Conservation and Availability of Plant Genetic Diversity: Innovative Strategies and Technologies Ehsan Dulloo, Leader Conservation and Availability ProgrammeBioversity International IHC 2014 Symposium 27 - Plant Genetic Resources for Climate Change Bris презентация

Ehsan Dulloo, Leader Conservation and Availability Programme Bioversity International

IHC 2014 Symposium 27 - Plant Genetic Resources for Climate Change
Brisbane, Australia, August 2014

Mission: To deliver scientific evidence, management practices and policy options to use and safeguard agricultural biodiversity to attain sustainable global food and nutrition security.

Credit: IWMI\Neil Palmeri

on status and trends of PGRFA

Strategies for prioritizing, measuring, and monitoring the trends in genetic diversity

Way forward

Overview

Bioversity International\Y.Wachira

food supplies need to increase by 60% globally, and 100% in developing countries.

60%

FAO Save and Grow, 2011

demand increases 14%. Up to 40% of the world will develop unfamiliar climates.

CCAFS Big Facts, 2014

IPCC, 2014

the rise in low and middle-income countries, especially in urban settings.
At the same time, 1 billion people suffer from “hidden hunger.”

in landscapes and in diets will be an important part of the solution to these challenges.

FAO, 2012

FAO, 2012

genetic diversity
Improve optimum use of plant genetic resources

Credit: Bioversity International\E.Dulloo

Ex situ conservation

In situ conservation

Home Gardens

On farm

Wild habitats

possible
Reduce frequency of regeneration - minimize genetic erosion
Germplasm are conserved in a variety of ways
Seed banks
Field genebank
In vitro /slow growth
Cryopreservation
DNA Banks
Botanic gardens

million germplasm accessions have been added to ex situ collections, 7.4 M.

30% of accessions are distinct

More than 70% of the genetic diversity of some 200-300 crops (SBSTTA, 2010)

Global Crop Diversity Trust established in 2004

Establishment of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a last resort safety back-up of genetic resources to safeguard humanity.

Source: WIEWS 2009; Country Reports; USDA-GRIN 2009

State of ex situ conversation of plant genetic resources since 1998

seed longevity:
temperature
Seed moisture content
Relative Humidity
Global, Regional, national as well as community seed banks.
FAO New Genebank standards 2013;
produced one standard rather than acceptable and preferred standards;
acquisition, characterization, drying & storage conditions; viability, regeneration etc.

environments (Probert et al. 2009; Nagel and Borner 2009; Crawford; et al. 2007; Walters et al., 2005)
Potential of Ultra-dry seeds in low cost seed conservation; relationship between critical MC, RH and storage temperature.
Water and temperature has interacting effects on longevity
Critical water content increased from about 1 to 4% with decreased storage temperature from 50º to 20ºC

Seed conservation – research questions

(cassava, sweet potatoes, yams etc.),
Short lived plants;
produce recalcitrant seeds (rubber, cocoa, mango etc.)

maintained either under slow growth on nutrient gels

-196 ° C)
Principle - complete cessation of growth by freezing cell division and metabolic processes
Successful cryopreservation - damage by ice crystal formation is prevented or minimized.

underlying mechanism of desiccation tolerance (Engelmann and Panis, 2009; Berjak and Pammenter, 2008; Berjak, 2005).
Development of a number of analytical tools including thermal (Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)), biochemical (sugars, lipids, proteins) and histo-cytological analyses
Cryopreservation methods can offer greater security for long term, including orthodox seeds.
Potential of cryotherapy as a way of eliminating pest and diseases (Wang et al., 2008)

(FAO, 2010)
Research on seeds conservation and new biotechnologies e.g. Kew Gardens
Conservation and restoration activities
Education activities
BGCI - Global Strategy on Plant Conservation through Global Partnership on Plant Conservation

Botanic gardens

relatives
Global strategy on crop wild relatives
FAO, UoB, Bioversity - Global Initiative on in situ conservation and on farm management
New priority sites for conserving crop wild relatives in situ have been identified
30% more Protected Areas but not necessarily secure
Little progress outside protected areas.

Imke Thormann, Bioversity

of CWR in providing useful traits/genes
Research is needed
Increased collection and ex situ conservation of CWR?
Prioritization of areas for in situ conservation CWR for genetic reserves
What adaptive traits are present within in situ populations?
To what extent are gene flow and introgression happening from CWR?

Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) a solution for adaptation to climate change: Geneflow

diversity;
Increase of tools and techniques for assessing PGRFA on farm;
Value of local seed systems;
More participatory on farm projects;
Legal mechanisms to enable farmers to market their local varieties

Credit: Bioversity International/R.Vodouhe

and may be regarded as guardians of diversity
This retention is reinforced and maintained by the traditional networks of exchange of seeds
Locally adapted crop varieties require less pesticides and fertilizers
Reduced costs
Improved human and ecosystem health
Reduced impact on associated diversity (pollinators, soil microorganisms)

and in situ populations)

International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture “Alarmed by the continuing erosion of these resources” [i.e. PGRFA]

Global Plan of Action on Conservation and Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture “Genetic erosion is reported to continue many regions of the world and the genetic vulnerability of crops has further increased”.

Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 Aichi Target 13: By 2020, the genetic diversity of cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and of wild relatives, including other socio-economically as well as culturally valuable species, is maintained, and strategies have been developed and implemented for minimizing genetic erosion and safeguarding their genetic diversity.

is still lacking about the rate of loss
There is no global, harmonized observation system for delivering regular, timely data on agricultural biodiversity change
Monitoring changes in genetic diversity and analyzing causes of change is still needed

Credit: Bioversity International/D.Hunter

Global Plan of Action. (set of 66 indicators)
Global indicators: Significant traditional variety diversity in terms of richness and eveness (Jarvis et al., 2009, PNAS)
Set of 12 priority indicators on Agrobiodiversity conservation services was identified; (Nguyen and Drucker, 2013)
HT Integrated Indicator including Varietal richness, Spatial evenness; Effect of between-variety genetic diversity; Within- variety genetic diversity (Bonneuil et al., 2012)
Biodiversity Partnership Indicator: Enrichment Index of ex situ crop collections as an indicator on the status and trend of crop genetic diversity

level of use by local people
Drops in their use below a certain threshold, beyond which the variety/species would no longer provide the expected benefit to the community as a whole
the maintenance of associated knowledge and traditions associated to it

This will allow us to assess current trends and possible decline of its cultivation over time and ensure that local crop diversity is conserved and used in most sustainable way

(Padulosi and Dulloo, 2009)

and on farm conservation, pre-breeding ABS etc.)
Cooperation and coordination between different institution, esp. environment and agriculture sectors
National Monitoring mechanism needed
Incentive mechanism and valuation of PGRFA
Gender sensitive analysis tools and indicators- more involvement of rural women

Credit: Bioversty International\B.Vinceti

and use of PGRFA
Focus on priority species and crops
Systematic analysis of relevant information
Participative approach

Credit: Bioversity International/I.Thormann

technologies have evolved; while ex situ conservation technologies are well developed, there is much to be done to safeguard the diversity in situ and on farm
Despite progress made, there are still global concerns of genetic erosion and loss of biodiversity
Strengthening capacity
Improving networks - collaboration between sectors
Global Information system for agrobiodiversity
Participatory monitoring of biodiversity
Ensuring a good complementarity between ex situ, in situ and on farm conservation
Providing incentive mechanisms
Creating a good policy enabling environment

Conclusion