The GTU Biotechnology Center is a Platform of Innovative Opportunities that Creates the Basis for the Development of an Ecologically Clean Agro Sector

“The research carried out by the Georgian Technical University Biotechnology Center is of particular importance in the process of strategic development of the Georgian agro sector. Modification of in vitro biotechnological methods and their adaptation to local geographical and climatic conditions creates the opportunity to establish the production of genetically pure, disease-resistant, and high-quality planting material in the country. This innovative approach contributes to the preservation of agrobiodiversity, the creation of ecologically safe products, and the reduction of dependence on imports. As a result, the research conducted by us is not only of scientific, but also of economic and ecological importance, which, in turn, is a necessary prerequisite for the sustainable development of Georgian agriculture,” says Professor Maia Kukhaleishvili, Director of the GTU Biotechnology Center.

The Biotechnology Center operates in an integrated manner across various directions, significantly strengthening both scientific and practical knowledge and experience. One of the priorities of the Center’s activities is the modification of in vitro biotechnological methods and their adaptation to Georgia’s geographical and climatic conditions, which creates the basis for producing clean and high-quality planting material. In addition, the Center actively researches the biodiversity of medicinal, poisonous (biologically useful), honey, dye, and spice plants, carries out their monitoring and works on modern technologies for their care and cultivation.
   

According to Professor Maia Kukhaleishvili, an important direction in the center’s activities is also the improvement and conservation of phytogenetic resources, the study of ethnobotanical skills and their popularization, as well as the determination of prospects for the sustainable use of plants. As the center director notes, research, in unity, contributes to the protection of agrobiodiversity, as well as the sustainability of the development of agricultural and environmentally safe production.

“Research is underway at the Biotechnology Center to develop new technologies for storing grapes and fruits, with a view to their further implementation. Also, the production of functional food products using local plant resources and testing of biopreparations against less fertile soil and root pathogen microorganisms for small-scale crops, to increase soil fertility. During May and August 2025, in the village of Ajameti, in open ground, seedlings of the Biotechnology Center’s in vitro potato tuber plant, the variety “Sante”, which were produced in the Center’s laboratory, were planted. In addition, new, elite potato seed varieties (“Jolloene”, “Meriemi”, “Twinner”, “Armedi”, “Artzona”, “Rabilon”, “Fontane”, “Pikasso”, “Paradiso”, “Fajah”, “Lugano”, and “Lenoro”) and the first reproduction of “Sante” (Class A) were planted in the village of Ajameti. Except for “Pikasso” and “Sante”, all varieties are new, Dutch, hybrid varieties, which were first introduced to Georgia for the purpose of reproduction.

Currently, agricultural machinery and care in Ajameti is carried out by Tamaz Kobakhidze, a master’s student of the Faculty of Sustainable Mountain Development of the Georgian Technical University, who has been participating in the center’s scientific research since 2024. Despite the fact that 12 species were imported as elite of the highest class, according to the results of the immunoenzymatic analysis conducted by us (Daz-Eliza), potato viruses (PVM, PVS) were found in small quantities in 4 varieties (Picasso, Fontane, Paradiso, Lugano), which means that these varieties are on the verge of permissible viruses, while the PVY virus was detected in “Sante”, which was expected, and in the new elite variety “Babylon” also in small quantities – the PVY virus. The material was received late, so the studies were conducted in the summer, when the potato species in Akhaltsikhe were already planted by farmers, although our data was provided to the company representative. The Biotechnology Center will test all varieties in the received harvest for the virus. The seven virus-free, Dutch hybrid varieties of tube plants were placed in the center’s in vitro potato tube plant collection, and their reproduction took place in August. The plants are growing normally,” says Maia Kukhaleishvili.

As the Head of the GTU Department of Science and Innovations, Mikheil Janikashvili, states, the Biotechnology Center is a platform of innovative opportunities that creates the basis for the development of a high-quality, sustainable, and environmentally friendly agro sector.

“The Biotechnology Center’s activities unequivocally show that merging scientific research with agricultural practice is achievable. The Center’s expertise and experience create strong conditions for the Georgian agro sector to develop competitively and innovatively in the coming years, ensuring research findings deliver tangible benefits for both farmers and consumers,” states the Head of the GTU Department of Science and Innovations. 

At the Biotechnology Center, studies are being conducted on two nectarine varieties – “Kaldezi2000” and “Bigtop” – to determine the optimal harvesting dates and study the influence of the level of ripeness on their storage capacity. The Center’s microbiology group is conducting research on the impact of the biopreparation “Biomix” on the development of beneficial and pathogenic microbes in agricultural crops: eggplant, sweet pepper, and tomato, on a local farmer’s plot in the village of Lilo.