European University of Lefke (EUL) Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technologies organized a conference themed “Seed: Miraculous Source of Life”. Academician of Isparta Applied Science University Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technologies Prof. Dr. Hakan Aktaş attended the conference as a speaker.

Aktaş: Industry, consumption habits, tastes, environmental conditions, diseases and pests are the factors affecting the formation of plant genetic resources

Aktaş described seed as the generative plant propagation material, which is formed by the combination of a plant species or of the gametes of two different species of the same species, with a seed coat and embryo and ovary as the name given to the vegetative (tuber, trunk, rhizome, tooth, plant particles etc.) and general parts used in plant production. Pointing out that plant genetic resources are vital for the societies, Aktaş said that industry, consumption habits, tastes, environmental conditions, diseases and pests are the factors affecting the formation of plant genetic resources.

Aktaş: Genetic science, plant breeding and cultivation activities, hybrid technology, modern biotechnology accelerates seed cultivation

Aktaş listed the seed banks as Nikolay Vavilov (1921), American National Centre of Protecting Genetic Resources (since 1975), International Plant Generic Resources Industry (IPGRI), Millennium Seed Bank (England) and Svalbard global Seed Vault (Norway, 2008) and said that genetic science, plant breeding and cultivation activities, hybrid technology, modern biotechnology, and recombinant DNA technologies accelerate seed cultivation.

Aktaş answered “Why Hybrid Seed” question as Hybrid Seed is a necessity due to consumer requests, manufacturer requests, seedling cultivators and vendor requests. Aktaş listed the consumer requests as; color, crisp, hardness, vivid appearance, taste-aroma-flavor, lack of drug residue, manufacturer requests as; high efficiency, Disease and pest tolerance, resistance to environmental conditions, season transitions, easy harvesting, continuity of quality.

At the end of the conference, the Dean of Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technologies Prof. Dr. Mehmet Atilla Aşkin presented Aktaş a certificate of appreciation.