apo newsletter no. 31 - bioversity international€¦ · about the newsletter the international...

Editorial

The International Undertaking onPlant Genetic Resources for Foodand Agriculture: Is it Now or Never?

For a number of years now, FAOnegotiators have struggled to revise theInternational Undertaking on PGRFA

(Plant Genetic Resources for Food andAgriculture) into a legally bindingagreement. Many people feel that as we

enter the year 2000, we are alsoreaching a “now or never” situation forthese negotiations.

A revised Undertaking would constitutean essential element of FAO’s “GlobalSystem” for PGRFA. It would help the

world community achieve the closelyrelated goals of food security andsustainable agriculture. At the same time,

the Undertaking is to be harmonized withthe Convention on Biological Diversity(CBD) to serve as an instrument for the

conservation and sustainable use ofplant genetic resources and the fair andequitable sharing of the benefits arising

from the use of such resources.

The Undertaking would establish legallybinding rules to secure facilitated access

to and exchange of PGRFA within amultilateral system. In addition, theUndertaking would also establish

effective ways of cooperation to ensureconservation of agro-biodiversity and thefurther development of PGRFA. To

conform to the CBD, it will also have tocontain effective provisions for benefit-

The information, opinions and designations in the Newsletter are not necessarily those of IPGRIThe IPGRI Homepage on the World Wide Web of Internet: http://www.cgiar.org/ipgri

ContentsEditorial ................................... 1

Headquarters ........................... 3

Regional .................................. 3

National ................................... 10

COGENT Update .................... 12

Meetings/Training Programmes 17

Interesting Books, Periodicalsand Websites ................... 19

Scientific Contributions ........... 22

Useful Names & Addresses ... 24

sharing, including articles on funding andFarmers’ Rights (to benefit small farmersthat have been the traditional custodians

of PGRFA, particularly in developingcountries).

We need the Undertaking for continued

open access to and exchange of

PGRFA. Given the high level of PGRFA

interdependence between regions,

convincingly shown in a number of FAO

documents, such an open access and

exchange regime is crucial for research

and development in agriculture and

consequently for further agricultural

progress.

Perhaps more fundamentally, conditions

affecting agriculture such as pests,

climate, etc. are continually evolving,

sometimes in ways that we are not fully

aware of (cf. the debate on climate

change). We can say with certainty,

however, that food security and

sustainable agriculture will be impossible

to achieve without a sufficiently wide

genetic base for food and agriculture. A

revised Undertaking will be crucial for

the conservation and further

development of agro-biodiversity as well

as for making it available to countries.

What will happen if these negotiationsfail? No one should by believing that

No. 31 January-April 2000

INTERNATIONAL PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES INSTITUTE ISSN 1561-2473

About the NewsletterThe International Plant GeneticResources Institute (IPGRI) is one ofthe 16 Centres of the ConsultativeGroup on International AgriculturalResearch (CGIAR) with itsHeadquarters at Rome. IPGRI’smission is to encourage, support andundertake activities to improve themanagement of genetic resourcesworldwide so as to help eradicatepoverty, increase food security andprotect the environment. IPGRI worksin partnership with other organizations,undertakes research and training, andprovides scientific and technical adviceand information. IPGRI operates in fivegeographical areas: Sub-SaharanAfrica (SSA), the Americas, Europe,Central and West Asia and North Africa(CWANA), and Asia, the Pacific andOceania (APO). APO Regional Officeis based in Serdang, Malaysia withoffices for East Asia and South Asialocated in Beijing, China and NewDelhi, India, respectively.

The APO Newsletter is produced thricea year and is mainly aimed at promotingthe overall concern on plant geneticresources, with emphasis on theirconservation and use. [Contd. on page 4]

NEWSLETTERFOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA

No. 31 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA 2

status quo will prevail. Obviously, therewill be a lot of confusion. It is clear thatex situ collections made before the entryinto force of the CBD are not coveredby that Convention. In many cases, it isnot clear where such pre-CBD PGRFAoriginated. For all PGRFA exchange afterthe entry into force of the CBD, theconditions of the CBD will generallyapply.

This means that unless the world

community manages to create

multilaterally agreed, legally binding rules

for germplasm exchange in this field, we

could be moving towards a situation

where general CBD principles would

apply. In addition, we would be faced

with grey zones where it is difficult to tell

which rules should apply. The CBD was

obviously drafted with other kinds of

biodiversity as a primary focus, in

particular biodiversity where the question

of origin is less complex than for agro-

biodiversity. Managing agro-biodiversity

exchange on a bilateral basis would be

a nightmare, not only in practical terms,

but also with regard to equity

considerations (what would be “fair and

equitable” benefit-sharing in cases where

a seed contains material from 50

sources?!). Benefit-sharing must,

therefore, be clearly regulated by

multilateral mechanisms, and for this we

need the Undertaking.

In fact, confusion as well as obstacles

to open exchange of PGRFA are already

visible. Several countries are developing

access legislation in line with CBD

principles, and it is not clear that

sufficient mechanisms are being created

to safeguard the need for open exchange

of PGRFA. At the same time, intellectual

property rights (IPR) protection over

PGRFA is increasing, and some forms

of IPR protection, in particular patents,

also pose limitations to the accessibility

of PGRFA. Consequently, the real

alternative to a legally binding

Undertaking would not be status quo,

but rather an increased polarisation

between providers of genetic resources

and industries using these resources to

create new products. To put it differently,

instead of an agreement where PGRFA

is managed from the perspectives of food

security and sustainable agriculture,

PGRFA management would be split

between CBD and World Trade

Organization (WTO) provisions, and an

increasing number of conflicts over

PGRFA would be one likely outcome of

such a situation.

Both developed and developing countries

will benefit from a system of open

access. Open access is in itself an

important benefit to be shared among

all parties to a revised Undertaking.

However, developing countries demand

some commitments, in line with CBD

provisions, from developed countries as

regards the commercial benefits arising

from access to PGRFA. This should not

surprise anyone. CBD was negotiated

in a situation where genetic resources

were considered “freely available” while

IPRs were increasingly established over

industrial products based on these

resources, even if the value of these

products was developed on the basis of

traditional knowledge or traits. Concerns

about this situation resulted in the

benefit-sharing provisions of the CBD.

These equity issues are still with us: one

delegate from a developing country to

the FAO Commission on Genetic

Resources for Food and Agriculture

(CGRFA) recently stated that without

IPRs the question of benefit-sharing

would not arise and all genetic material

could be freely available in the same

way as it was historically.

Given that benefit-sharing for PGRFA

can not be on a bilateral basis, the most

logical starting point for operationalizing

benefit-sharing provisions in the

Undertaking would be the Global Plan

of Action for PGRFA. One important

reason to develop this plan was to get a

better idea of funding needs related to

the Undertaking (the International Fund).

What we are talking about here is a plan

with cost scenario in the range of (from

“rudimentary” to “comprehensive”) US$

150 – 450 million a year. These sums

National Programmesare requested tocontribute short

research articles, news/notes or other

important informationon PGR related topicsincluding websites forinclusion in the next

issue of the Newsletter.Please send your

contributions to any ofthe three

IPGRI-APO Offices.[See addresses on page 24]

are not necessarily new and additional

money, but it is essential that such

funding should be predictable. These

resources could be mobilized in several

ways. However, that PGRFA

conservation and use ultimately benefits

the whole society, governments will still

have to bear the final responsibility.

Developed countries should realize that

without some credible mechanism for

benefit-sharing, there would be no

agreement on a multilateral system with

open access to PGRFA. On the other

hand, developing countries should

realize that no OECD country will accept

new obligations (for funding or otherwise)

to a system where facilitated/open

access applies only to a very limited

number of crops. Consequently,

countries from all regions must make

some compromises in order to achieve

a successful conclusion to these

negotiations. The sacrifices that

countries would have to make seem

rather modest, however, compared to

what is at stake [The material is

reproduced here with author’s

permission. Author: Jan Borring, Adviser,

Ministry of the Environment, Oslo,

Norway].

3 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA No. 31

HeadquartersIFPRI Micronutrient andGender StudyIPGRI participated in a research studycurrently being carried out by theInternational Food Policy ResearchInstitute (IFPRI) in the Saturia region ofBangladesh. This quantitative studyinvolves a sample of 315 households.The survey will gather information on awide variety of health, nutrition, incomeand dietary measures, and now includesa Plant Genetic Resources (PGR)component.

