Mutation breeding launched to improve Rize tangerine
Through cooperation between TENMAK and RTEÜ, mutation breeding and biotechnological studies have been initiated for a new Rize tangerine variety that will be resilient to climate change and serve as a strategic source of vitamin C during disaster situations.
Turkey has launched mutation breeding and biotechnological studies to develop a new Rize tangerine variety of strategic importance against the negative consequences of climate change. The project, carried out in partnership between TENMAK and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, aims to increase climate resilience in agriculture.
In the project initiated by the Turkish Energy, Nuclear and Mineral Research Agency (TENMAK), affiliated with the Ministry of Energy, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University (RTEÜ), mutation breeding and biotechnological applications are being carried out on the Rize tangerine. Prof. Dr. Keziban Yazıcı, a faculty member at the RTEÜ Faculty of Agriculture, stated that they have been conducting studies for 10 years to develop the Rize tangerine. She noted that a gene pool containing saplings of 9 tangerine varieties was established at the Atatürk Tea and Horticultural Crops Research Institute belonging to Çaykur.
Stating that Satsuma is Turkey's most exported tangerine species, Yazıcı expressed that studies have also been initiated to test and transition the Rize tangerine into production in Antalya. In the project carried out in cooperation with TAGEM, it is planned to extend the tangerine season. Furthermore, while aiming to develop a new climate change-resilient variety within the scope of an European Union project, experts drew attention to the strategic importance of protecting regional products against potential global disasters.