11-16 March 2013 N.I. Vavilov Research Institute of Plant Industry hosted the first N.I. Vavilov International workshop for young scientists entitled:

"Plant genetic resources and their use in breeding"

The workshop was attended by 43 young scientists form research institutions and universities of the Russian Federation. 16 participants represented some CIS-countries: Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus. Lectures delivered by leading Institute`s specialists included basic methodic and methodological aspects of work on plant genetic resources, inter alia modern concepts of biological peculiarities, genetic diversity of the main economically valuable crops and their wild relatives; methods of detection and creation of initial material for breeding; evaluation of gene pool by commercially valuable traits, inter alia resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses; information on modern breeding research methods, including marker assisted breeding; basic statistic programs, methods of mathematical material processing etc.

There were conducted workshops on use of geographical information system technologies, Microsoft Office 2010, search of bibliographic data in Internet.

Participants were given sight to the focus areas of the institute: collection, conservation, study and use of plant genetic resources, they also visited VIR`s genebank. One day was fully devoted to methodic departments and laboratories in Pushkin town.

By tradition participants visited N.I. Vavilov`s memorial study as well as attended a lecture on the history of PGR-collecting in Russia.

VIR`s departments admitted all interested participants of the workshop.