The PGR component was developedwith the help of Dr O. Islam, Head of thePlant Genetic Resources Centre (PGRC)and others at the Bangladesh AgriculturalResearch Institute (BARI), Joydebpur,Gazipur. Two measures of the PGR

component were created forquantitatively capturing plant geneticdiversity, the first as an indicator ofspecies and the second as an indicatorof crop varieties. To create thesemeasures, farmers were interviewed andasked to provide information on thenumber of species and varieties of cropsthat they cultivated. Local species’names were recorded and thencategorized as ‘modern’, ‘locally-improved’, ‘traditional’ or ‘unknown’. Thefarmers’ responses were verified withlocal agriculture experts and BARIscientists. Market surveys and fieldobservations were also used tosupplement the development of the twomeasures. It is felt that the newmeasures will provide an indication ofthe amount and type of plant genetic

RegionalUpdate on IPGRI-APOActivities

IPGRI organizes TFT ProjectPlanning Meeting

IPGRI has identified tropical fruit treespecies as one of its priority areas forwork in the APO region, based on theneeds expressed by several countriesin the region. A 3-year project on

‘Conservation and Use of Native TropicalFruit Species Biodiversity in Asia’, hasbeen approved under technicalassistance agreement between the AsianDevelopment Bank (ADB) and theInternational Plant Genetic ResourcesInstitute (IPGRI). This project has abudget provision of US$3.147 million,which includes contribution from ADB,IPGRI and the National Programmes in10 Asian Countries.

A Project Planning Meeting wasorganized at The Mines Beach Resortand SPA, Selangor, Malaysia from 15-18 February 2000. The objectives of thismeeting were to: i) apprise the countrycoordinators from collaborating countriesabout the project logistics, administrativeand financial aspects, ii) shareinformation on ongoing researchactivities in the 10 countries, iii) explainabout the project implementation

Vavilov-FrankelFellowships for 2000

Awarded

The Vavilov-Frankel Fellowships for2000 have been awarded to:

Mr Omid Fasihi Harandi of theNational Research Centre for GeneticEngineering and Biotechnology, Iranto carry out a study entitled “Analysisof genetic diversity and classificationof wild and cultivated IranianPistachio (Pistacia L.) using molecularmarkers”. The work is beingundertaken at the Department ofHorticulture, Pennsylvania StateUniversity, USA under the supervisionof Dr Majid R. Foolad, AssistantProfessor.

Ms Shadila Venkatasamy of theMauritian Wildlife Foundation,Mauritius to carry out a study entitled“Phylogenetic relationships betweenendangered endemic ebony treespecies in Mauritius”. The work isbeing undertaken at the Departmentof Ecology and Genetics, AarhusUniversity, Denmark, under thesupervision of Professor Jens M.Olesen, the Head of Department.

Interaction with farmer families for nutrition and gender study in Bangladesh

diversity used by the study population.Preliminary findings are expected to bemade available in August 2000 [GinaKennedy, Health and NutritionConsultant, IPGRI-Rome].


arrangements, and iv) discuss andfinalize the workplans for 3 years andworkplan and budget for the year 2000.The meeting was organized in fivesessions, namely, i) Logistic arrange-ments, ii) Current status of work, iii)Developing workplans, iv) International/Regional collaboration, and v)Finalization of workplans, and budget.Twenty participants comprising countrycoordinators from 10 Asian countries,representatives from international/regional organizations, IPGRI staff andobservers attended the meeting. Thesalient points and highlights of themeeting are as under:

It was felt that efforts on tropical fruitsare not well organized in many countriesand that very little work has been donein the area of plant genetic resources.There is, thus, a great need for concertedefforts on germplasm collecting,evaluation, characterization andutilization, skill enhancement, databasedevelopment, and developingappropriate conservation techniques.The country coordinators appreciated theinitiative taken by IPGRI and the fundingsupport by ADB for research on PGRrelated activities on selected priority fruitspecies genepools, namely, mango,citrus, rambutan and jackfruit and inaddition 1-2 locally important potentialspecies.

The project activities will be implementedthrough a series of Letters ofAgreements (LoAs) between IPGRI andthe participating countries. Detailed

proposals on specific activities ondifferent crops as agreed at the meetingwill be submitted by the countrycoordinators and funds will be madeavailable as per approved proposals. Thereporting procedure will include sixmonthly and annual progress reports aswell as financial reports. The monitoringof project expenditure will be donethrough project tracking systemdeveloped by IPGRI-APO. For effectiveand efficient implementation of theproject, the activities envisaged to beundertaken have been regrouped intodifferent tasks, which have beenassigned to different IPGRI professionalstaff with relevant expertise (TaskManagers).

In view of budget constraints, it wasdecided to concentrate on a few specificactivities on two priority crops in eachcountry. Based on this criterion, the cropgroups identified were mango (9countries), citrus (6 countries), rambutan(3 countries), jackfruit (3 countries), litchi(3 countries) and Garcinia (3 countries).However, the exercise was very usefuland it was felt that the activities proposedby each country are important and couldbe handled through separate fundingproposals that can be developedsubsequently. Intensive deliberations fortwo days, jointly and in groups, resultedin finalization of an agreed plan ofactivities for 3 years and also for theyear 2000.

In view of the training needs of all thecountries, it was agreed that human

resource development aspect fortraining, study visits, etc., should becoordinated by IPGRI with the budgetearmarked for that activity. The commonareas of training identified were: i)germplasm collecting, evaluation,characterization, documentation andconservation, ii) molecular characteriza-tion and DNA finger printing, iii) in vitroconservation and cryopreservation, andiv) database development. Besides this,need for field genebank managementtraining for technicians was alsoexpressed. Database development wasconsidered as a high priority by all the10 national programmes. A format maybe developed by IPGRI and provided tothe collaborators for developingdatabases in different countries on auniform pattern. For studies on constraintanalysis, a questionnaire needs to bedeveloped and provided to the partners.

It was also decided that the PGRactivities being supported underUnderutilized Tropical Fruits AsiaNetwork (UTFANET) and other fundingsources should not be taken up underthis project. Instead, the resources areutilized for those activities on which notmuch work is being done, to enhanceeffective use of available funds and topromote complementarity betweendifferent programmes. It was agreed thatthe work on tropical fruit species in theregion should be seen as acomprehensive effort, funding comingfrom different sources, includingrespective national programmes.

About the NewsletterContd. from page 1

It provides information on plantgenetic resources activities carriedout by national programmes andother centres in the region.Information is also periodicallyabstracted from recent literature(books, periodicals, etc.), and briefresearch contributions published.With over 2500 addressees on itsmailing list, the APO newsletter iswidely distributed to focus onIPGRI's mandate to advance theconservation and use of plantgenetic resources for the benefit ofpresent and future generations.

IPGRI TFT Project Planning Meeting in Session


The presentations made by therepresentatives of International/Regionalorganizations, namely, UTFANET,CIRAD, CABI and TFNet were veryuseful. UTFANET’s activities are beingsupported in 8 out of 10 participatingcountries and collaboration with thisproject will be immensely useful. CIRADis supporting some tropical fruit work inAsia and collaborative activities withCIRAD need to be developed. CIRAD’sdata documentation software could beused for this project also. The work beingdone on tropical fruits in Americas canbe linked to this project. The bibliographyon tropical fruit species developed byIPGRI-Americas office was distributed toall partners. Role of CAB Internationalin promoting the conservation and useof tropical fruit species throughinformation dissemination could beimportant. The collaboration of TropicalFruits Network (TFNet) will also beuseful.

The Steering Committee (SC) for thisproject was constituted which will havethe responsibility for monitoring theactivities, providing direction anddeveloping funding proposals. Dr S. P.Ghosh from India and Dr Felipe S. delaCruz from Philippines were elected asChairperson and Vice-Chairperson,respectively.

The first meeting of the SteeringCommittee was also organized. Thechairperson explained the role andresponsibilities of Steering Committeeand asked the SC members to make itfully effective. The SC discussed theworkplan for 3 years and identified themajor activities in each crop on whichthe thrust is to be given during the year2000. SC also endorsed the currentcountry coordinators as the SCmembers. Working on tropical fruit treespecies is a challenging area and with afirm commitment and support from theGovernments of respective countries,these joint collaborative efforts inpartnership mode will certainly bringspectacular success in achieving theexpected project outputs. SC alsoacknowledged the financial support ofADB to these efforts by the 10 Asiancountries together with IPGRI [Bhag Mal,Coordinator, IPGRI South Asia Office,Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110 012,India].

Research progress on EastAsian Vigna species: an IPGRIsupported project

In 1999, the East Asian Plant GeneticResources Coordinators agreed for acollaborative project on East Asian Vignaspecies. During the winter months, twoscientists visited the National Institute ofAgrobiological Resources, Tsukuba,Japan and conducted research onJapanese and Korean germplasm ofVigna species belonging to sub-genusCeratotropis. Dr Mun Sup Yoon, fromthe Genetic Resources Division of theRural Development Administration,Republic of Korea, undertook AFLPanalysis of the East Asian wild Vignaand Mr Hironobu Jinno from theHokkaido Prefectural Plant GeneticResources Centre undertook RAPDanalysis on the same set of materials.The findings pointed out to the presenceof distinct geographic variation in thepopulations of V. nakashimae fromJapan and Korea, and similar geographicdifferentiation among populations of V.riukiuensis from southern Okinawaprefecture, Japan. The similarity inpopulation parameters for these tworelated species from different regions ofEast Asia was unexpected.

