SADC Plant Genetic Resources Centre

Transcription

1 SADC Plant Genetic Resources Centre CASSAVA GERMPLASM: COLLECTION PROCESS AND ACTION PLAN FOR SOUTH, EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICA Dar es Salaam: 4 6 June 2013 THANDIE LUPUPA Senior Programmes Officer-in situ Conservation

2 Presentation outline Background Conservation methods Cassava conservation Linkages between institutions and farmers Field genebanks Challenges

3 Background SADC Plant Genetic Resource Centre (SPGRC) was established through donor funding from the Nordic countries in 1989 Its mandate is to coordinate the conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA in 15 SADC countries (Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe). The activities are carried out through 3 core sections: ex situ, in situ and Documentation & Information.

4 PGRFA are crucial for sustainable production, providing the biological basis for food security and supporting economic livelihoods SPGRC collaborates with the NPGRCs and other stakeholders such as research institutions, Universities, NGOs as well as individual experts SPGRC has developed and established a standardised documentation and information system, which has been installed in all the NPGRCs

5 SPGRC maintains the base collection, NPGRCs keep the active collections About 50% of these have been deposited in the base collection Some of the NPGRCs also maintain field gene banks of vegetatively propagated crops such as cassava, sweet potato, etc.

6 Conservation: in freezers, on-farm, in-situ & Live collections These are programmes contributing to food security through maintenance and provision of plant genetic resources

7 Community Seed Banks

8 In vitro and cryopreservation

9 Data Collection Passport data Indigenous information

10 Field Genebanks The potential for genetic improvement of any crop relies on the ability to successful use of the existing genetic resources, including the related wild species Cassava is growing in importance both for food security and for economic reasons Unfortunately the region has been biased in putting more emphases on orthodox crops

11 Linkage between institutions and farmers

12 Conservation linked to utilization not cassava forests Farmers, researchers, breeders to access conserved material - not to work in silos Specialized institutions to work collaboratively with genebanks Cuttings for preferred cassava varieties to be distributed to farmers

13 While most major crops are well represented in the collections there are still a number of crops not adequately collected such as traditional vegetables, wild crop relatives and other root & tuber crops Need to strengthen the ability of national programs to conserve cassava germplasm promote establishment of field genebanks/ in vitro conservation No safety collections for root & tuber crops at SPGRC. There is urgent need for the establishment of a biotechnology laboratory where in vitro conservation activities can be done

14 Countries with field genebanks Angola: Agricultural Research Stations of Malange and Mazozo Botswana: DRC: M Vuazi Research Centre, Yangambi Research Centre Lesotho: No cassava Mauritius: Nouvelle Decouverte, Curepipe, RBSPC and BES. accessions of garlic, Dioscorea spp. ginger, mango ginger and turmeric. Cassava, sweet potato and strawberry duplicated in pots Malawi: Chitedzi, Mozambique Cassava - at the Umbuluzi Research Station

15 Field genebanks South Africa: Few cassava accessions in glass houses NPGRC. Swaziland: Material conserved at Malkerns and the Lowveld Experimental Station Tanzania: Specialized institutions Zambia: NPGRC & Specialized Zimbabwe: specialized institution No in vitro and cryopreservation done

16 Field genebanks The target species for field gene banks currently represent a big gap in the germplasm conserved by the network. Many of the materials conserved iare infected with diseases and therefore the need for having in vitro conservation facilities at SPGRC

17 Other crops

18 Wild edible plants

19 Need to establish in situ reserves for crop wild relatives

20 Challenges Support for cassava germplasm collection and conservation remains inadequate Collection, characterisation of root & tuber crops, cassava in particular, to be strengthened to capture the traits that can be used for breeding purposes Regenerateion of existing material in field genebanks which are in danger of being lost Multiplication and distribution of varieties mostly requested by users

21 Thank you for listening