Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Georgia
Presidium session
On December 27, 2022, a session of the Presidium of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Georgia was held with the following agenda:
1. About the 2023 prospective work plan of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Georgia.
Speakers: President of the Academy, Academician Guram Aleksidze; Vice-president of the Academy, Academician Givi Japaridze.
3. About spending of the 2022 budget and 2023 budget parameters of the Georgian Academy of Agricultural Sciences;
Speakers: President of the Academy, Academician Guram Aleksidze; Nino Soziashvili, chief accountant of the Academy.
4. Information about the results of the inventory conducted in the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Georgia in 2022;
Speaker: Deputy President of the Academy, Chairman of the Inventory Commission, Academician Anatoli Giorgadze
5. Information about the 2023 theme of the scientific-research activities of the members of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Georgia.
Speaker: Head of the Academic Department of the Academy, Academician-Secretary of the Academy, Academician Elguja Shafakidze;
6. Current issues
General Assembly of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences
On December 23, 2022, the general meeting of the Academy was held at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Georgia. The meeting was attended by the President of the Academy, Academician Guram Aleksidze, Vice-President of the Academy, Academician Givi Japaridze, Deputy President of the Academy, Coordinator of Scientific Departments, Academician Anatoli Giorgadze, Head of the Academic Department of the Academy, Academician-Secretary, Elguja Shafakidze, Academicians: Revaz Asatiani, Jemal Gugushvili, Aleksandre Didebulidze, Vazha Kvaliashvili, Edisher Kvesitadze, Roland Kopaliani, Paata Koghuashvili, Gogola Margvelashvili, Revaz Makharoblidze, Temur Revishvili, Guram Tkemaladze, Zaur Putkaradze, Tengiz Kurashvili, Zaur Chankseliani, Nodar Chkhartishvili, Zurab Tskitishvili, Nodar Chitanava, Rezo Jabnidze; Scholars of the Academy: Ekaterina Katsitadze, Giorgi Kavtaradze, Giga Kvartskhava, Giorgi Kutelia; Learned Secretaries of the Academy's Scientific Departments: Academician Lasha Dolidze and Dr. Marine Barvenashili, candidate for full membership (academicship) of the Academy, Doctor of Agriculture Levan Ujmajuridze, employees of the Academy's academic and administrative department; Also invited guests: Dr. Iveri Akhalbedashvili, Chief of the Parliamentary Agrarian Committee Office, and Shota Macharashvili, Editor-in-Chief of "Agrarian Georgia" magazine.
The general meeting of the Academy was chaired by the President of the Academy, academician Guram Aleksidze, the secretary of the meeting was the deputy president, academician Anatoli Giorgadze. After welcoming the meeting, the chairman of the meeting introduced the agenda, which included the following issues: 1. About the scientific activities conducted by the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Georgia in 2022. Speakers: Academician Guram Aleksidze, President of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Georgia; Vice-President of the Academy, Academician Givi Japaridze;
2. Information about the competition of the contest, announced by the Georgian Academy of Agricultural Sciences to fill the vacancy of a real member (academician) of the Academy. Speaker: Academician Guram Aleksidze, president of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Georgia; Speaker: Chairman of the Expert-Competition Commission, Academician Nodar Chitanava;
3. Conducting elections to fill the vacant seats of the real member (academician) of the Academy in the competition announced by the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Georgia. (Secret voting). 4. Current issues. 
The President of the Academy made a report on the first issue included in the agenda, who informed the audience about the activities carried out in the Academy during 2022. It was noted that, as always, the current year was quite busy with meetings, seminars and round tables, 2 local and one international scientific conference was held. The Academy hosted a number of guests, among which the visits of the Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Mr. Otar Shamugia and the Minister of Agriculture of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Mr. Zaza Shavadze, etc. The meeting approved and positively evaluated the scientific activities conducted by the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Georgia in 2022. Then the president of the Academy provided the present public with full information about the competition announced by the Georgian Academy of Agricultural Sciences to fill the vacant position of a real member (academician). Academician Nodar Chitanava spoke about the conclusion of the work carried out by expert-competition commission, created by the order of the president of the academy for the purpose of highly organized preparation and holding of the contest announced for the election of the real member (academician) of the Georgian Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
After this, elections were held to fill the vacant position of a real member (academician) in the competition announced by the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Georgia. The elections were held in full compliance with the election regulations. 23 real members of the Academy (academicians) participated in the voting procedure. The candidate for full membership (academicship) of the Academy, Doctor of Agriculture Levan Ujmajuridze was unanimously elected as a full member (academic) of the Georgian Academy of Agricultural Sciences as a result of a secret vote. The congregation congratulated Mr. Levan on his election as a full member (academician) of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences and wished him many successes in his scientific, pedagogical and public activities.
Mr. L. Ujmajuridze thanked the leadership of the Academy and each academician for such great trust and promised that he will continue to work in the scientific direction with even more attitude and will contribute to the activities of the Academy.
The general assembly of the academy was closed by the president of the academy, academician Guram Aleksidze, who thanked the attending public for coming and actively participating in the work of the assembly.