The information will be helpful inselecting populations for core collectionand in situ conservation. The wild Vignaspecies studied are a potentially valuablesource of variation for improvingcultivated Asian Vigna. V. nakashimaehas been found to have resistance toseed infesting insect pests and V.riukiuensis is being used as a bridgingspecies to facilitate hybridization betweenrice bean (V. umbellata) and adzuki bean(V. angularis) [Duncan Vaughan, CropEvolutionary Dynamics Laboratory,National Institute of AgrobiologicalResources, Kannondai 2-1-2,Tsukuba,Ibaraki 305, Japan].

IPGRI supported programme oncryopreservation of kiwi fruit

The Changli Institute of Pomology, HebeiAcademy of Agricultural Sciences, China,undertook an IPGRI supportedprogramme on cryopreservation of kiwishoot tips. Research was carried out tostudy the factors that affect thecryopreservation of kiwi shoot tips and

to establish the cryopreservationprogramme of kiwi fruit tree in vitro shoottips. Different aspects studied were: i)effect of sucrose concentration and pre-culture time on the viability of in vitroculture shoot tips, ii) effect of sucrosepre-culture methods on the viability ofencapsulated and non-encapsulatedshoot tips, iii) effect of sucrose pre-culture interval and temperature on theviability of shoot tips, iv) effect ofdehydration time on the survival rate ofshoot tips, v) effect of sucrose pre-culturemethod on the survival rate of shoot tips,vi) effect of pre-freezing temperature onthe survival rate of shoot tips, and vii)cryopreservation of kiwi fruit tree shoottips.

These experiments indicated thatcompared to axillary buds, the shoot tipmaterial was better suited forcryopreservation. The viability of shoottips was higher than that of the axillarybuds. Sucrose culture could improve thecold resistance of shoot tips duringcryopreservation, which had beentestified in many reports. The experimentalso confirmed that the high sucrose pre-culture was important for getting goodresults. It was also concluded that thesolid sucrose medium pre-culture wasbetter than liquid sucrose pre-culture [WuYongjie, Zhao Yanhua, Changli Instituteof Pomology, Hebei Academy ofAgricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100 081,China].

IPGRI promotes in situconservation of Fagopyrumspecies in Nepal

l There is an increasing threat ofgenetic erosion of crops and theirwild relatives globally due to severalman-made and natural causes. Acollaborative research project on insitu conservation between NepalAgricultural Research Council(NARC) and National Institute ofAgrobiological Resources (NIAR),Japan has been in progress since1998. Buckwheat (Fagopyrum spp.)is a staple food for local people inthe high altitude areas in Nepal andNARC is focusing on explorationand collecting of these species aswell as on their conservation anduse. Hence, it was consideredimportant to study the extent and


distribution of genetic diversity inFagopyrum spp. in Nepal and sothe collaborative research on in situconservation in Nepal was initiated.The objectives of this study are to:i) conduct field survey, ii) collectseed samples for DNA analysis, andiii) investigate genetic diversity ofFagopyrum populations in situ.

The results so far indicate that F.cymosum is distributed over a widearea in Nepal and F. tataricum ssp.potanini were found only in verylimited area of Mustang. Severegrazing by water buffaloes andgoats was found to be a major threatto the survival of Fagopyrumspecies in the areas surveyed. Inorder to investigate the geneticdiversity within and betweenpopulations of F. cymosum, theanalysis of DNA variation is plannedfor the materials collected byscientists in Nepal [Abstracted fromIPGRI Project Report: Fukuoka, S.,O. Ohnishi, H. P. Bimb, M. L.Vaidya, D. R. Sharma and B K.Baniya. 2000. Field Survey andCollection of Fagopyrum Species forIn Situ Conservation in Nepal.IPGRI-APO, Serdang, Malaysia].

l Seeds of 11 populations of F.cymosum were collected and twoaccessions from China were usedas controls. Seeds were grown in agreenhouse at NIAR to produce leafmaterials for RAPD studies. Apopulation from Lumle, Kaskishowed the highest diversity withinNepalese material and anotherpopulation showed the highestdiversity among samples from Dolpadistrict. Since they belonged todifferent groups, both thepopulations of F. cymosum shouldbe given priority for in situconservation in Nepal. Furtherstudies need to be undertaken tomonitor genetic structure within andbetween populations at DNA level[Abstracted from IPGRI ProjectReport: Bimb, H.P., S. Fukuoka, K.Ebana and T. Nagamine. 2000.Genetic Variation in Nepalese WildBuckwheat (Fagopyrum cymosum)revealed by RAPD markers. IPGRI-APO, Serdang, Malaysia].

IPGRI supports studies on tarocultivar classification andtaxonomy

Since the beginning of work on taro(Colocasia esculenta L.), the nationalpartners indicated some confusion in tarotaxonomy and cultivar classification.Considering the importance of this majorunderutilized but potential food crop ofthe region with two on-going regionalnetworks (Taro Genetic ResourcesNetwork –TaroGen in the Pacific andTaro Network for Southeast Asia andOceania – TANSAO), it was consideredimportant to redress this problem.Consequently, Dr Alistair Hay, RoyalBotanical Garden, Sydney, Australia wasretained as a consultant to help in thismatter. During 1999, Dr Hay visitedcollections in Malaysia, Thailand andVietnam and he noted very few errors ofclassification, none in accessions of ‘truetaro’. A very few accessions of specieswere found to be misidentified. Correctidentifications were conveyed directly tothe curators of the collections in threecountries. Dr Hay suggestedimprovements in the methods ofmanagement of taro collections and alsohighlighted the need for enhancedexpertise in practical taxonomy of avariety of economically important plantfamilies. The possibility for short-termtraining courses is being examined.During 2000, visits to other major tarocollections in China, Bangladesh, Indiaand Philippines are planned [Abstractedfrom IPGRI-APO Project Report: Hay,A. 2000. Report on Taro Consultancy.IPGRI-APO, Serdang, Malaysia].

IPGRI strengthens its strategyfor in situ conservation

In situ conservation of agro-biodiversityhas been one of the strategic choices ofimproving conservation strategies andtechnologies by the International PlantGenetic Resources Institute (IPGRI). Amajor challenge for in situ conservationis the development of the knowledgeneeded in national programmes todetermine where, when and how in situconservation will be effective. In 1995,in response to this challenge, IPGRI andits national programmes formulated theglobal project ”Strengthening scientificbasis of in situ conservation of agro-biodiversity on-farm”. Nine countries

have participated in the project. Majorobjectives, hypotheses and preliminaryactivities for the project were decided in1995 during the first phase of the project.The Project began in 1996 and in 1997,major units of data and methodologiesfor participatory and empirical datacollection were discussed and sixthematic groups were formed: (i) social,economic and cultural factors, (ii) farmerselection of agromorphologicalcharacters, (iii) crop population andbreeding systems, (iv) agroecosystemfactors, (v) seed systems, and (vi) addingvalue to local crop resources. In 1999,the partners met again in Nepal tocompare and analyse data collected fromparticipating countries, discussmethodologies for data integration withinthe thematic areas, synthesize methodsused to enhance benefits from local cropdiversity to all stakeholders, and discussprogress in increasing access,participation and decision-making fordifferent gender, age and cultural groups.During Nepal meeting, IPGRI decidedto hold two participatory planning andreview meetings in order to strengthenthe strategy and management aspect ofthe Project. First, the project scanningwas done in Nairobi in 19-24 January2000 followed by the Phase II Globalproject planning exercise in Agadir,Morocco from 9 to 13 April 2000.

The main objectives of the Nairobimeeting were to: (i) review theaccomplishments of the regional staffwithin the in situ project; (ii) discussproblems and constraints, bothadministrative and technical, that theproject team has encountered; (iii)consolidate experiences of usefulpractices that facilitated projectimplementation; (iv) begin harmonizingthe technical and administrative aspectsof the project, and (v) begin initialpreparations for the 2000 Global ProjectPlanning Meeting scheduled for April inAgadir. On behalf of APO region, Dr V.Ramanath Rao, Dr Paul Quek and DrBhuwon Sthapit participated in theNarobi meeting. The most importantimpact of the meeting has been thatIPGRI is strengthening its strategy forconservation in situ and alsostrengthening participatory planning andreview process within the projectstaff.


Soon after Nairobi meeting, ZOPPplanning meeting was held in Morocco.National partners, IPGRI’s regional andHQ staff, technical advisers andrepresentatives of donors participated inthe workshop. Dr Bhuwon Sthapit fromAPO region took part in the meeting.The objective of the Agadir workshopwas to plan for the next three years ofglobal project implementation using thegoal-oriented project planning methodZOPP. The meeting was opened onbehalf of the Minister of Agriculture whowelcomed the participants andexpressed the Ministry’s belief in theimportance of conserving agriculturalbiodiversity for the present and futureuse for food security. On behalf of IPGRI,Dr Jan Engels, spoke on how the projectwas foraging lasting partnershipsbetween researchers, governmentofficials and farmers. Dr Ahmed Birouk,the Moroccan national project co-ordinator welcomed the participants andwished them a fruitful and enjoyable stayin Morocco.

Dr Devra Jarvis, the Global Project Co-ordinator reviewed the status of theproject to-date, and presented theoutputs achieved at the end of phase II(31 December 1999). The planningworkshop reviewed all recommendationsput forward by the SDC and NEDAexternal reviewers in a participatorymanner and most recommendationswere incorporated into the global projectplanning.

