The Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in central Europe which became an independent state in 1993 after the dissolution of its federation with the Czech Republic and
joined the EU in 2004. Slovak agriculture witnessed the shifts of conditions of the market economy. The share of agriculture in the GDP has been decreasing. In 2004 it was 4.5%. Agricultural land covers 49.7 % of the total land area, within which maize, rape and potato occupy, respectively, 51%, 23% and 19%.
Most of the Slovak agricultural research centres were established in the 1950s to 1960s, after World War II, during the effort of the socialist government to build up the agricultural research in the Czechoslovakia. After change of the political system in 1989, the gradual process of privatization started in the country. In the 1990s small breeding stations or research teams were separated from the bigger centres and gradually formed different types of private companies. Today, plant breeding is carried out by several organizations in the Slovak Republic. Only 3 belong to the public sector under the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Education.
Maize, potato and grain legumes are the most represented crops in Slovak plant breeding programmes. With an exception of two companies, most of the resources of the breeding programmes are used for line development and evaluation. And for most of them, the environment with abiotic stress is considered as a high priority.
The lack of financial resources is the most limiting factor of the Slovak plant breeding programmes. That is reflected by the inadequate availability of laboratory infrastructure to carry out experiments using advanced plant breeding techniques and a decrease in the number of breeders and biotechnologists, who try to get better salaries elsewhere.
Research and education institutes with activities in plant breeding
Public Institutes
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Established in 1951, RIPP is managed directly by the Ministry of Agriculture. It has responsibility for the whole of Slovakia. Since January 2005, the Grassland and Mountain Agriculture Research Institute, as well as the Regional Research Institute of Agroecology have been incorporated into the RIPP headquartered in Piešťany by a decision of the Ministry of Agriculture of Slovakia. Today RIPP includes four institutes. Plant breeding and related research is provided by Research and Breeding Stations (RBSs), which are a part of the Institute of Applied Genetics and Breeding (IAGB) and are situated in the regions of Slovakia with different agroecological conditions.
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The Department of Genetics and Department of Botany of Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Institute of Biology and Ecology, are besides their educational activities, involved in plant breeding since 1976 and in plant biotechnology research since 1981. The university was established in 1959 and is subordinated to the Ministry of Education of Slovakia. The teams of both Departments are involved in the medicinal plant breeding research in collaboration with a private company “Vilora” (previously Agricultural Co-operative ”Rozkvet” in Nová Ľubovňa). Their research is strongly focused on new line development and evaluation, plant biotechnology and less on germplasm enhancement.
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IGPB SAS has been involved in plant biotechnology research since 1987 and in mutation plant breeding since 1998. Besides research activities, the institute also carries out educational activities. The institute was established in 1986 and is under the Ministry of Education of Slovakia. The Institute of Plant Genetics and Biotechnology is the only research institution in the country focused strongly on advanced plant biotechnology with possible application in plant breeding. The objectives of the ongoing research are agricultural crops, such as flax, maize, barley, grain amaranth, soybean and potato; fruit tree species, such as Vaccinium sp. and Rubus sp. and forest tree species native to the Central European area.
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Sempol Holding a.s., Trnava is a private company which is involved in plant breeding since 1951 and in plant biotechnology since 1974. The company was established in 1951 and till 1992 was subordinated to the Ministry of Agriculture of the SR. In 1992 the organization was privatized. From its establishment the company has been involved in maize breeding, maintenance breeding, new line development and evaluation, germplasm enhancement and conservation and biotechnology research and use of biotechnological approaches in maize breeding.
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Hordeum s.r.o.
Website available in Slovak or English
From 1985 until 1996 the organization existed as a Breeding Station and was a public sector research institution, managed by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Slovak Republic. In 1996 the Breeding Station became a private company. The organization has been involved in plant breeding and production research since 1920, for wheat and other small grains, especially barley.
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The organization was established in 1893 as a Research and Breeding Station and later as Research Institute and was until 1994 under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Slovakian Republic. Officially, the organization has been involved in plant breeding for 45 years, and for 30 years in plant biotechnology research. The research team of the organization is involved in fruit and ornamental plant breeding research, including small fruits. Their research was strongly focused on new cultivar development and evaluation, on germplasm enhancement, maintenance breeding and as the first institution in Slovakia, also on plant biotechnology.
