MANICARAGUA. Scientific activity in the Escambray center of Villa Clara.

Reaching the Jibacoa Agroforestry Experimental Station, located in the Villa Clara Escambray, is opportune to verify the influence of the scientific center in the transformation of coffee cultivation in support of the Coffee Development Program, not only in the Guamuhaya Massif, but in all the coffee producing provinces in the country.

As a result of the scientific activity on the Villa Clara Station, certified coffee production has been strengthened with the establishment of banks in 8 provinces and 14 municipalities. Among other derivations are the transfer of hypocotyledonal graft technology, the training of almost 3000 people in the coffee production chain and the production of coffee postures in various types of packaging tubes, inert substrates and slow-release fertilizers.

The creation of a bank of diploid species, unique in the institution, with a better root system and greater rusticity, is replacing the robust pattern to graft highly productive varieties, according to Dr. Ciro Sánchez Esmory, director of the scientific entity.

The director included, like other projections for the year, to continue the work with the generalization of coffee hybrids and new varieties in coordination with the Station of the III Front, in Santiago de Cuba, the Plant Biotechnology Institute of Villa Clara and international projects with emphasis on the development of the coffee-school program aimed at strengthening the structures of schools and production in the graft centers of coffee trees in Cuba.

On the other hand, the center is inserted in the technology of other crops to be developed in the mountains such as fig, stevia (medicinal plant), and edible fungi. Nosleivy Ortiz Gómez, researcher, said that in relation to fungi, there are already 85 vials produced in the laboratory for sowing in two productive ways that have created the conditions for cultivation.

Likewise, the bank of pattern patterns for the grafting of roses and the propagation of other varieties of flowers is encouraged.

Meanwhile, in the mountain science entity the image is revived in greeting to the 50th anniversary of the approval of the Forestry Research and Training Center, which became the Agroforestry Research Institute (2011), of which the Jibacoa Station is part of, one of its nine Base Scientific-Technical Units.

Taken from Telecubanacán