Four major outputs of the second phaseagreed by the planning groups inMorocco were as follows:

l Framework of knowledge on on-farm management of geneticdiversity developed

l Capacity and partner links amonginstitutions and organizations toimplement in situ conservationstrengthened

l Process of integrating conservationand use of agro-biodiversity intosustainable agriculture developmentunderstood

l Global project management(strategic planning and crosscountry exchanges) improved.

The participants also agreed to improvethe mechanisms for global strategicplanning and cross-country exchangesby broadening the base of representationin project planning, monitoring andevaluation. This included theestablishment of a broad-based ProjectOrientation Committee (POC) andenlarging the role of global meetings toinclude planning responsibilities. Theplanning process was open withparticipatory spirit and all participantsagreed on all the elements of the ProjectPlanning Matrix [Bhuwon Sthapit andDevra Jarvis, IPGRI In situ Project].

Activities of the AsianAgri-History Foundation

The Asian Agri-History Foundation(AAHF), a non-profit trust, wasestablished in 1994 to promote interestin the rich history of agriculture of Southand Southeast Asia. The main activitiesof AAHF are to: i) publish theinternational quarterly journal of AsianAgri-History, and ii) publish translationsof old manuscripts as bulletins. Otheractivities include: i) supporting researchin universities, ii) organizing seminars,summer schools, etc., and iii) promotinginclusion of course work in history ofagriculture in university curricula. TheAAHF has so far published two bulletins.The first one, Surapala’s Vrikshayurveda(The Science of Plant Life), is a 1000-year old manuscript in Sanskrit and thesecond one Krishi-Parashara (Agricultureby Parashara) is a 2000-year old text,also in Sanskrit. Both have beentranslated into English and the contentshave been analyzed scientifically throughcommentaries written by experts. Onemore bulletin, Nuskha Dar Fanni-Falahat(The Art of Agriculture), written in Persianduring the reign of the Mughal emperorJahangir (1605-1622), is in advancestage of publication. Surapala’sVrikshayurveda has already beenacclaimed as an excellent treatise onarbori-horticulture practised about 1000years ago.

Another important event in which AAHFhad participated actively was a 3-weekSummer School on ‘Ancient andmedieval history of Indian agriculture andits relevance to sustainable agriculturein the 21st century’ held from 28 May to

17 June 1999 at the Rajasthan Collegeof Agriculture (RCA), Udaipur, India [Formore information contact: Chairman, TheAsian Agri-History Foundation, 47ICRISAT Colony-I, Brig. Sayeed Road,Secunderabad 500 009, AndhraPradesh, India].

Bamboo and Rattan, andForest Genetic ResourcesUpdate

The highlights of activities relating tobamboo and rattan and the forest geneticresources are summarized as under:

Bamboo and Rattan

Species prioritization : In collaborationwith INBAR, the second edition of“Priority Species of Bamboo and Rattan”has been published and widelydistributed. In this edition, an increasein the number of useful and/orcommercially important species within acountry have been added and brieflydescribed. New or additional informationis added on distribution, climate and soil,current on-going research, untappedpotential, conservation status, uses andresearch needs on each of the priorityspecies, outlines for further research onconservation, production and sustainableutilization of various species. In case ofrattan, species that were originallyincluded in the family group of Calamus,section Podocephalus and immediaterelatives or sister species of C.subinermis, C. palustris and C. hollrungiiare now individually described,highlighting their distribution andcommercial value. Ambiguities regardingcommon names, synonyms and localnames have been clarified [Abstractedfrom Rao, A.N, V. Ramanatha Rao andJ.T. Williams (eds) 1998. Priority Speciesof Bamboo and Rattan. IPGRI andINBAR. IPGRI-APO, Serdang, Malaysia].

Assessing patterns of geneticvariation : The University of AgriculturalSciences and the Ashoka Trust forResearch in Ecology and theEnvironment (ATREE), Bangalore weresupported to conduct work on mappingof genetic diversity of bamboo and rattanin Western Ghats of India. The work wascarried out to evaluate the status ofgenetic diversity of the identifiedpopulations and to develop the resource


status maps of bamboo and rattan toconstruct spatial and temporal patternsof loss of their populations. About 24species of bamboo and 19 of rattan werefound in the Western Ghats. Studieswere conducted to estimate the geneticdiversity of natural populations ofbamboo and rattan using isozymeelectrophoresis. Six (MR, PGI, PGM,SKDH, G6PDH, ME) out of the fifteenenzyme systems initially assayedshowed consistently good resolution.Further work is continuing.

Ochlandra scriptoria is a gregariousshrubby bamboo occurring over arelatively restricted area in the WesternGhats. It is extensively harvested andused in mat and basket making. Despiteits economic importance, little is knownabout its distribution. Genetic variabilityof five populations in Karnataka wereanalyzed using allozymes. No cleargenetic differentiation based ongeographic distribution could beobserved. Lack of differentiation may bedue to the fact that O. scriptoria is asporadically flowering and non-mastingbamboo, which might facilitate a goodexchange of genepool through eitherpollen or seeds. The results suggest thatconservation plans should be based ongenetic variability rather thangeographical distribution of thepopulations [Abstracted from IPGRIProject Report: Shanker, R.U. andK.N.Ganeshaiah.1999. Mapping geneticdiversity of bamboo and rattans in theWestern Ghats of India. IPGRI-APO,Serdang, Malaysia].

Processes regulating geneticdiversity : The impact of human activityon genetic diversity of bamboo andrattan is being studied in the WesternGhats of India, to examine the socialand economic consequences of the lossof bamboo and rattan resources in thestate of Karnataka. Specifically, the studyattempts to: a) determine the degree ofextraction of, and economic reliance on,bamboo and rattan resources at the localand state level, b) identify the social andeconomic factors responsible for thedecline in the two resources, and c)examine the social and economicconsequences of the decline in bambooand rattan resources. The study hasshown that there has been a noticeabledecrease in the amount of bamboo

extracted from the forest of Karnatakaover the last three decades reflectingperhaps, the decrease in the resources.Analysis of the potential consumptionand production of bamboo in the statesuggests that the requirements maysoon outmatch the supply and the worstaffected will be the traditional usergroups and a few industries, that dependalmost exclusively on the bamboo andrattan resources to eke out a living.[Abstracted from IPGRI Project Report:Shanker, R.U. 1999. Socio-economiccauses and consequences of loss ofbamboo and rattan resources inKarnataka. IPGRI-APO, Serdang,Malaysia].

Ex situ and in situ conservation : Astudy on the phenology of 10 bamboospecies and low cost method ofmicropropagation for 5 species carriedout by the Tropical Botanic Garden andResearch Institute, Palode, Kerala, Indiahave been completed. The bamboosstudied included Bambusa bambos, B.polymorpha, B. vulgaris, Cephalostachyumpergracile, Dendrocalamus brandisii, D.giganteus, D. strictus, Melocannabaccifera, Ochlandra scriptoria andThyrsostachys siamensis. The studyreported that all the species investigatedgrew well in Kerala except for B.polymorpha. The 3 phases in thedevelopment of a culm (reported by otherworkers) i.e. culm elongation, thornemergence and leaf appearance werealso observed for these genera althoughvariations occurred. The rhizomeseparation technique was used formacropropagation studies of 5commercially important species,Dendrocalamus giganteus, D.membranaceus, D. strictus, Ochlandrascriptoria and Thyrsostachys siamensis.This technique proved successful for allthe 5 species tested. By keeping theplants in a humidity chamber for 15 days,an increase in the number of tillers couldbe obtained. Humidity also reducedmortality, and increased the number ofsprouts and therefore is recommendedfor macroproliferation of these species[Abstracted from IPGRI Project Report:Koshy, K.C. 1999. Phenological studieson promising Asian bamboos andstandardization of low cost method ofmacropropagation. IPGRI-APO, Serdang,Malaysia].

Facilitating regional cooperation andnetworking : To further strengthencollaboration between InternationalNetwork on Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR)and IPGRI-APO in bamboo and rattanresearch, MOU was signed in June1999. The signing of the MOU furthersignifies the close collaboration betweenthe two organizations in their efforts topromote the conservation, productionand use of these two economicallyvaluable non-wood forest resources inthe region. Efforts are underway for anumber of joint activities includingpublications, workshops anddevelopment of proposals.

Training and Meetings : The meetingsin which IPGRI-APO and its partnershave participated included: (i)International Workshop on Bamboo andRattan Biodiversity, Conservation,Utilization and Technology Exchange.April 11-23, 1999. Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia, and (ii) Consultative meetingon Bamboo and Rattan, 19 May 1999.Bogor, Indonesia.

