ELGO - DIMITRA celebrates the centennial anniversary of the Institute of Industrial and Forage Crops

An event to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the establishment of the Institute of Industrial and Forage Crops of ELGO - DIMITRA was held in Larissa on Monday 27 March 2023.The main speakers were Emeritus Professor of Genetics of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and former Minister of Rural Development and Food A. Tsaftaris and Professor K. Karantininis of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. The event was coordinated by the journalist G. Roustas. In addition, the participants enjoyed a live musical journey to the Institute's yesterday, today and tomorrow, were guided to the photo exhibition with material from the Institute's historical archive and to the outdoor exhibition "D. Panou" with historical innovative (for their time) agricultural machinery, while at the end of the event there was a tasting of dishes with varieties of legumes developed by the Institute and curated by the Culinary Team of IEK Homer.

The Institute of Industrial and Forage Crops  is an emblematic structure of ELGO-DIMITRA, with a long tradition and contribution to the development of the country's primary sector. Since its foundation in 1923 and the subsequent organization of research by Academician Ioannis Papadakis and researcher Dimitrios Panos, initially as a "Plant Breeding Station" and then as an Institute, it has been offering significant work in the field of conservation and utilization of agricultural biodiversity. By turning innovation into practice, it has achieved the improvement of many indigenous varieties, resulting in the inclusion in the "National Catalogue of Cultivated Plant Varieties" of fifty-five (55) varieties, of which eighteen are legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans, fava beans, fava beans/lettuce) and thirty-seven forage plants (vetch, alfalfa, clovers, fakelot, sulla, pimpernelle, fenugreek, bean, pea, beet, wormwood). The varieties with high production and commercial value dominate the Greek market, occupying the largest share of the seed market. Also, the Institute since 1981 has done significant work in the field of soil science and protection of soil and water resources with the preparation of soil maps and many related studies, while with the recent addition of two departments of Plant Protection, it has expanded the areas of research in which it can respond.

After a century of presence and contribution to applied agricultural research, the Institute of Industrial and Forage Crops, with its knowledge and infrastructure, is entering dynamically into the new era of the digital revolution and green agriculture. It implements plant improvement programs, offering varieties that meet the modern needs of producers and consumers, contributing to the country's food sufficiency and producing propagating material more resistant, with increased productivity and adaptation to the country's soil and climate conditions, continuing research in soil science and in important areas of plant protection.

Information: Dr. Dimitrios Vlahostergios, email: vlachostergios@elgo.gr