Scientists in Tajikistan are concerned about the disappearance of many varieties of vegetables and fruits. Despite the fact that new varieties are more resistant to adverse climatic conditions, the disappearance of traditional sorts for this area has a negative impact on the preservation of the country’s biodiversity, they say.
According to Rakhmon Shukurov, an agricultural extension specialist, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, about 70 percent of the zoned varieties in Tajikistan have not been grown or have been lost. Rationing is the optimal placement of crop varieties according to their requirements for soil and climatic conditions.
This is especially true for vegetable and cereal crops. Almost all varieties and hybrids of tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, eggplants, cauliflower, broccoli, corn and some varieties of wheat are imported and not included in the zoning list.
Vintage varieties of apples and pears such as “White Fleur,” “Simirenko” and “Rosemary” shaped cup and others have also been lost. Some of these can now be found only in very small numbers in old orchards.
Scientific Secretary of the Institute of Horticulture, Grape and Vegetable Growing in Sughd Oblast Abduhabib Ohundjanov also notes the loss of such apricot varieties as “Ahrori”, “Ahrori Khoja” (early), “Samarkand” (early), “Arzi katta”, “Moҳtobi”, “Subkhoni”, “Kandak”, “Ahmadi”, “Gulungi”, “Kadu” “Hurmoi” and others.
Experts believe that the loss of local varieties occurred for various reasons, but one of the main reasons is the desire to get a larger yield and more profits. losing their own seed stock and traditional varieties of fruits and vegetables.
The low level of agro-technical and hydro-technical knowledge, improper grazing and many other things contribute to land degradation and seed stock depletion, according to Farzona Mahmudova, climate expert of the GIZ program.
She says the seed stock is becoming scarce because of the low culture of pesticide use.
“Pesticides give a great harvest for one time, but deprive it for 3-4 seasons. We have our own seed bank, our own plants, which have taken root since time immemorial. They are already used to our soil, water and climate. Farmers, in the pursuit of profit and yield, use too many pesticides, herbicides and chemicals,” Makhmudova said.
Another reason, analysts say, is the mass destruction of orchards after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
“New gardens were created in their place, the land was given to vegetable crops or social facilities or other buildings were built,” Rakhmon Shukurov said.
In addition, after independence, population growth, and shrinking arable land, more fruits and vegetables were needed, and local varieties were inferior to imported ones in terms of yields.
“For example, early varieties of apricots such as “Ahrori”, “Ahrori Khoja”, “Samarkand” and “Arzami Katta” had high shatter ability during ripening and not very good transportability. Imported varieties had more attractive appearance, were stored longer and, most importantly, were transportable. Because of improper care, the yield of local varieties fell, so farmers replaced the traditional varieties with imported and more unpretentious ones,” said Ohundjanov.
Aiming for the harvest
Agriculture is Tajikistan’s second largest economy after services. It employs 1.5 million people (nearly 51 percent of employment) and accounts for 19 percent of the country’s GDP – more than $7.5 billion, according to the Statistics Agency.
Tajikistan is a mountainous country and there is very little flat land. Only 30% of the total land area is classified as agricultural and 7% as arable. Only 68% of permanent cropland is irrigated, making Tajikistan the country with the lowest ratio of irrigated land to population in Central Asia.
At the same time, more than 70% of the population, according to official data, lives in rural areas. Therefore, the main task of scientists and agrarians is to increase the yield of agricultural products.
In these conditions, it is very important to preserve biodiversity and not to allow the disappearance of varieties of vegetables and fruits that are resistant to local conditions. After all, fruits and vegetables growing in hot climates have better taste qualities.
Nevertheless, many varieties of fruit have already been lost, experts say.
Forgotten Taste
Apricot crop packing in a water district of Tajikistan. Photo by agronomist Nafisa Ruzimatova
Fruit, dried fruits, especially apricots and dried apricots, have always been one of the export products of Tajikistan.
