Annual Report

PROGRAMME ACTIVITIES - GENETIC DIVERSITY
Effectiveness oftargeted collect-
ing in the recovery of specific
genes and gene complexes
Investigations started with a fact-finding
survey in agricultural research stations
in Kenya and visits to Zimbabwe.
Erarostisand Fleusi,' spp. were selected
as case studies. A consultant made an in-
depth literature search, using these two
crops as examples. One of the main con­
clusions was that certain areas can be tar-
geted for collecting germplasm, rich in
particular characters, as shown below.
Barley Y'elhot Dwarf Virus
Targeted collections of barley in Ethio-
pia to obtain resistance to this virus from
higher elevations had a greater frequency
of resistance than those in lower areas.
Although resistance to the virus was not
restricted to one region in Ethiopia, prob-
ably owing to geneflow across the barley
growing areas, two centres of concentra-
tion of the resistance
* Four types of collecting are were identified.
recognized and addressed:
0 generalconservation-oriented Crown rust of oat
collectingwherebytheconservationof
A search for crown
geneticdiversityperseistheoverall rust resistance in
objective; Aena sterilis was
0, targetedcollectingforparticular made in Israel by
traits of direct use by breeders; coarse grid collect­
0 rescuecollecting,typicalofrescue ing throughout the
missions and to combat geneticerosion; distribution range
0 collectingforresearch, especiallyof followed by screen-
poorlyknowncrops, toincrease ing of tile collected
knowledge, including indigenous accessions for resis-
knowledge, on cropgenepools tance to two rust
races. Resistance to crown rust was found to be concentrated in
the Mediterranean coastal belt from a few kilometers north of
Haifa and south of Tel Aviv to approximately 20 kilometers in­
land, showing the validity of this sort of targetted approach.
Germplasm acquisition
Germplasm collected in 1994 through various projects is listed
on p. 48 and described where appropriate in the reports of the
regional groups.
Genetic diversity in landraces
and its conservation
Variation in traditional crop varieties or landraces is a primary
resource for plant breeding. It is an essential component of low
input agriculture for millions of farmers throughout the world.
The maintenance of this diversity requires both in situ and ex situ
conservation.
Improving the scientific basis of
agrobiodiversity conservation in situ
In defining iii situ conservation, the Convention on Biological
Diversity includes specific reference to the conservation of crop
species in the environments in which they were developed, i.e.
o farm. With funding from the Swiss Development Coopera­
tion, work began on a project aimed at providing a firmer scien­
tific basis for on-farm conservation of crop plants and agroforestry
species (see p.50). During the year, work began on building the
project framework and on identifying partners. Important aspects
of GD's approach to work in this area are bringing together work­
ers in the agricultural sciences with those from socioecoinlic
disciplines, and linking conservation and development workers.
The potential use of 'home gardens' for
in situ conservation
Abbreviations - see pp. 105-106
In many societies 'home gardens' are an important source of food,
medicines and other useful products for the household. They
also contain significant aimiounts of intra- and interspecies genetic
diversity with large numbers of plant taxa.