International Crop Genebanks

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International Crop Genebanks
HCS 830 PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES CONSERVATION

• Ka Yeon JeongNov 18 2003

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The Significance of Plant Biodiversity

• Biodiversity
• - The variety of life on earth.
• - Forms a web of life
• - Provides enormous benefits
• aesthetic, cultural, ecological, economic,
  educational, environmental, genetic, medical,
  recreational scientific, and social services.

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The Significance of Plant Genetic resources

• - Plants are the key to food security.
• ? Vital for nourishing and sustaining human
  society
• - Genetic plant diversity
• ? Provide ability to adapt to changing
  stresses
• - The wise use of plant genetic resources
• ? Help eradicate poverty
• ? Protect and enhance the environment

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Why plant genetic resources are conserved and
used.

• In the forest, up to 8 of all plant species are
  expected to disappear over the next 25 years as
  deforestation continues.
• Vital to meet the worlds future development
  needs.

(IPGRI, http//www.ipgri.cgiar.org/system/page.asp
?theme2)
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International Genebanks
International Plant Genetic Resources Institute
International Network for the Improvement of
Banana and Plantain
Consultative Group on International Agricultural
Research
SGRP(System-wide Genetic Resources Programme)
(Plant Production and Protection Division)
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
nations
Seed and Plant Genetic Resources Service - AGPS
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CGIAR

• (Consultative Group on International Agricultural
  Research)
• Mission
• To achieve sustainable food security and reduce
  poverty in developing countries through
  scientific research and research-related
  activities in the fields of agriculture,
  forestry, fisheries, policy, and environment.
• Five Major Research Areas
• 1) Increasing Productivity.
• 2) Protecting the Environment.
• 3) Saving Biodiversity.
• 4) Improving Policies.
• 5) Strengthening National Research.

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Areas of Research in Plants

• Cereals Rice, Wheat, Maize, Barley, Soghum,
  Millet
• Roots, Tubers, Banana and Plantain
• Cassava, Potato, Sweet Potato , Yam, Banana
  and Plantain
• Food Legumes
• Chickpea, Cowpea, Beans, Lentil, Pigeonpea,
  Soybean
• Oil Crops
• Coconut, Groundnut

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CGIAR Research Centers

International Center for Agricultural Research in
the Dry Areas
International Food Policy Research Institute
International Plant Genetic Resources Institute
International Maze and Wheat Improvement Center
International Potato Center
International Center for Tropical Agriculture
(CGIAR, http//www.cgiar.org/research/index.html)
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Future Harvest

• Future Harvest - An organization dedicated to
  building support for international agricultural
  research.
• 16 Future Harvest centers work
• - In more than 100 countries to mobilize
  cutting-edge science to reduce hunger and
  poverty, improve human nutrition and health, and
  protect the environment
• - To promote awareness and educate the general
  public
• - To make decision about the importance of food
  production
• - To build financial support for scientific
  research and charitable projects

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• CGIAR Genebanks

• Eleven Centers together maintain over 700,000
  samples of crop, forage and agroforestry genetic
  resources

International Center for Tropical Agriculture
(CIAT)International Maize and Wheat Improvement
Center (CIMMYT) International Potato Center
(CIP)International Center for Agriculture in the
Dry Areas (ICARDA)International Crops Research
Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
(ICRISAT)International Institute for Tropical
Agriculture (IITA)International Livestock
Research Institute (ILRI) International Plant
Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI)
International Rice Research Institute
(IRRI)West Africa Rice Development Association
(WARDA)World Agroforesty Centre
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CGIAR Genebanks Collection
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(No Transcript)
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(http//www.cgiar.org/research/res_accessions.html
)
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Impact of the CGIAR

• Since CGIAR was born on May 19, 1971.
• 1) Food production has doubled.
• More than 300 CGIAR-developed varieties of rice
  and wheat, and more than 200 varieties of maize,
  are being grown by farmers in developing
  countries.

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Impact of the CGIAR

• 2) Conserve the land and water resources and
  biodiversity.
• More environment-friendly technologies developed
  by CGIAR have saved 230 and 340 million hectares
  of land.

http.//www.cgiar.org/who/wwa_impact.html
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Impact of the CGIAR

• 3) Reduction of pesticide use in developing
  countries.
• - Control of cassava pests has increased the
  value of annual production in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• 4) The worlds largest collection of plant
  genetic resources.
• - Over 800,000 accessions of more than 3,000
  crop, forage, and pasture species
• 5) CGIAR works with developing country partners
  to strengthen their scientific capacities.
• - More than 75,000 scientists and technical
  experts have received training at the centers.

http//www.cgiar.org/who/wwa_impact.html
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What is IPGRI ?

• International Plant Genetic Resources Institute
• IPGRI is an international research institute with
  a mandate to advance the conservation and use of
  genetic diversity for the well-being of present
  and future generations.
• A Centre of the Consultative Group on
  International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

http//www.ipgri.cgiar.org/system/page.asp?theme2
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http//www.cgiar.org/research/index.html
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Mission of IPGRI

• To encourage, support and undertake activities to
  improve the management of genetic resources
  worldwide.
• Help eradicate poverty
• Increase food security
• Protect the environment

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Three major objectives of IPGRI

• Enable countries to better assess and meet their
  own plant genetic resources needs.
• International collaboration in the conservation
  and use of genetic resources is strengthened.
• Knowledge and technologies relevant to the
  improved conservation and use of plant genetic
  resources are developed and disseminated.