After the 1990s, the export of fresh fruit became problematic. Large canneries that processed fresh apricots stopped working or changed their technological lines. Dekhkans had no choice but to start growing varieties that were suitable for drying and gave a high yield of dried material.
The “Subhoni” variety of apricots was valued for its taste and juiciness, and was in great demand in dried form. But due to periodicity of fruiting, farmers had to give it up.
The “Ahmadi” variety was not susceptible to stone fruit diseases such as moniliosis and clusterosporiosis. Therefore, this variety has not been planted in the last 10 years.
The apricot variety “Kandak” was distinguished by a lot of sugar, but was small-fruited and looked bad after drying. Tajiks are very fond of this apricot, but now it can be found only in a few old apricot orchards.
What has come to replace the lost fruit varieties?
In recent years, there has been a varietal shift with regard to fruit crops, apricots, peaches, apples, cherries and grapes. Invasive varieties are replacing the traditional Tajik varieties.
Now apricot orchards are planted with varieties “Isfarak”, “Boboi”, “Mirsanjali”. The entire harvest from these varieties is dried and imported into Russia.
They also introduce foreign varieties of apricot: “Silver Cat”, “Kyoto”, “Tsunami”. These varieties, mostly European, are more resistant to adverse weather conditions. The orchards with them are already bearing fruit and even a line of fresh fruit has been established.
New sorts of grapes appeared: “President” (was brought from Japan), “Avatar”, “Shohona” and others seedless. These were market demands.
New apple varieties were also brought in: “Granny Smith,” “Gala,” “Golden Delicious,” and “Red Chef.
All of them are not bad, but they do not always take root in the hot climate of Tajikistan.
The humidity in the republic is low, the rains stop in April and there is practically no rainfall until mid-October. There are few irrigated fields, and if water is available, you have to compete with other farmers for its distribution.
According to Tajik agronomists, the country has an average of 270 days of cloudless weather, which is not good for plants.
In addition, hybrid seeds lose their resistance to pathogens after a certain time and begin to be affected by pests and diseases.
Jahongir Boboev, director of «Sitabr Agro», shares his unfortunate experience of how the firm suffered losses because of new varieties.
“We brought in seeds of sweet corn from the Turkish company MAU. The germination was weak, in many places did not sprout. We had to plow again and plant another crop. By trial and error on small plots of land, it was found out that the seeds of the company Colase from the U.S. perform well on our land. As a result, we got a good harvest,” Boboev said.
How is the seed fund replenished?
In the age of Internet globalization, you can order delivery of a variety of varieties of fruits and vegetables from anywhere in the world. Domestically, there are also a large number of specialized stores with a huge selection of seeds. Seeds are imported mainly from Turkey, Holland, Poland and USA.
Apricot seedlings are mainly grown domestically. For their cultivation, apricot pips of wild varieties with bitter kernel are used, because they are well adapted to the local climate and give good sprouts. Varieties grafted to them will be more resistant to drought, pests and diseases. Small quantities of apricot seedlings are also imported from Uzbekistan and from European countries.
Previously, seeds of vegetable and cereal crops were purchased in the markets. Seeds of local varieties are still available there.
How do farmers choose varieties?
Experts recommend that farmers still try to keep old varieties of vegetables and fruits or buy seeds that should be consistent with local soil and climatic conditions. They should be tested, zoned and included in the State Register of varieties allowed for use.
“I would recommend farmers to grow local, old-fashioned varieties of vegetable, grain and fruit crops along with imported seeds. At least in limited quantities, as they say, “for themselves”. This contributes to the preservation of these old varieties. And donor organizations and officials need to support farmers who grow local varieties,” says Rakhmon Shukurov.
“Choose varieties that are resistant to adverse conditions, diseases, and pests. Focus on self-pollinated with minimal shattering. For greater profitability, choose late-flowering varieties with different periods of ripening, so you can provide the market with fresh fruit for a long time,” says Abduhabib Ohundjanov.