Source: TUT.BY via Black Sea Biotechnology Association

In recent years, Belarus has been actively conducting research in genetic engineering - said the head of Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, biosafety clearing house at the Institute of Genetics and Cytology, National Academy of Sciences, academician Nikolai Kartel at the press conference held on August 4th in Minsk.

According to him, the work is carried out mainly in NASB units. Thus, the Institute of Biophysics and Cell Engineering, created transgenic potato varieties resistant to various fungal diseases. In the Central Botanical Garden research focuses on the creation of transgenic cranberry with increased sweetness.

The Institute of Genetics and Cytology of NASB tries to develop transgenic varieties of herbicide tolerant flax. In addition, work is under way to develop potato varieties resistant to fungal diseases and to Colorado beetle.

Another direction of work of the institution is the use of cytochrome encoding animal genes in plants. Now scientists are trying to create varieties of rapeseed with this gene.

In the meantime all the works are conducted in contained laboratory conditions. To conduct further testing a special trial site is needed, which will be established in early 2011.

Press conference - video