Modern Technologies available for

1
Modern Technologies available for on-farm
conservation of Old Varieties
Zosimo Huaman PROBIOANDES, Lima, Peru
2
In Article 9 on Farmers Rights of the
International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources
for Food and Agriculture, it is recognized
the enormous contribution that the local and
indigenous communities and farmers in the centres
of origin and crop diversity, have made and will
continue to make for the conservation and
development of plant genetic resources which
constitute the basis of food and agriculture
production throughout the world.
3
There is an on going process of genetic erosion
that has decreased the intra-specific genetic
diversity of many crops caused by 1)  The
replacement of ancient traditional varieties by a
few modern bred varieties with higher yield
potential and wider commercialization in the
urban markets 2) The gradual extinction of
traditional varieties due to the increasing
pressure caused by pests and diseases of
commercial fields with varieties of relative
genetic uniformity 3) The increasing reduction of
the area cultivated with traditional varieties.
They are increasingly isolated to small plots in
micro-centers of genetic diversity, and their
production is generally restricted to home
consumption and 4) The losses caused by
environmental stresses such as frost, drought,
flooding and hailstorms that are becoming more
frequent because of the global warming.
4
In recent years, on-farm conservation has been
recognized as an important complement to ex situ
conservation. It is vital for the long term
conservation of plant genetic resources to
implement ways to help farmers in the centers of
diversity to reduce genetic losses in their
native crops. In the last decades, a lot of
research has been made in ex situ genebanks and
other research institutions to develop
modern technologies to enhance the viability of
the seeds, decrease the losses caused by pests
and diseases, increase productivity using low
cost technological packages, and develop new
products for the market.
5
The need to organize a network of Communal Seed
Banks

• For decades, the industrialized countries have
  funded a network of
• seed and field genebanks to conserve ex situ the
  genetic resources
• of the most economically important crops.
• Although the technologies and information
  obtained has been made
• available to national genebanks, very little has
  been transferred to
• farmers that conserve those genetic resources in
  their centers of
• origin and genetic diversity.
• Communal Seed Banks could serve
• to collect and secure endangered traditional
  varieties grown in
• farmers fields
• -to receive varieties that are available only in
  ex situ genebanks,
• multiply them and distribute them to farmers
• to be the entrance for the transfer to farmers of
  modern technologies
• developed in research institutions.

6
Communal Seed Banks (CSB) of native potatoes in
highland areas of central Peru established in
areas that 1) are traditionally known to be rich
in potato diversity 2) are a source of seed
supply 3) have many plots with mixtures of native
potatoes 4) have conservationist farmers that
participate in Seed Fairs.
7
In the CSB of Aymara (Huancavelica, Peru),
farmers contributed with 215 potato tuber samples
comprising 147 different varieties identified by
farmers in the next growing season. 11 CSB were
organized in 5 Departaments of Central
Peru. Funding restrictions prevented further
development of the network . However, some of
the CSB still are active and continue being used
as a source of tuber-seed of traditional
varieties.
8
Other interesting cases of establishment of
communal seed banks have been reported in
Bangladesh, India, Philippines, Ethiopia, etc. A
sustainable conservation of genetic resources
will depend on enhancing seed security through
the establishment of functional links between
communal seed banks and formal national and
international genebanks. Ex situ genebanks have
a lot of expertise to improve communal seed
banks efficiency.
9
Transfer of modern technologies to farmers that
conserve genetic resources Article 13.2.b of
the Biodiversity Treaty, demands to provide
access to and transfer of technology to
developing countries, in particular in the case
of technologies for use in conservation as well
as technologies for the benefit of farmers in
developing countries. Article 13.2.a of the
Treaty also demands to make available information
on technologies, results of technical, scientific
and socio-economic research, including
characterization, evaluation and utilization,
regarding to plant genetic resources for food and
agriculture. However, technology transfer
requires funding to implement the almost
inexistent Extension Service in most of the
genetic diversity rich countries that
unfortunately are among the poorest countries in
the world.