Meeting of the Commission on Agrarian Innovations
On December 21, 2022, a meeting of the commission was held, at which Nargiz Baramidze - Senior Specialist of the Animal Husbandry and Food Production Research Department of the Scientific Research Center of Agriculture, Doctor of Agriculture, made a report: "Development of the Mulberry Silkworm Gene Fund".
The speaker emphasized the fact that in 2015, the gene pool of mulberry silkworm with 65 varieties was transferred from the Agrarian University to the center. Previously, the collection varieties were fed in the Kutaisi Zonal Experimental Station of Sericulture, but after the cancellation of the station, it was considered necessary that the varieties of Georgian origin would not be lost, and they were transferred to Tbilisi under the conditions when the mulberry plants were completely uprooted, and the collection varieties were fed together with the modern Georgian varieties, mainly with mulberry leafs purchased from private donations. He noted that in 2018, a sericulture laboratory was built at the Tsilkni base of the Agricultural Scientific Research Center, where the mulberry silkworm gene pool is currently being preserved, but, unfortunately, mulberry leaves are not enough, and the use of mulberry leaves bought in the village as food for silkworms is dangerous, because Plants are in most cases poisoned with pesticides that can threaten the existence of the gene pool.
According to the speaker's information, today the gene pool preserves the varieties bred by folk selection, as well as the varieties obtained by scientific selection; New varieties are being bred and registered in "Sakpatent".
It is also important that in 2017 the young scientist silkworm M. Khutishvili's cryopreserved yellow-park variety, which has adapted well to our conditions, is used to renew the blood of the colorful-park varieties obtained through ancient folk selection.
"Crepe-chiffon" fabric made of “Mziuri”, Georgian thread received the highest award "Platinum Star" at the international exhibition in Spain in 1998, and in 2018 Georgian silk was awarded the status of an intangible cultural heritage, based on the materials obtained by the scientists of the field. In order to preserve the gene pool, the group of the sericulture laboratory works both in the sericulture and molting line, feeding the silkworm every year and making the next generation of silk egg and mulberry seeds, sowing, grafting, transplanting and many other works to strengthen the food base of the silkworm. The gene pool of silk-weaver is the only one in Georgia and its preservation is important in the process of revival of sericulture.
The Vice-President of the Academy, Givi Acad. Japaridze, participated in the discussion of the issue together with the academicians Anatoli Giorgadze, Aleksandre Didebulidze, Elguja Shafakidze, minister's advisor Dr. Omar Katcharava, a representative of Akhmet Cooperative "Abreshumkhvevia" Nunu Nakhutsrishvili, professor Tsotne Samadashvili, head of the silkmaking laboratory of the Agrarian University of Georgia Dr. Zurab Loladze. A resolution was passed, which will be sent to a specially created working group in the Academy to submit proposals to the government on behalf of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
World Soil Day
The World Soil Day was celebrated in the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia
An event was held in the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia on December 5, 2022, in connection with the World Soil Day. The event was attended by: The event was attended by: Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture Otar Shamugia, Deputy Ministers: Giorgi Khanishvili, Yuri Nozadze, Kakha Kakabadze, Solomon Pavliashvili, Vice Prime Minister of Georgia, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Levan Davitashvili, President of the National Academy of Sciences of Georgia Giorgi Kvesitadze,
Rectors of TSU, Batumi, Samtskhe –Javakheti and Telavi State Universities, Representatives of Georgian Farmers' Association (GFA), Biological Sciences Association "Elkana", Caucasus Regional Environmental Center (REC Caucasus), Caucasus Environmental Non-Governmental Organization Network (CENN). Among the invited guests were the president of the Georgian Academy of Agricultural Sciences Guram Aleksidze, the deputy president, coordinator of scientific departments, Academician Anatoli Giorgadze and Dr. Marina Barvenashvili.
The event was opened by Otar Shamugia, the Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, who addressed the audience with a welcome speech. After greeting Otar Shamugia spoke about the importance of soil and the need to protect it. It was noted that rational soil management is directly related to food security.
The event was opened by Otar Shamugia, the Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, who addressed the audience with a welcome speech. After greeting O. Shamugia spoke about the importance of soil and the need to protect it. It was noted that rational soil management is directly related to food security.
The latter is one of the first tasks to be solved for any country in the world. Attention was also drawn to the fact that today, in the background of global climate change, the issue of soil degradation is acute. In this regard, it is necessary to educate young, qualified specialists who will direct their activities in the direction of soil protection and restoration.
Vice Prime Minister of Georgia, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Levan Davitashvili addressed the participants of the event, who spoke about the importance of strengthening Georgian economy through maintenance of soil fertility.
Giorgi Kvesitadze, the President of the National Academy of Sciences of Georgia, spoke about the importance of the variety of soils in Georgia, who emphasized the uniqueness of our country in this regard.
Within the framework of the event, successful young specialists employed in the public, private and non-governmental sectors of agrarian direction, students of higher educational institutions, researchers working in the scientific and research sector were awarded certificates of honor named after academician Tengiz (Gizo) Urushadze, one of the founders of the Georgian School of Soil Science.