ICARDA annual report 2004

Project 3.3.
Agrobiodiversity Collection and Conservation
for Sustainable Use
I
CARDA continued to collect, document, and conserve plant
genetic resources in 2004, and the Center’s germplasm collection
grew by 1723 accessions. Researchers assessed
genetic variation in durum and bread wheat accessions from
Afghanistan using microsatellite markers, and were able to clearly
distinguish between hexaploid and tetraploid wheat. The health
of 29,000 incoming and outgoing seed samples and 140 hectares
of on-station crops was tested. The community-based agrobiodiversity
conservation project in Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and
Syria, promoted in situ conservation and reforestation. The project
also demonstrated new technologies, characterized livelihood
strategies, and launched community-development and habitatmanagement
plans. ICARDA updated the global database on
wheat wild relatives, and developed new database and GIS
technologies to find ‘best-bet’ sets of germplasm containing
desirable traits. Chickpea and barley accessions representing the
genetic diversity in ICARDA’s collection were selected for use in
an international genetic-characterization program. Researchers
also studied the photothermal responses of 277 barley accessions
to identify germplasm containing the traits needed to cope with
climate change.
Germplasm collection and
distribution
In 2004, ICARDA’s germplasm collection
grew by 1723 new additions
and reached a total of 132,831
accessions. A unique set of 781
accessions resulted from collection
missions in Afghanistan, Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Syria, and Tajikistan.
In 2003 and 2004, work continued
to restore Afghanistan’s
national germplasm collections
through IDRC-funded collection
missions in the northern provinces
of Badakhshan, Baghlan, Kunduz,
and Takhan. Four ICARDA-trained
germplasm collection teams collected
581 new accessions, including
383 of bread wheat, 62 of chickpea
and 55 of barley. These will be used
to assess genetic erosion in
Afghanistan.
Researchers from ICARDA, the
Russian Vavilov Institute (VIR),
and national programs undertook
collecting missions in Tajikistan
Theme 3
and Armenia for cereals and food
legumes and their wild relatives, as
well as forage and pasture species.
In Azerbaijan, researchers from
ICARDA, Australia, and the country’s
national program focused on
the collection of pasture and forage
species. In total, these missions covered
more than 5000 km, and collected
1543 accessions from 221
sites (Table 10). A full set of
germplasm was left with the
national programs; the rest was
divided between the other partners
according to their interests.
ICARDA focused mainly on its
mandate crops and their wild relatives,
as well as on a limited range
of pasture and forage legumes.
The mission in Tajikistan yielded
some important endemic landraces
previously thought to be
extinct. The missions to Armenia
and Azerbaijan mainly yielded pasture
and forage materials, including
a potentially new sub-species of
Lens ervoides that produces seeds
above and below ground. This is a
useful trait, because the underground
seed is protected from predation
and a new crop can regenerate
without sowing.
In 2004, ICARDA distributed
more than 21,000 seed samples on
request. Of these, 8300 were sent to
users in developing countries, 3800
to users in the industrialized world,
6200 to scientists in ICARDA’s
Germplasm Program, and 2700 to
those in ICARDA’s Genetic
Resources Unit.
Table 10. Accessions collected in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan in 2004.
Crop Armenia Azerbaijan Tajikistan
Wheat 14 13 107
Barley 4 7 37
Other cereals 20 63 61
Food legumes 30 23 115
Pasture and forage 374 568 85
Other 6 0 16
Total 448 674 421
ICARDA Annual Report 2004
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