Research projects of Lomouri Institute of Crop Science
Study of plant genetic resources
• Donor: Knowledge Foundation
• Project Manager: David Bedoshvili
• Project duration: April 1, 2014 - 31 March, 2015
• Resume:
The purpose of the project is to study and conserve local genetic resources of field, vegetable and fruit crop plants. The genebank collections will be regularly enriched, renewed, passportized and monitored for purity, viability and health in the frame of the project. Also, some collections will be characterized and evaluated according to the economically important traits: wheat - grain yield and quality, barley - grain yield, maize - resistance to aphids, chickpea - feed quality, tomato - yield and disease resistance. Field missions will be organized to collect more samples of cultural plants.
Improved crop management method for new wheat varieties of Georgia to produce high yield and quality grain
• Donor: Rustaveli National Science Foundation
• Project Manager: Tsotne Samadashvili
• Project duration: April 1, 2014 - 31 December, 2015
• Resume:
The purpose of the project is to elaborate and validate wheat management method that contributes in production of higher grain yield and quality, select adapted winter wheat varieties for the country and adjust the schedule of the management practices to optimal. Besides, the soil fertility management system will be optimized: to include more efficient fertilizers and specify their rates and application dates. The results of the project will be used in local wheat production farms to improve production sustainability and competitiveness of wheat production.
Study of Mendel Laws of Genetics Using Fast Plants
• Donor: Rustaveli National Science Foundation
• Project Manager: David Bedoshvili
• Project duration: December 1, 2014 - 15 May, 2015
• Resume:
The aim of the project is to study heritability of two traits based on the Mendelian dihybrid model with active involvement of public school students. The materials of the study include two pure lines of Brassica rapa charaterized with short life cycles,which differ from each other by hairiness and coloration of the stem. The life cycle of the pure lines is as short as 40-42 days. It is possible to obtain several generations using the lines during the one school year.
The experiment was carried out by the 11-grade students of the 63rd Tbilisi Public School, who are currently taking the course of General Biology including the Mendelian Genetics. They cross-polinated the pure lines and obtained F1 seeds. Furthermore they grew the F1-plants, identified dominant and recessive traits, pollinated the plants and harvested F2-seeds. In F2-generation, the students counted the phenotypic ratios and compared the actual ratios with the expected ratios using χ2test to reject or accept the hypothesis. The students documented and analyzed all data, and presented the results at the school conference.