Seed Tech Lab aids Albania

Halfway across the world, a former communist country is expected to produce high-quality seeds of wheat, corn, and alfalfa with help from Mississippi State.

Albania, in turn, may become a market for U.S.-exported seeds, said Bennie Keith, of the Pace Seed Technology Laboratory.

"Many crops that we produce in Mississippi also are produced in Albania," he said.

Located on the Adriatic Sea, the Balkan Peninsula country-one of Europe's smallest-is known for its geographic diversity. Agriculture accounts for about one-third of the national income.

Recently, six technicians from Albania's new National Seed Testing Laboratory began the first of two weeks training at the seed technology laboratory. The university helped establish the Albanian lab under the auspices of the United States Agency for International Development.

Mississippi State is one of four university members of USAID's Collaborative Agribusiness Support Program, established in 1993. Others are Kansas State and the universities of Idaho and Illinois.

Albanian technician Aida Bani with professor emeritus Charles E. Vaughn

The consortium is charged with reducing the loss of agricultural products once they leave the farm and with adding value to agricultural production in countries around the world. "Mississippi State's role in the consortium is to supply technical assistance with seed," Keith explained.

The Albanian effort supplements an earlier USAID initiative to improve crop potential by effective use of fertilizers. That effort was coordinated by the International Fertilizer Development Center, said Keith.

"Mississippi State was asked by IFDC to assess Albania's seed industry and to recommend ways to enhance the seed program," he said.

Because of varied climatic conditions, Albania can produce a wide variety of crops, including cotton, rice, soybeans, wheat, and sugar beets. The new seed program initiated by Mississippi State will slow genetic erosion of some indigenous plant varieties and improve the country's ability to import and export seeds.

The National Seed Laboratory in Albania is outfitted with U.S.-manufactured equipment and meets all guidelines of the International Seed Testing Association, Keith said. It will allow technicians to certify the genetic purity of seeds, as well as their ability to germinate.

"Once the lab is fully established, Albania becomes a potential area of export for our seed industry," Keith said. "Our varieties here could help improve their yields."

While in Starkville, the Albanian technicians are receiving intensive instruction in testing for purity, germination, moisture, and quality, among a number of variables. They also are visiting a private seed testing laboratory.