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Major works of IPGRI

• Conserving and using specific crops
• Special responsibilities
• (1) Bananas, Plantains and Coconut and cacao
• (2) Neglected or underused species
• (3) Supporting the genetic resources work of the
  
• CGIAR.

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Programs of IPGRI

• 1) The Plant Genetic Resources Programme
• 2) The International Network for the improvement
• of Banana and Plantain(INIBAP)
• 3) The CGIAR Genetic Resources Support
• Programme.

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- The programs of IPGRI - 1. The Plant Genetic
Resources Programme
APO Regional Office for Asia, the Pacific and
Oceania 
EUR Regional Office for Europe 
  CWANA Regional Office for Central West Asia
and North Africa 
AMS Regional Office for the Americas 
SSA Regional Office for Sub-Saharan Africa 
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- The programs of IPGRI -2. The International
Network for the Improvement of Banana and
Plantain(INIBAP)

• Bananas
• - One of the world's most important food crops.
  
• Plantain
• - Close relative of banana
• An essential part of the daily diet for
  communities
• in more than 100 tropical and subtropical
  countries.

• INIBAP works to increase and sustain the
  productivity of bananas and
• plantains grown on small holdings.

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- The programs of IPGRI - 3. The CGIAR Genetic
Resources Support Programme.

• Provides advice and services to the CGIAR in the
  area of genetic resources policy.
• Enhances the systems work on genetic resources
  through the CGIAR System-wide Genetic Resources
  Programme(SGRP)
• ( System-wide Information Network for Genetic
  Resources, SINGER.)

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Goal Benefits?

• The goal of IPGRI To contribute to improving
  the lives of the poorest producers and consumers
  in developing countries.
• The increased production and diversity of food
  and other commodities or to lower prices.
• Beneficiaries farmers, forest dwellers, the
  rural community members,plant breeders,
  scientists , development workers urban consumers.

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FAO(Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations)
http//www.fao.org/ag/AGP/Default.htm
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Seed and Plant Genetic Resources Service (AGPS)

• I. Seed Group
• To provides technical advice to
• FAO Members on seed and
• planting material improvement
• To manage programs for seed
• policies, seed security,
• germplasm exchange, testing,
• processing, quality control,
• storage and utilization.

• II. Plant Genetic Resources Group
• PGRAF(Plantic Genetic Resources for Food and
  Agriculture)
• To support the FAO Global System on
  Conservation and Utilization of Plant Genetic
  Resources.
• To assist and advise on conservation and
  sustainable utilization of plant genetic
  resources.

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Seed and Plant Genetic Resources Service (AGPS)

• III.WIEWS/SIS
• - The World Information and Early Warning System
  (WIEWS ) on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and
  Agriculture (PGRFA),
• has been established by FAO, as a
  world-wide dynamic mechanism to foster
  information exchange among Member Countries, by
  gathering and disseminating information on PGRFA,
  and as an instrument for the periodic assessment
  of the state of the world's PGRFA.
• - The Seed Information System (SIS), was
  initially developed by the Seed and Plant Genetic
  Resources Service (AGPS) in the 1970s as a
  supporting tool to the seed-exchange activities
  carried out by the Seed Laboratory of the Service
  and to satisfy specific requests for information
  on varieties and seed suppliers. SIS is currently
  being included under the new version of WIEWS.

http//apps3.fao.org/wiews/
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Case Study

• Aftermath of an attack.
• - The local and global importance of
  Afghanistans agriculture includes at least 18
  crops domesticated by local Afghan farmers over
  the centuries.
• - September 10, 2002 Looters have destroyed
  Afghanistans largest collection of crop seeds
  used to develop new crop varieties with improved
  yield as well as disease and pest resistance.
  Fortunately, an international consortium of
  international crop genebanks is working to
  restore Afghanistans valuable gene bank as well
  as its agriculture.

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What they lost ?

• Hundreds of samples of wheat, barley, chickpea,
  lentil, melons, pistachio, almond, pomegranate,
  other fruits, and pasture crops were destroyed.
• Many of the seed samples were of traditional
  farmers varieties, bred over generations to
  prosper under particular local conditions, and
  tailored to the tastes of Afghan consumers.

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Response to this emergency,

• The Future Harvest research centers of the CGIAR.
  
• ICARDA(International Center for Agricultural
  Research, Syria)
• ICRISAT(International Crops Research Institute
  for the Semi-Arid
• Tropics, India),
• CIMMTY(International Maize and Wheat Improvement
  Center, Mexico)
• ? Producing each sample of seed from that stored
  in their own crop gene banks.

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Rebuilding Afghanistans agriculture

• A significant percentage of the population has
  been displaced and resettled in areas.
• The areas may not be suitable for producing their
  traditional crop varieties.
• These farmers will need plant types adapted to
  their new conditions.

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Seed to farmers
(http//www.icarda.cgiar.org/afghanistan/Images/Ph
otoGallery/Seed_Program/Seed.htm)l
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Websites

• CGIAR http//www.cgiar.org/research/index.html
• IPGRI http//www.ipgri.cgiar.org/
• ICARDA http//www.icarda.cgiar.org
• FAO AGP http//www.fao.org/ag/AGP/Default.htm
• AGJOURNAL
• http//www.agjournal.com/sto
  ry.cfm?story_id2172