Tropical fruit tree diversity: good practices for in situ and on-farm conservation

Farmers have developed a range of agricultural practices to sustainably use and maintain a wide diversity of crop species in many parts of the world. This book documents good practices innovated by farmers and collects key reviews on good practices from global experts, not only from the case study countries but also from Brazil, China and other parts of Asia and Latin America

The scientific information activity of Bioversity International: the descriptor lists

Effective sharing of information about genetic resources depends on everyone using the same “dictionary” – which is where the descriptor lists published by Bioversity International and its partners come in. In a 2006 survey 90% or more of respondents stated that descriptor lists published by Bioversity and its partners had contributed to the development of genebank databases, increased uniformity of documentation, increased their ability to work with partners, increased efficiency in collection management, and facilitated data exchange. The utility of Bioversity’s descriptors was rated higher than those from other sources, including UPOV and USDA-GRIN, scoring an average of 3.3 on a 4-point scale. The most common constraint to using Bioversity descriptor lists was the lack of descriptors for a particular species of interest – highlighting the need for Bioversity’s continued involvement in developing additional descriptor lists

Tropical fruit tree species and climate change

Tropical fruits – full of rich nutrients and health properties – are adapted to hot and humid environments. Many tropical fruit species might spread beyond their current geographical limit whereas some species might exhibit irregular bearing of fruit. In this context, there are some important questions that need answers: What are the key characteristics that allow farmers to choose a new crop that they are not used to growing? Are farmers already experiencing impacts of climate change? If so, what are their adaptation strategies? Are there new opportunities for capitalizing tropical fruit tree genetic resources that benefit human kind? The study provides a state of knowledge to overcome threats to agriculture and food security, exploring new ways of helping vulnerable rural communities adjust to global changes in climate

Molecular and morphological diversity in locally grown non-commercial (heirloom) mango varieties of North India

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) has been cultivated and conserved in different agro-ecologies including Malihabad region in northern part of India, that is well known for housing diverse types (heirloom and commercial varieties). In the present study, 37 mango types comprising of 27 heirloom varieties from Malihabad region and 10 commercial varieties grown in North and Eastern India were assessed for morphological attributes and molecular diversity. The employed SSR markers amplified 2-13 alleles individually, cumulatively amplifying 124 alleles. These were studied for allelic diversity and genetic dissimilarity ranged from 0.035 to 0.892 arranging the varieties in three major clusters. The results revealed that majority of unique heirloom mangoes from Malihabad were different from the eastern part of the country. It is interesting to note Dashehari, a commercial variety from Malihabad was not aligned with heirloom varieties. Commercial varieties like Gulabkhas and Langra were placed in a separate group including Bombay Green, Himsagar, Dashehari, etc., indicating their dissimilarity with heirloom varieties at molecular level and thus, indicating importance for later from conservation point of view. Furthermore, the hierarchical clustering of varieties based on fruit morphology, assembled these into four groups largely influenced by fruit size. The maximum agreement subtree indicated seemingly good fit as thirteen varieties were arrayed in common grouping pattern. Appreciable dissimilarity among the heirloom varieties demonstrated by molecular analysis, underlines the importance for their on-farm conservation

Lathyrus genetic resources network: Proceedings of a IPGRI-ICARDA-ICAR Regional Working Group Meeting, 8-10 December 1997, New Delhi, India

Neglected and underutilized crops ”have received relatively less attention in national or international priorities. IPGRI has recognized the potential importance of such crops, and in partnership with others around the world, has undertaken a series of activities to understand and promote the role of such crops in helping to achieve food security and agricultural sustainability through local peoples” maintenance of diversity and in realizing their potential for improvement. The potential of Lathyrus sativus (Grass pea) as a nutritious pulse with high quality grain and fodder, is well recognized in South Asia, Ethiopia and parts of Central, West and North Asia, where other species of this genepool also occur. The local types are tolerant to flood and drought conditions and possess unique adaptation as a post-rice crop across much of South Asia. Other cultivated species of Lathyrus are L. ochrus and L. cicera mainly grown in Central, West and North Africa as a fodder crop. These proceedings are the outcome of the first meeting of this Working Group. This meeting, which took place at NBPGR, New Delhi in December 1997, reviewed progress, reaffirmed the concern and interest of the participating countries in this crop and worked out on the modalities of the Lathyrus Genetic Resources Network (LGRN) - its proposed structure and functioning

Plant Genetic Resources Network in East Asia: Proceedings of the meeting for the Regional Network for Conservation and Use of Plant Genetic Resources in East Asia, 13-16 August 2001, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

The Regional Network for Conservation and Use of Plant Genetic Resources in East Asia (EA-PGR) was established in 1991 and has provided an effective mechanism for sharing and exchanging information, discussing and identifying common interests, and initiating and developing collaborative activities among member countries including China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Mongolia. IPGRI East Asia Office services as interim secretariat of the network and works closely with the national coordinators for implementing collaborative programmes initiated by the network involving several member countries. Examples of such collaborative activities are the studies on adzuki bean genetic diversity and collecting and characterization of millet genetic resources. These have played a critical role in enhancing sharing of resources, information and technologies for implementing the Global Plan of Action (GPA) among member countries of the network through joint activities on research, training and germplasm exchange. The current proceedings is the result of the meeting of the Regional Network for Conservation and Use of Plant Genetic Resources in East Asia held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 13- 16 August 2001. The meeting aimed to exchange views on current status of the conservation and use of plant genetic resources (PGR) in each country and improve mutual understanding, review the progress of joint activities in the region, and identify priority areas for future collaboration

Origins of resistances to rust and late leaf spot in peanut (Arachis hypogaea, Fabaceae)

The cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea, Fabaceae) is believed to have originated along the eastern slopes of the Andes in Bolivia and northern Argentina. The crop is now grown throughout tropical and warm temperate regions. Among diseases attacking peanuts, rust caused byPuccinia arachidis and late leaf spot caused byPhaeoisariopsis personata are the most important and destructive on a worldwide scale. Both pathogens, restricted in host range to Arachis, probably originated and coevolved in South America along with their hosts. In recent years there has been much emphasis on screening of peanut germplasm for resistance to these diseases. At the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISA T), India, some 10,000 peanut germplasm accessions were screened for resistance to rust and late leaf spot during 1977–1985 and sources of resistance indentified for either or both pathogens. Of the resistant genotypes, about 87% belonged to A. hypogaea var.fastigiata and 13% to var.hypogaea; 84% originated in South America or had South American connections. A high percentage (75%) had their origin in Peru (believed to be a secondary gene center for var.hirsuta and var.fastigiata,), suggesting that resistance to rust and late leaf spot diseases might have evolved in that country

Priority species of bamboo and rattan

This publication describes a limited number of species of bamboo and rattan selected from the several hundred in existence for priority research and development; the background details, criteria for selection of species, the major priority bamboo and rattan species selected and notes on each one are given, compiled with the assistance of experts in the fields of bamboo and rattan taxonomy, ethnobotany, silviculture, conservation and genetics