10
Technology for long-term
conservation of seeds Long-term seed storage is
generally considered the safest, most
inexpensive and most convenient method of
genetic conservation. Farmers have empirical
procedures to handle seed conservation and
propagation which have been developed according
to the environmental conditions in their local
area. Modern technology is available on seed
germination, production of good quality seed,
selection of viable seed, seed disinfection, seed
drying, and cold storage. These technologies
should be adapted to the poor conditions available
at the village level in developing countries.
For seed storage under freezing temperatures, the
use of caves or mines in highlands or mountain
ranges under permafrost conditions should also be
considered.
11
Transfer of healthy materials of clonally
propagated crops conserved in vitro Thousands
of tissue culture accessions of traditional
varieties of potato, sweetpotato, cassava, Andean
roots and tuber crops, and other tropical root
and tuber crops are conserved in vitro in
national and international genebanks. In many of
these clonally propagated crop, virus infection
is one of the most serious factors for genetic
erosion in traditional cultivars conserved both
in situ and ex situ. In the case of potatoes,
virus diseases have been documented to cause up
to 80 of yield losses. Therefore, the greatest
contribution towards the survival of these
genetic resources is the eradication of viruses
from traditional varieties. In Vitro
thermotherapy and meristem culture technology
facilitates the cleaning up of many varieties per
year.
12
Up to the year 2000, CIP had available virus free
materials of almost half of the collection of
traditional potato varieties from Latin America
and several hundred sweetpotato varieties. Many
virus free Peruvian traditional potato varieties
were repatriated according to their geographic
origin to some Andean farmers through Communal
Seed Banks.
Tuber samples were multiplied in plots owned by
the community and then distributed to participant
farmers.
13
In vitro conservation of clonally propagated
crops is also feasible at the farmer level. For
simple propagation work, the facilities required
are few and relative inexpensive. A room with
two large glass windows was converted in a
simple in vitro laboratory in a locality without
electricity at Mount Banahaw in the
Philippines. Vietnamese farmers have
demonstrated that in vitro culture technology
could be easily adapted for use under rustic
conditions for rapid multiplication and routine
subculture work by farmers.
14
Transfer of techniques for seed multiplication
and rapid increase
of planting materials National and
international genebanks maintain very small
samples of seeds from traditional varieties. It
takes very long to attend requests for large
quantities because they have to be multiplied.
The Seed of Hope program to restore agricultural
production in war-torn areas and regions affected
by natural disasters, showed that it takes very
long time to restore planting materials in farmer
fields, because there is no system established to
speed up that process. Despite all the
international aid, the varieties restored in
those countries were mainly bred varieties which
solved the hanger problem but very little was
made to restore the genetic losses of traditional
varieties. The core collection approach should be
used to select the most diverse accessions from
each country represented in genebanks. These
national core collections of traditional
varieties should be distributed to farmers to
restore genetic diversity losses.
15
The seed conserved in many ex situ genebanks are
threatened by poor germination. There is a great
need for international programs for seed
increase and rejuvenation of traditional
varieties conserved in ex situ genebanks in
their countries of origin. If a network of CSB
participate farmers will get on the job training
on modern techniques of seed multiplication and
share the seed with other farmers. A wide range
of techniques is available to induce flowering,
overcame incompatibility mechanisms, and many
other factors that affect seed production. There
are also techniques for rapid multiplication
of clonally propagated crops like pre-sprouting
storage roots, single node cuttings, production
of mini-tubers or storage roots, etc. The use of
sexual seed produced by asexually propagated
crops by conservationist farmers could be used
to generate new diversity and provide some food
when planting materials and food are scarce
due to natural or man made causes.