The proceedings of rattan trainingcourse/workshop organized in 1996 havebeen published and distributed (Rao,A.N. and V. Ramanatha Rao (editors)1999. Rattan– Taxonomy, Ecology,Silviculture, Conservation, GeneticImprovement and Biotechnology,Proceedings of Training Course-cum-Workshop, Sarawak and Sabah. April14-26, 1996. IPGRI-APO, Serdang,Malaysia and INBAR, Beijing, China.255 p. Also the proceedings of trainingcourse/workshop on bamboo has beenrecently published and distributed widely(Rao, A.N. and V. Ramanatha Rao,editors, 1999. Bamboo – Conservation,Diversity, Ecogeography, Germplasm,Resource Utilization and Taxonomy.Proceedings of the Bamboo TrainingCourse-cum-Workshop, May 10 -17,1998, Kunming and Xishuangbanna,Yunnan, China. IPGRI-APO, Serdang,Malaysia and INBAR, Beijing, China. 275 p.).

Forest Genetic Resources

Threatened tree species in Vietnam :Research activities on forest geneticresources in Vietnam focus onthreatened tree species. IPGRI’spartners at Research Centre for ForestTree Improvement of the Forest Science


Institute of Vietnam are carrying outdetailed assessments on Pterocarpusmacrocarpus, Xylia xylocarpa, Dalbergiaoliveri and Chukrasia tabularis. In thepast , these species occurred widely butnow they are on the verge of extinctionand require urgent conservation actions.

P. macrocarpus and X. xylocarpa occurin semi-deciduous or deciduous forestswhile D. oliveri and C. tabularis mainlygrow in evergreen forests. All the fourspecies are light-demanding and thoughtheir natural regeneration potentialseems to be high, except in P.macrocarpus, over-exploitation keeps thespecies at endangered level. Thesurveys showed that presently thesespecies could only be found in somenational parks and conservation areas.Changes in forest cover were assessedbetween 1973-1995 and it was foundthat, in some locations, forest coverdecreased remarkably (20–35%) duringthis period whereas other locations facedonly small reductions (3–7%). Most ofthe deforested areas were converted intoagricultural and residential land.

Socioeconomic studies showed that,although major source of employmentfor local people is paddy and milpacultivation, they also utilize forests fortheir livelihood. Farmers, including ethnicminorities, are extensively using woodfor house building and cooking. It wasestimated that about 10 m3 of wood isrequired to build a house and that theaverage fuelwood consumption for eachfamily of 5-6 people is 15-20 m3 per year.Timber of the four species is often usedfor furniture, decoration and construction.Timber of D. oliveri is also used for finehandicrafts owing to the distinctivelycontrasting colours of sapwood andheartwood. X. xylocarpa poles are oftenused as support for growing pepper. Ox-cart is an another common way of usingX. xylocarpa wood.

Representative populations of thespecies have been selected forconservation and further investigations.Future efforts will focus on assessinggenetic diversity among differentpopulations by isozyme studies[FORGEN News 2000 (in print) and aprogress report by Professor Le DinhKha].

Conservation of forest geneticresources in India : Scientists from theUniversity of Agricultural Sciences,Bangalore, India and the University ofMassachusetts, Boston, USA along withThe Ashoka Trust for Research inEcology and the Environment (ATREE)and the Karnataka Forest Departmenthave been addressing in situconservation issues for bamboo andsandal in the Western Ghats, SouthernIndia, supported by IPGRI and Centrefor International Forestry Research(CIFOR). The project has producedspatially explicit information on thedistribution of intraspecific genetic

diversity. It has also increasedunderstanding of the underlyingprocesses that govern the geneticdifferentiation of the populations of thesetwo species in the Western Ghats.

Scientists analysed the genetic variabilityof 13 sandal populations from foursouthern States of India (Kerala, TamilNadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh)in order to identify hot-spots of geneticvariability for in situ conservation.Population genetic variability wasassessed using allozyme analysisinvolving six loci. Observedheterozygosity over all populations and

New Professional Staff at IPGRI-APO

Mr L.T. Hong has joined IPGRI as the Bamboo andRattan and Forest Genetic Resources Specialist witheffect from 1 February 2000. His main task is tocoordinate research activities on Bamboo and Rattan.He will also assist in the work on conservation of ForestGenetic Resources. Mr Hong possesses a B.Sc. Degreewith honours from the University Malaya and M.Sc.from the University of Oxford, U.K. Prior to joining IPGRI,he was with the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Kepong, Malaysiafor about 27 years, as a researcher and later as a research manager. His lastposting in FRIM was as Director of the Techno-Economics Division. He hasworked in the fields of forest protection, timber and non-timber (bamboo andrattan) processing and utilization. At FRIM, he had worked specifically in theareas of natural and plantation forest management, processing and utilizationof timber, and bamboo and rattan. He had been Chairman of the ResearchProjects Evaluation Committee at FRIM and also the Chairman of a sub-committee of the national IRPA research programme. He has published morethan 80 scientific and popular articles and has co-edited two books on timberprocessing.

Dr Jarkko Koskela has joined IPGRI as an AssociateScientist (Forest Genetic Resources) with effect from28 February 2000. He is a Finnish citizen, and obtainedhis M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Silviculture from the Universityof Helsinki, Finland. Before joining IPGRI, Dr Koskelaworked as a researcher in the Tropical Silviculture Unit,Department of Forest Ecology, University of Helsinkisince 1994 and was mainly involved in a researchproject focusing on rehabilitation of forest ecosystems in Thailand and Indonesia.He conducted fieldwork in Thailand for his Ph.D. on the growth andecophysiology of grass-stage Pinus merkusii seedlings. In addition, the TropicalSilviculture Unit has implemented research activities in China, Kenya, Tanzania,Sudan, Ghana, Ethiopia and Costa Rica in collaboration with local scientists.Dr Koskela is also familiar with European research collaboration on tropicalforests, as the Tropical Silviculture Unit is a national nodal point of the EuropeanTropical Forest Research Network (ETFRN).

We welcome Mr L.T. Hong and Dr J. Koskela to IPGRI.


over all loci was 30.0%, which iscomparable with the estimates reportedearlier for other tropical trees.Populations from southern Karnataka,which are in the core of the geographicaldistribution of sandal, exhibited thehighest observed heterozygosity (39.1%)as compared to that from northernKarnataka (33.5%), Tamil Nadu (30.0%),Andhra Pradesh (23.33%) and Kerala(29.4%).

The high genetic diversity of the southernKarnataka populations might beexplained by the fact that being locatedin the core of the distribution range, thepopulations can exchange genepool withmany other populations. Populationdifferentiation statistics indicated a poorseparation of the individual populationsbased on their geographic origin. Thereappeared to be two major clusters, oneof them comprising populations fromsouthern Karnataka and the other all theremaining populations. This suggeststhat in situ conservation measures onsandal should focus on the populationsin southern Karnataka but also includerepresentatives from other populationsof the entire distribution range [FORGENNews 2000 (in print)].

NationalBHUTAN

A Gift to the Earth - Fromthe People of Bhutan

On 2 November 1999, Her Majesty, theQueen Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuckpresided over a function at Thimphuorganized by the Ministry of Agricultureto launch a Network establishing thewilderness corridor stretching over 3800km2 in the country. The area wasidentified by the Forestry ServicesDivision with assistance from the WorldWide Fund (WWF). The corridor will linkall the protected areas in the Kingdom.The network stretches from the tropicalsouth to the alpine north and is a stepforward for conservation of endangeredspecies. The corridor of mainlycontinuous and virgin forest is a ‘Gift tothe Earth’ from the People of Bhutan.Her Majesty said that the rate of speciesextinction was the highest at present

than at any other time in history andBhutan’s ‘Gift to the Earth’ would havefar reaching effect of our efforts inconserving our biological heritage. TheAgriculture Minister, Lyonpo (Dr) KinzangDorji described the Gift as a landmarkevent in the history of NatureConservation in Bhutan and a growingtribute to His Majesty, the King. Alsospeaking at the event, Dr Bruce Bunting,the WWF Vice President for the Asiaand the Pacific Region said that Bhutan’sGift would play a major role in long termconservation of the increasinglythreatened Eastern Himalayan Eco-region [Druk Forestry News, Issue No.27,December 1999].