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The organization was established in 1966 as a Research and Breeding Station subordinated to the Ministry of Agriculture of the SR. At the time of its privatization in 1996, this station was divided into two private companies -- Plantex, s.r.o. Veselé pri Piešťanoch, and the Research and Breeding Station, s.r.o. Veselé. It started to develop its own breeding programme focused on conservation of genetic resources and creation of new cultivars of warm-season fruit species (apricots and peaches) and biotechnology research. The organization has been involved in fruit tree species breeding for 40 years, with 30 of these years as a public institution.
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During the years 1985 -- 2000 the organization existed as a research institution of the public sector and was, until 2000, under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Slovak Republic. From 2000 the organization became a private company. The station has been involved for 41 years in plant breeding research. The research team of is involved in grape (Vitis vinifera L.) breeding research, which is strongly focused on new cultivar development and evaluation, on germplasm enhancement, and on maintenance breeding (clonal selection). The institution has rich collection of genetic resources, which is considered to be as one of the best in Europe.
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Zelseed spol. s r.o. is a private company involved in plant breeding since its establishment in 1995. It deals with field crop (mainly maize), vegetable and fruit breeding research in the field of new line development and evaluation and germplasm enhancement. This company is not involved in any biotechnological research.
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Company “Vilora” - Ing. Viliam Oravec, PhD., Stará Ľubovňa
No Website Available
The company was established in 1980 as Agricultural Co-operative ”Rozkvet” in Nová Ľubovňa, belonging to the Ministry of Agriculture SR. In 1993 the organization was transformed to small private agricultural organization “Vilora”-Ing. Viliam Oravec, Ph.D., in Stará Ľubovňa. From its establishment the company has been involved in the breeding research of medicinal plants, such as Matricaria chamomilla, Agrimonia eupatoria, Hypericum perforatum, in the field of new line development and evaluation. During the last years the company is involved only in maintenance breeding.
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Research Institute of Vegetables s.r.o., Nové Zámky
No Website Available
Research Institute of Vegetables s.r.o., Nové Zámky is a private company involved in plant breeding research since 1986. The company, from its establishment until 1997, belonged among the research institutions of the public sector and was under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Slovak Republic. In 1997 the organization was privatized. The company has been involved in vegetable breeding research, focused on new line development, line evaluation and to a limited extent also on application of biotechnology in the vegetable breeding programme.
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Potato Research and Breeding Institute a.s.
No Website Available
The company was established in 1946 and until 2000 was under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Slovak Republic. In 2000 the organization was privatized. From its establishment the company has been involved in potato breeding research, focused on new line development and evaluation and germplasm enhancement. It has been involved in plant breeding since 1946 and in plant biotechnology since 1982. PRBI is a joint stock company with about 36 employees and 300 ha of fields. Research, breeding and advising is carried out with a mandate for the whole country. The country’s Ministry of Agriculture is its biggest client for research activities and products.
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Breeding Station Horná Streda a.s. (BSHS)
No Website Available
Until 1988 the BSHS a.s. was part of the Research Institute of Plant Production (public sector research institution) and was managed directly by the Ministry of Agriculture. From 1988 until 2003 the Breeding Station existed as state organization belonging directly to the Ministry of Agriculture. BSHS became private in 2003 but was involved in plant breeding since 1948. It deals with grain legumes and the most emphasis at present is on line evaluation (80%) with an increasing trend since 1990. Germplasm enhancement and plant biotechnology are not carried out by BSHS.
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Breeding Station Levočské Lúky, a.s. (BSLL)
No Website Available
BSLL has the same history as BSHS (directly above). It was part of the Research Institute of Plant Production (public sector research institution) until 1988 and existed as a state organization belonging directly to the Ministry of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. It became private in 2003, and was involved in plant breeding since 1941. It deals with forages and the most emphasis at present is on line evaluation (60%), a trend which has remained the same since 1990. Germplasm enhancement and plant biotechnology are not carried out by BSLL.
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Information by Alena Gajdošová (2007).- Information based on the Slovakia's full report from the PBBC survey. Last revised 18-06-2010, GIPB.
