Belgorod State University scientists develop a device for vine cuttings processing before rooting

A project has been underway at Belgorod State University aimed to develop vine growing in the region and propogate new high-yield varieties under the “Prioritet-2030” Strategic Academic Leadership Programme. As noted by the university specialists, one of the urgent problems of the contemporary vine growing consists in implementation of the so-called kilching – preplant processing of vine cuttings before rooting. In the process of kilching the lower part of the perspective vine seedlings is placed in the conditions which are optimal for roots formation, while the lower part is placed in a cold conditions that inhibits development of buds.

In agriculture special equipment is used for rooting, which has a number of significant disadvantages. Root formation tends to be uneven, resulting in high labour inputs for monitoring the cuttings state. In addition, it is not always possible to inhibit bud growth, which leads to depletion of internal forces of the rooted cuttings.

The specialists of the Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology of BelSU Medical Institute developed a device for more efficient vine cutting processing bofore rooting. According to Professor Mikhail Pokrovsky, the Director of the Research Institute of Pharmacology and Living Systems, the model developed includes a celled case for vine cuttings, a heating element, a drawer for the cooling agent, as well as an irrigation system, a humidity sensor and a regulator of temperature.