Forest Genetic Resources:Conservation andSustainable UtilizationIt is the Royal Government of Bhutan’spolicy to maintain at least 60% of its

total land area under forest cover.Resource use will be governed byprinciples of sustainability incorporatedin Forest Management Plansdemonstrating protected areas.Management of forest resources outsidethe protected area network is carried outwithin a system of Forest ManagementUnits (FMUs). It is envisaged thatexisting and potential FMUs will play animportant role in biodiversityconservation, provide buffers and geneticcorridors between the protected areas.Forest policy of Bhutan aims to ensurethat forest resources are used accordingto principles of sustainability, contributingto social justice and equity. The policyensures conservation taking priority overutilization of forest resources to deriveeconomic benefits. The Forest andNature Conservation Act of 1995 whichreplaced the Forest Act of 1969 providesa legal context for the protection of the

Regional Workshop onNational BiodiversityStrategy Action Plan(NBSAP)

In order to share experiences of otherSouth Asian countries in developing theNBSAP, a regional workshop wasorganized by the World ConservationUnion (IUCN), Bangladesh CountryOffice in collaboration with the Ministryof Environment and Forest, Bangladeshand the IUCN Asia Regional BiodiversityProgramme at Rajendrapur, Bangladeshfrom 13-16 February 2000. Theworkshop was attended by theparticipants from Bangladesh, Pakistan,Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lankarepresenting government, universities,research institutes, IUCN and NGOsconcerned with biodiversity. Financialsupport for the workshop was providedby the United Nations DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP), United NationsEnvironment Programme (UNEP), GlobalEnvironment Facility (GEF), BiodiversityPlanning Support Programme (BPSP),the Swiss Agency for Development andCooperation (SDC), and the GermanFederal Ministry for Economic

Cooperation and Development (BMZ).Besides global overview and sharing ofexperiences of Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan,and Sri Lanka in preparing the NBSAP,three papers from Bangladesh were alsopresented. These dealt with: i) status offloral diversity of Bangladesh by Mr FaridUddin Ahmed, Member Director(Forestry), Bangladesh AgriculturalResearch Council, Dhaka, ii) status offaunal diversity of Bangladesh by DrMahmudul Amin, Professor, Departmentof Zoology, Dhaka University, and iii)need for National Biodiversity StrategyAction Plan by Mr Sunil Kanti Bose,Deputy Secretary (Environment), Ministryof Environment and Forests,Government of Bangladesh. On thebasis of experience gained from thepapers presented and discussions held,the workshop developed generalrecommendations for NBSAP and alsomade specific recommendations forBangladesh on conservation andmanagement of biodiversity [For moredetails contact: Mr Farid Uddin Ahmed,Member Director (Forestry), BangladeshAgricultural Research Council, Farmgate,Dhaka 1215, Bangladesh; Email:[email protected]].


country’s forests and biodiversity.Increased concern has been expressedon threat to genetic resourcesconservation due to the effect of loggingand shifting cultivation, overgrazing,degradation of habitats and clearing ofland for agriculture. Organized efforts onresearch and development policyimplementation, participatory approachesand inventory of resources, humanresources development and publicawareness assume priority inconservation and management[Abstracted from an article by NawangNorbu, Druk Forestry News, Issue No.27,December 1999].

AVRDC Cherry TomatoVariety Released

A hardy cherry tomato variety CHT 160developed by AVRDC has found awelcome place in the kitchen gardens ofBhutan, where it is contributing to year-round nutrition. This variety has beenfound tolerant to light frost, and can begrown up to December in the mid-hills.It is indeterminate and bears round,bright red fully ripe fruits. Its seeds arebeing multiplied and will be distributedto growers through the Druk SeedCorporation [Center Point, Vol.17, No.3,December 1999].

CHINA

Effect of Seed Ageing onSeed Viability and Vigour

A study on the effect of ageing on seedviability and vigour in rice was conductedat the Institute of Crop GermplasmResources, Chinese Academy ofAgricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.Seeds were stored at ambient, 45oC and58oC conditions. Changes in seedviability and seed vigour during ageingprocess were measured to study seedviability loss and to determine warningindex for seed viability loss. Seed viabilitysurvival curves obtained across differentrice accessions and different ageingconditions indicated that seed viabilitydeclined inconsistently during storage.For each variety, a rapid viability-declining phase was observed during theseed ageing irrespective of the survivalcurve. Mean values of germinationpotential, germination percentage, dryweight of roots and shoots, germination

index and vigour index were calculatedfor 34 japonica and 30 indica riceaccessions kept at 45oC. The analysisof variance showed that seedgermination potential, dry weight of rootsand shoots, germination index and vigourindex declined significantly before thegermination percentage did so. It alsoshowed that seed germination wasprolonged and the seedlings weresignificantly weakened before the startof the rapid declining phase of seedviability. These two parameters could beused to indicate whether the seed qualityhad deteriorated, while the rate ofcompatibility of tests (RCT) andcoefficient of variation (CV) could beused as warning indices on the overallquality of a group of accessions. Thesewarning indices could also be used inmonitoring the viability of seeds storedin the National Genebank [Lu Xinrong,Institute of Crop Germplasm Resources,Chinese Academy of AgriculturalSciences, Beijing, 100081, China].

National Azolla GermplasmCentre

The National Azolla Germplasm Centrestores more than 500 accessionsrepresenting all the six Azolla species.These accessions are from differentcountries and regions of the 5 continents,including the indigenous materials (morethan 100 strains) collected from China.Materials produced from sexualhybridization, recombination ofAnabaena-free Azolla with Anabaenaazollae, and radiation mutants are alsoincluded in the collections. Thecollections are maintained as meristemtip culture in the greenhouse and arealso planted in the net house.

The common name of Azolla isHongping. It is an aquatic alga thatbelongs to Azollaceae under thesubgenera, Euazolla and Rhizosperma;Euazolla includes 4 species Azollafiliculoides, A. mexicana, A. carolinianaand A. microphylla; and Rhizosperma, 2species (A. nilotica and A. pinnata). TheN-fixing Anabaena azollae are locatedin Azolla leaf cavities and fix nitrogenfrom atmosphere [Xu Guozhong,National Azolla Research Centre ofFujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences,Fuzhou 350013, China].

INDIA

Oilseeds and Oils -Research andDevelopment

A National Seminar on “Oilseeds andOils - Research and Development Needsin the Millennium” was organized from2-4 February 2000 at Hyderabad by theIndian Society for Oilseeds Research(ISOR) and the Directorate of OilseedsResearch (DOR), Hyderabad coveringimportant aspects relating to oilseedsresearch, development, production,processing, marketing and policy issues.The objective was to take stock of thecurrent oilseeds scenario in India and toformulate strategies and action plans forthe growth of oilseed production in thecurrent Millennium. There were 50 invitedlectures by eminent persons and 275poster presentations on the themesidentified for the seminar, viz.,biodiversity conservation, diversificationof production systems, biotechnologyand oilseeds improvement, hybridresearch and development, input useefficiency, biotic stresses management,abiotic stresses management, qualityimprovement, processing, productdevelopment and value addition,diversified sources of oil, transfer oftechnology and policy intervention. Over400 delegates including eminentscientists, research managers,industrialists, administrators and policymakers participated. IPGRI wasrepresented by Dr Bhag Mal whopresented a paper on ‘BiodiversityConservation and Management inOilseed Crops’. The deliberations ofdifferent sessions and the fruitfulinteractions on diverse issues related tooilseeds resulted in the followingimportant recommendations: i) augmentinformation on the available germplasmto protect native diversity; ii) increase innon-traditional areas with proper cropmanagement for production of oilseeds;iii) biotechnology application to introgressuseful traits from allied sources andexploit molecular marker technologies;iv) enhance research efforts on heterosisbreeding in sesame and safflower withpossible identification of CMS lines;

(Contd. on page 13)


ADB-funded Project

The ADB-funded project ‘CoconutGermplasm Collecting, Characterizationand Conservation in Cook Islands,Kiribati, Marshall Islands and Tuvalu’,aims to collect available diversity of localcoconut populations which will be usedby the countries to mitigate geneticerosion due to population pressure, palmageing and natural hazards (cyclonesand sea level rise) and to developimproved varieties. The collectedprecious germplasm will be conservedand used to develop better varieties forthe atolls, enrich the collection of thePNG hosted-International CoconutGenebank for the South Pacific (ICG-SSP), and facilitate the exchange ofimportant cultivars with other countriesin the future. The morphometricdescription and the molecular markersanalysis of these populations will not onlygenerate information on genetic diversitywithin these collections but also improvethe knowledge on the origin anddissemination of coconut in the PacificIslands.

The objectives of the project are to trainresearchers in collecting and coconutbreeding techniques; collect seednutsand embryos of five local populations;send the embryos to the Secretariat ofthe Pacific Community (SPC), which willgrow and subsequently transfer in vitroseedlings to the International CoconutGenebank (ICG) for the South Pacific inPapua New Guinea; gather passportdata of identified populations andconserve germplasm in situ; plant thecollected germplasm in the genebank ofthe four countries; and submit passportdata to the Coconut Genetic ResourcesDatabase (CGRD).

IFAD-funded ProjectUnder the IFAD-funded project‘Sustainable Use of Coconut GeneticResources to Enhance Incomes andNutrition of Coconut Smallholders in theAsia Pacific Region’, selected COGENTmember countries in the Asia Pacificregion will conduct a study entitled,“Feasibility studies on the establishmentof integrated coconut processing projects

to produce products from coconut huskand handicrafts from coconut shell andidentification of suitable varieties for theidentified viable products”. The countriesinvolved include Bangladesh, Indonesia,Malaysia, Papua New Guinea,Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Thetarget coconut products are geotextile,coir fibre, handicrafts and coir pith.

The objectives of the project are toassess the various aspects of producingand marketing processed coconutproducts from coconut husk and shell;recommend viable production modulesfor use in the participating countries;identify the coconut varieties suitable forthe identified products; and source andship coconut fibre-making equipment tothe participating countries.