16
Transfer of technology for integrated pest
management Severe yield losses occur in
developing countries are caused by pests and
diseases. Chemical control is unaffordable by
poor farmers. Integrated pest management (IPM)
comprise a number of cultural practices,
mechanical and physical controls, use of
beneficial organisms that reduce pest problems,
and selective use of reduced amounts of
pesticides. The transfer to and adaptation of
these technologies by subsistence farmers could
extend their application to other minor or
neglected crops, thus contributing to reduce
genetic losses in agrobiodiversity and increase
their food supply. IPM technology has been
transferred through Farmer Field Schools where
they learn how to grow a healthy crop, conserve
natural enemies and conduct regular field
observations. A similar approach is needed to
reinforce on-farm conservation of traditional
varieties in existing micro-centers of crop
genetic diversity.
17
Transfer of low cost technology to increase
productivity and
reduce post-harvest losses Substistence farmers
could greatly benefit with the use of
multicropping, intercropping, use of native
mycorrhizal fungi, and compost-making, to retain
and enhance soil fertility. In potatoes, the
use of tuber-seed stored in rustic diffuse
daylight, increases the yield by about 20 as
compared with seed stored in darkness. The
design of rustic storage boxes with good
ventilation, the use of insect repellent native
plants, carefulful selection of the tubers to be
stored, the application of a sprout inhibitor
greatly reduced yield losses and extend the
period of time to sell or consume stored potatoes
of traditional cultivars.
18
Transfer of technology for food processing and
manufacturing improved products using
traditional varieties
The best way to secure sustainability in on-farm
conservation of traditional varieties is by
means of promoting a wider consumption of them in
urban markets as exotic foods for gourmet cooking
and other uses. Pre-cooking and freezing potato
tubers of traditional varieties to be used for
fast microwave cooking could overcome the customs
barrier to the export of traditional potatoes
from the Andes. The texture, flavor, flesh color,
and tuber appearance of all varieties are kept
after cooking.
19
There are a number of problems that farmers
need to solve to carry out small-scale food
processing and manufacture improved products
derived from agrobiodiversity. In recent years
some progress in adapting food processing
and marketing skills in farmer organizations in
several
countries in Asia, Africa and Latin
America. Sustainable conservation of
agrobiodiversity largely depends on market
opportunities for products with new flavours,
natural colors, higher nutritional value,
medicinal properties, and other attributes not
available in commercial varieties.
20
Transfer of breeding technology for wider use of
desirable attributes of traditional varieties
A lot of data are available on desirable traits
identified in traditional varieties that should
be accessible to farmers. Very little breeding
is made to solve problems that are important at
the regional and local level.
Methodology is available to increase farmer
knowledge and skills on plant reproduction,
flowering and pollination, use of botanical seed
and seedlings, variability and segregation, and
varietal evaluation and selection.
Collaborative plant breeding is needed to
develop new varieties according to farmer needs
and preferences.
21
Farmers have much to benefit on the use of
traditional varieties of major crops with known
desirable traits to solve limiting factors to
improve their productivity. Collaborative plant
breeding could establish the most
suitable methodology to enhance cross-pollinated
and self-pollinated crops. The great challenge
for farmers is to find the ways to use this
technology to improve many under utilized crops
that are important for their food security but
have little economic importance outside the
village level. National efforts are needed to
evaluate those crops to find attributes that
could offer comparative advantages to promote a
wider utilization.
22
Conclusions Ex situ genebanks have to play a
more important role in diversity deployment
strategies to restore genetic losses.
Conservationist farmers are eager to adopt new
technologies and recuperate the traditional
varieties that they lose for different reasons. 
The sustainability of long-term conservation of
traditional varieties in framer fields will
undoubtedly depend on economic incentives based
on market opportunities. Farmers will continue
growing tradition varieties if there is a market
for them. There is a need to create a system
for a national certification of origin of
products grown in the existing micro-centers of
crop diversity.
23
The poor farmers of the developing countries
could continue conserving agrobiodioversity for
all mankind with the economic incentive created
in the markets of the industrialized countries.