Cuban university works on increasing domestic food production

SANTA CLARA, Cuba, Feb 21 (ACN) The Central University “Marta Abreu” of Las Villas is promoting food production as one of its strategic lines of research by obtaining varieties of great nutritional value, more resistant to pests, diseases and the effects of climate change.

Víctor Gil Díaz, head of the Phytogenetic Resources Group of the Center for Agricultural Research (CIAP) told ACN that during 2024 they worked with new chickpea varieties, registered in 2022 but still in the process of extension in Villa Clara province.

He explained that of the four varieties registered about three years ago, one has shown a more erect growth, which allows it to be used in mechanized harvesting, a technique increasingly necessary in view of the growing people´s migration from rural to urban areas.

To sustain and supply the demand for grain crops in general in the country, large extensions are always needed, which translates into the demand for varieties that are easy and quick to harvest, he emphasized.

With this same logic, he added, they are working together with the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology of Havana and the Institute of Plant Biotechnology of the UCLV in a common bean project, which is aimed at obtaining a variety, in this case of black beans, with erect bearing and the pods or legumes separated from the ground, so that harvesting can be done with the machine traditionally known as combined.

The genetic improvement of a new low bearing sunflower variety is also being sought, which will increase seed yields per hectare and facilitate mechanized harvesting and, at the same time, the sunflower, which is used directly for the manufacture of vegetable oils, generates industrial waste that is used to formulate animal feed, especially for pigs and poultry.

Orlando Saucedo Castillo, senior researcher in CIAP's fine grain group, said that one of the crops on which they are currently focusing most interest is sorghum, considered the fifth most important cereal in the world for its nutritional values.

He commented that today they have one of the largest germplasm in the country, with 11 cultivars ranging from white to black sorghum, passing through different shades (important depending on the chemical composition).

This product has been aimed both at animal feed (monogastrics in pigs and ruminants) and human feed, mainly for people with celiac disease (gluten intolerance), with great impact in a country with more than 1,200 children and 250,000 adults with this condition.

To date, around 40 products have been developed using the integral line, such as thickeners, sausage and fish extenders, sauces and flours, as well as cereal bars and energy bars for high-performance athletes, based on the integration with nine companies in the territory, which has allowed the company to patent its own brand (VISOR), registered in the Cuban Industrial Property Office.

With more than 450 research projects with national and international impact, the Central University “Marta Abreu” of Las Villas continues to be committed to respond to the main demands of society, based on scientific results in strategic sectors such as electro-energy, construction, transportation, hydraulic networks, information and communication technologies, industry and food production.