CFC-funded ProjectSix countries in South America andAfrica are participating in the CFC-funded project entitled, “CoconutGermplasm Utilization and Conservationto Promote Sustainable CoconutProduction”. The countries involved areBenin, Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Jamaica,Mexico and Tanzania. The aim of theproject is to assist the nationalprogrammes of the selected countries inconducting multi-location trials to identifyhybrids or varieties with better yield andbroaden adaptation compared to localcultivars. Côte d’Ivoire has successfullyproduced 5400 seednuts of six hybridsand shipped to the designated trial sitesof the other participating countries. Atleast 150 seednuts each of the fourselected local varieties have beenproduced and sown in the nursery ofthe research facilities for the sixparticipating countries.

DFID-funded ProjectIn a DFID-funded project ‘Improvementof In Vitro Techniques for Collecting andExchange of Coconut Germplasm’,thirteen laboratories in 11 countries areconducting a 2-year research to refinethe coconut embryo culture andacclimatization technology. The countriesinvolved are Brazil, China, Cuba, France,India, Indonesia, Mexico, Papua NewGuinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka and

Tanzania. Mexico, France and Tanzaniaare funding their own studies. A surveyquestionnaire on the current applicationof coconut embryo in vitro wasdistributed to institutions worldwide at thestart of the project. The survey showedthat the poor results of the overallprotocol were mainly due to percentageof embryos developing into wholeplantlets in vitro. The acclimatizationphase of the in vitro plantlets was,however, relatively efficient.

The main part of the project was thetesting of the four main in vitro cultureprotocols available from PCA, UPLB,CPCRI and ORSTOM, alongwith thoseused by the participating laboratories.The aim was to compare the efficiencyof the protocols using locally availablevarieties.

Additional researches were alsoperformed on topics such as the effectof various growth regulations on thegermination of embryos, physiologicalaspects, and medium-term in vitroconservation of the embryos. Results ofthese physiological studies inparticipating laboratories in France, India,Mexico, Philippines, Sri Lanka andTanzania have provided a better initialunderstanding of the effect of culturemedia, light, carbon dioxide,temperature, growth promoters andinhibitors, and nutrients on the survivalrates of in vitro embryo-derivedseedlings.

The second International CoconutEmbryo Culture Workshop was held from14-17 March 2000 at the Centro deInvestigacion Cientifica de Yucatan(CICY), Mexico. Thirty one participantsattended the workshop, which includedresearchers, project leaders from 15countries and resource persons fromIPGRI, COGENT and collaboratingpartner institutions.

The workshop was conducted to: i)review recent research on coconutembryo culture and acclimatization andupgrade protocols for increasedefficiency; ii) develop research anddevelopment project proposals for

COGENT Update


submission to appropriate donors; iii)strengthen research collaboration amongthe members of the Coconut EmbryoCulture Project Network.

ADB and IFAD FundedProject Annual Meetings

The annual meetings for the ADB andIFAD funded projects, specifically for the10 participating South Pacific countries,will be held back-to-back from 26 - 30June 2000 in Apia, Samoa, while themeetings for the 10 Asian countries willbe held back-to-back from 10 - 15 July2000 in Manila, Philippines.

The third annual meeting of the ADBfunded project entitled “Coconut GeneticResources Strengthening in Asia and thePacific (Phase 2)” will review the 1999/2000 accomplishments and 2000/2001proposed work plans of the 20participating countries involved incoconut projects.

The third annual meeting for the IFADfunded project entitled, “Sustainable Useof Coconut Genetic Resources forEnhancing the Income and Nutrition ofSmallholders in Asia and the Pacific” willreview the 3-year accomplishments ofthe 14 countries involved in the projectwhich will end in August 2000.

The project leaders of both the ADB andIFAD funded projects, donors andrepresentatives from IPGRI and partnerinstitutions will attend the two meetings.

International CoconutGenebank WorkshopThe International Coconut Genebank

Workshop will be held at Chennai, Indiafrom 17-18 July 2000 and will be hostedby the Central Plantation Crops

Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasargod,India. COGENT is establishing a multi-site International Coconut Genebank

(ICG) in India for South Asia. Themeeting will review the progress of workon the establishment of each ICG in the

host countries, and related ongoingresearch projects and work plans, andbudgets for the next seven years.

9th COGENT SteeringCommittee Meeting

The COGENT Steering Committee (SC)determines programme priorities andoversees the various COGENT activities.

The 9th SC Meeting will be held from19 – 21 July 2000 in Chennai, India.The SC members and representatives

from partner institutions will attend themeeting. Specifically, the meeting willreview progress of the five COGENT

regional networks, projects and activitiesin COGENT, IPGRI and collaboratingpartner institutions. It will also discuss

the COGENT work and action plan forthe Year 2000 and draft plan for the Year2001. The meeting will be funded by

IPGRI/COGENT.

International CoconutConference (ICC)The International Coconut Conference(ICC) will be held from 24 - 28 July 2000in Chennai, India, within the ambit of theAPCC XXXVII COCOTECH Meeting. Theconference will be hosted by theGovernment of India through the CoconutDevelopment Board. The conference willreview the performance of the varioussectors of the coconut industry to identifyproblems and opportunities to beaddressed in the new millennium. Theconference’s recommendations will beused as a guide in developing projectproposals to address priority activities.The conference will be jointly sponsoredby the APCC, BUROTROP and IPGRI/COGENT.

Coconut Embryo CultureTraining CourseThe Coconut Embryo Culture TrainingCourse will be held from 2 - 6 October2000 in Albay, Philippines. The course willteach project leaders from COGENTmember countries the upgraded andstandardized embryo culture technologyto enable them to exchange germplasmin the form of embryo-derived in vitroseedlings. The training course will behosted by the Albay Research Centre ofthe Philippine Coconut Authority andfunded by ADB, DFID and IPGRI/COGENT.

[For details contact: Dr P. Batugal,COGENT Coordinator, IPGRI-APO,Serdang, Malaysia].

(Contd. from page 11)

v) integrated nutrient, water and weedmanagement, with emphasis onimproved input use efficiency, reducedcost of cultivation and enhancedcompetitiveness; vi) IPM should bepractised in oilseeds for all the key pestsbesides developing resistant varietiesthrough multidisciplinary approach; vii)exploit the concept of crop modelling forpredicting yield, resource optimization,etc.; ix) high priority accorded to exportpromotion through the value addedproducts in oilseeds with active supportand involvement of industry and exportorganizations, in collaboration withpublic sector agencies besidescommercialization of the existing viable

technologies; x) popularization ofimproved farm implements for variousfield and post-harvest operations; xi)rational and conjunctive use of vegetableoils; and xii) highlighting the successstories of the technologies in thebackground of indigenous technicalknowledge with emphasis on farmers’participation including gender issues [DrD.M. Hegde, Project Director, Directorateof Oilseeds Research, Hyderabad500 030, India].

PGR Activities in Mulberry

The Silkworm and Mulberry GermplasmStation (SMGS), Hosur, is the nationalnodal organization for all PGR activitiesrelated to mulberry in India. Recently,ICAR/NBPGR has recognized this

station as a ‘National Active GermplasmSite for Mulberry Germplasm’.Henceforth, all materials related tomulberry germplasm, import/export,quarantine, phytosanitary certification inthe country will be routed throughSMGS.

The station has brought out twocatalogues on Indian mulberry andsilkworm germplasm containing data oncharacterization and preliminaryevaluation. The Central Silk Board hasagreed to establish a network forconservation and evaluation of mulberryand silkworm germplasm in India. SMGSas nodal agency is maintaining the basecollections and monitoring theconservation activities of different units,which would be functioning as Active


Sites. Further, SMGS will also implementthe ‘All India Coordinated Mulberry andSilk Evaluation Programme’ involvingthese units.

Altogether, 806 mulberry accessions arebeing maintained of which 568 areindigenous and 238 exotic. Eachaccession is represented by four dwarftrees with a spacing of 2.5-3.0 m and acrown height of 1.5 m. The station hasdeveloped the information system formulberry and silkworm germplasm [Formore details contact: Dr S.B. Dandin,Director, Silkworm and MulberryGermplasm Station, Central Silk Board,PB No.44, Thally Road, Hosur 635 109,Tamil Nadu, India].

National AgriculturalTechnology Project onHousehold Food andNutritional Security

The Indian Council of AgriculturalResearch (ICAR), launched a three yearproject on “Household Food andNutritional Security” with a mission toincrease production and productivity oflife support crop species and alliedenterprises of tribal, backward and hillyareas. It was inaugurated by ProfessorM.S. Swaminathan, Chairman, M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation(MSSRF), Chennai, on March 10, 2000.It will be operated under the World Bankfunded National Agricultural TechnologyProject (NATP).

The project aims at increased productionof local crop species such as amaranth,finger millet, kodo millet, Lathyrus, andsafflower. Special attention will be paidto rejuvenate fruit orchards of citrus andmango, and to develop adequatestorage facilities and post-harvestmanagement. There is also emphasison improving livestock breedsmaintained by local farmers andorganizing fish farming in tribal and hillyareas. The activities will also focus onadopting value-added technologies thatwill increase the shelf-life of agri-products. Development andpopularization of efficient tools,implements and machinery suited forhilly and tribal areas is also envisaged.

