OR, go to then scroll down to Highlights and click on Plant Pathology Materials for Teachers

Transcription

1 The PowerPoint can be accessed at: OR, go to then scroll down to Highlights and click on Plant Pathology Materials for Teachers 1

2 This is the definition of Biological Diversity from the Convention on Biological Diversity, as stated on their website. The convention is an international legal instrument supported by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). The beginnings can be traced back to an Ad Hoc Working Group of Experts on Biological Diversity meeting in November 1988 to explore the need for an international convention on biological diversity. 2

3 Definitions for country of origin of genetic resources and domesticated or cultivated species from the Convention on Biological Diversity website. 3

4 This slide from GMOAnswers.com illustrates how humans have modified plants over hundreds of years to obtain plants that are edible and productive. If these photos weren t labeled, would you have recognized them as food you eat today? Where would we be without plant breeding? These pictures are examplesofnature s originalfruits and vegetables. Withoutplant breeding of any kind, we would have corn kernels that you would have to crack open with a rock; a banana that is difficult to peel and full of seeds; and broccoli that no amount of cheese could make edible. 4

5 The next five slides will illustrate the origin of many of the crops (food) we eat today. CGIAR (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) historical roots go back to the 1940s with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation and a collaboration with the Mexican government to develop high-yielding, disease-resistant maize (corn), wheat and rice. Today, CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future, with 15 active research centers. Many focus on crop genetic improvement and are often located in the country of origin of genetic resources. One such center is in Mexico because it is the country of origin of maize (corn). This is also where wheat breeding occurs, even though the Middle East is the origin of wheat. Dr. Norman Borlaug, the father of the green revolution, spent most of his career at CIMMYT. 5

6 International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Nigeria is the banana and plantain research center. While the center of origin of the wild banana stretches from India to Papua New Guinea including Malaysia and Indonesia, the plantain is a staple crop not only in Asia, but also Latin America and Africa. 6

7 International Rice Research Institute Philippines is the rice research center, and along with CIMMYT, one of the first international centers that was opened. The biggest controversy regarding rice and GMOs is golden rice, which has genes that increase the vitamin A content. Blindness is a leading problem in southeast Asia, and blindness is due to low vitamin A in the diet. While Syngenta hold the license to Golden Rice, Humanitarian Use Licenses are provided to countries wishing to introduce this genetic background into their local rice cultivars. See for information on Golden Rice. 7

8 Who knew the origin of watermelons was southern Africa? From left to right is the progression of watermelon cultivar development from southern Africa to your kitchen. But, to obtain the seedless watermelon requires a sophisticated process. 8

9 Solanaceaefamily of plants originated in the New World and includes tomato (Viva Italia!) and potato. The International Potato Center is in Peru, which is considered the country of origin of potato. While most of us are used to the russet Burbank potato (red skin) or Idaho baking potato (white skin), many indigenous Peruvian cultures wouldn t even recognize these two varieties as potatoes! 9

10 Today, we can find specialty potatoes in the supermarket. A prominent one is the blue potato, which is also used to make the Terra Blues potato chips. This is a simple exercise to illustrate to students biological diversity. All students love potato chips, but many have assumed that blue potato chips are died blue with food coloring. Buy a bag of Terra Blues and a bag of blue potatoes. Cut the blue potatoes open to demonstrate the potatoes are naturally blue, and the potato chips are naturally blue. 10