market of varietal plant resources. At the beginning of the third quarter of 2024, the share of varieties of Ukrainian applicants in the State Re­gister of Plant Varieties Suitable for Distribution in Ukraine was lower than that of foreign varieties, slightly exceeding 44% (corn – 45.3%, sunflower – 32.9%, vegetables – 23.3%, rapeseed – 19.1%, beetroot – 19.2%). Currently, the priority of domestic breeding is maintained for the following groups: cereals – 52.3%, fodder – 64.2%, medicinal – 88.7%. According to experts, in the coming years three quarters of the varieties of plants grown in our country will be of foreign origin.  This situation is of great concern not only because of the increased dependence on imports, but also because of the real prospect of the decline of domestic breeding and the emergence of risks in the field of plant variety rights protection. The reasons for this state of national varietal resources and trends in the development of the seed industry of the main strategic varieties were analysed, taking into account the production of seeds of both foreign and domestic breeding, the market share of which was determined during the research. The volumes and the main producers of conditioned seeds in Ukraine were determined. Conclusions. The state of plant variety resources was analysed, trends and main problems arising in the process of their formation were identified. The main directions of development and implementation of the norms of the European national legislation in the field of protection of rights to plant varieties and seed production were determined.