The work under the project will becarried out by over 50 cooperating

centres through a network of ICARinstitutes, State/Central AgriculturalUniversities, and NGOs. The DeputyDirector General (Crop Sciences), IndianCouncil of Agricultural Research will bethe nodal executive authority of theproject and the Project Coordinator(Small Millets) will be the MissionLeader. The National Bureau of PlantGenetic Resources, New Delhi is thelead Institute and the Monitoring Cell forthe project. The budget outlay for thisproject is presently for a period of threeyears [For details contact: Dr A.Seetharam, Project Coordinator (SmallMillets), UAS, GKVK Campus,Bangalore 560 065, India].

JAPAN

Japanese Species of ViciaFollowing the MAFF (Japan) InternationalWorkshop on Genetic Resources, thatfocussed on wild legumes, Drs ElenaPotokina and Nigel Maxted, both expertson the Vicia of Europe, joined the staffof the National Institute of AgrobiologicalResources, Tsukuba, on a trip to NaganoPrefecture, Japan to see habitats ofJapanese species of Vicia. During thethree-day trip, populations of 6 specieswere found - Vicia unijuga, V. crassa, V.amoena, V. venosa, V. nipponica andV. pseudo-oribis. Two varieties of V.venosa were found at different altitudeson Mount Hakuba; V. venosa var.cuspidata at 800 m and V. venosa var.glabristyla at 1285 m.

There are 17 Japanese species of Viciawhich can be divided into three groups:i) The introduced or naturalised group,such as of the forage species Viciasativa. ii) the Vicia of the Siberia-Chinese-Japanese floristic zone, suchas V. amoena, which are distinguishedby their frost resistance, polyploidy andextreme polymorphism due to theirbroad ecological amplitude, and iii) theoroboid species, such as V. pseudo-oribis, that are of great phylogenetic andtaxonomic interest because they are alink between the genera Vicia andLathyrus [Duncan Vaughan, CropEvolutionary Dynamics laboratory,National Institute of AgrobiologicalResources, Kannondai 2-1-2,Tsukuba,Ibaraki 305, Japan].

MALAYSIA

Malaysian EnvironmentalEducation Programme forSchools

A National Workshop on MalaysianEnvironmental Education Programme forSchools (MEEPS) was held on 24February 2000. From IPGRI-APO, DrPercy E. Sajise, Professor H.F. Chin, DrPaul Quek, Ms Shalizahanim Shukor andMs Parimala Rajagopal participated. Theworkshop was addressed by ProfessorZakri A. Hamid, Council Member ofAcademy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM)and Dr Percy E. Sajise, IPGRI-APO. Theworkshop convened together with theMalaysian Academy of Sciences,

NATP Workshop on Household Food and Nutritional Securityinaugrated by Dr M.S. Swaminathan


proposed a multi-sectoral programme atthe national level for Malaysia, which willintegrate efforts in managing existinginformation towards the development anddistribution of the ‘EnvironmentalEducation Teaching Materials’ forschools. PGR material will be part of theEnvironmental Education. The Multi-Sectoral programme will serve as aclearing house and coordination centrefor activities in developing EnvironmentalEducation materials currently undertakenby the Government, Non-Governmentand Corporate sectors taking off fromthe successful public awareness projectof IPGRI with the state of Sabah andwith the University of Malaysia, Sabah.

During the National Workshop, strongsupport was expressed by all sectorsincluding private corporations such asShell and the Timber Organization. Forfurther follow-up, an interim WorkingCommittee will be formed to refine andformalize the MEEPS project proposalwith the Malaysian Academy of Sciencesas the lead institution.

This is part of the efforts initiated by theMinistry of Education, Malaysia. TheWorkshop was a great success judgingby the response from both the publicsector and the NGOs. A total of 85representatives including several fromEast Malaysia and Shell Malaysia fromthe private sector participated. Thedeliberations of the workshop, followinggroup discussions resulted in identifyingthe following items for follow-up in theimmediate future:

l A Committee would be set up toidentify and appoint members to aSteering Committee (SC)/WorkingCommittee, drawing up on multi-sectoral stakeholders.

l SC will determine long-termdirection and implement theMEEPS.

l Contents of MEEPS would befurther elaborated based on feedback and recommendations fromtime to time.

[Abstracted from IPGRI Project Report:Gan, S.L. 2000. A report on the NationalWorkshop on MEEPS. IPGRI-APO,Serdang Malaysia].

NEPAL

National Multi-disciplinaryGroup Meeting (NMDG): Insitu Project

National Multi-disciplinary Group Meetingwas organized by Nepal AgriculturalResearch Council (NARC) from 25-27February 2000. Dr Bhola PradhanPlanning Director of NARC, participatedon the opening day, whereas Dr DhruvJoshi, Executive Director of NARC,participated in the concluding sessionand appreciated NARC-NGO partnershipin the in situ project as a model forNARC. Site Coordinators presented theprogress for the planned activities. The

thematic leaders reviewed activities ofthe following themes: socio-economics,population structure, agro-morphologicaland molecular diversity, agro-ecosystem,seed supply system, adding benefitsthrough participatory plant breeding(PPB), and gender/policy research.Identification of gaps and new areas ofresearch were prioritized; Participatoryprotocols were developed through groupdiscussion and budget estimatesreviewed, by preliminary review ofprotocols by Dr M.P. Upadhyay, NationalProject Coordinator (NPC) and Drs A.Subedi and B. Sthapit. Finally, actionplans and individual operational plans ofeach researcher were developed. Thesewill be discussed for budget approval inthe next Technical CoordinationCommittee (TCC) meeting [BhuwonSthapit, Scientist, In situ Crop

Women group at the diversity fair at Sundari Danda, Nepal

Conservation IPGRI-APO, Pokhara,Nepal].

Diversity Fair Held atBegnas In situ Village

On 28 February 2000, Minister ofAgriculture, Mr Chakra Bastola and DrDhruva Joshy, Executive Director ofNARC participated in the Diversity Fairat Sundari Danda. It was organized bylocal community based organization(CBO) and was well received. All NMDGmembers and selected farmers fromJumla and Bara ecosites alsoparticipated in the event. All the twentytwo groups took part and Majhtharwomen group was selected as the best.

The thematic leaders also interacted withfarming community. It was held for twodays so that more interaction andexchange of information and materialsbetween farmers takes place [BhuwonSthapit, Scientist, In situ CropConservation, IPGRI-APO, Pokhara,Nepal].

PHILIPPINES

NaRDSAF - IARC Forum

The Department of Agriculture throughthe Bureau of Agricultural Research(BAR) organized the Philippine NationalResearch and Development System forAgriculture and Fisheries (NaRDSAF) –International Agricultural ResearchCentres (IARCs) Forum in Manila onOctober 4-5, 1999. The NaRDSAF-IARCforum aims at determining the thrusts,


implementation [SPC AgriculturalNewsletter, Vol.8, No.2, January 2000].

SRI LANKA

International TrainingProgramme on PGRConservation andManagementPlant Genetic Resources Centre(PGRC), Gannoruwa, Peradeniya, SriLanka conducted a four-week trainingon ‘Plant Genetic ResourcesConservation and Management’ from 25January to 21 February 2000. This wasthe Third Country Programme, animportant activity supported by the JapanInternational Cooperation Agency (JICA).PGRC was the first genetic resourcesproject established by JICA in Asia, andpart of the JICA commitment to supportPGRC to use its facilities and staff toconduct series of annual third countrytraining programmes with the objectiveto provide training on different aspectsof plant genetic resources to youngscientists involved in genetic resourcesconservation and management in otherAsian countries.

Nine trainees from six South andSoutheast Asian countries, namely,Bhutan (1), Cambodia (1), Laos (2),Nepal (1), Vietnam (2) and Sri Lanka (2)participated. The resource persons werefrom PGRC and some experts from otherinstitutes of the Department ofAgriculture, Sri Lanka, Universities ofPeradeniya and Colombo, one from the

priorities, programmes of the IARCs asrelated to Philippine R&D requirements;assess the current Philippine-IARCspartnership and to increase awarenessof BAR programmes and activities inrelation to RP-IARCs partnership. DrAgustin B. Molina, Regional Coordinatorof INIBAP-ASPNET, represented Dr G.Hawtin, Director General, IPGRI, andpresented a paper on “IPGRI and thePhilippine NaRDSAF: HighlightingINIBAP’s Role.” The many collaborativeactivities between IPGRI and thePhilippine National Agricultural ResearchSystem (NARS) in genetic resourcesmanagement, conservation and usewere presented. INIBAP’s role in theimprovement of this priority fruit crop inthe country was highlighted. In thedialogue between INIBAP and thePhilippine Banana Research,Development and Extension Network,the following areas of possiblecollaboration were identified: germplasmconservation, evaluation, utilization andexchange; organizing seminars,workshops and training; informationdevelopment management andexchange; and research anddevelopment on banana IPM.

SOUTH PACIFICCOUNTRIES

SPC’s AgriculturalProgramme

The SPC’s Agricultural Programme hasstarted working on a draft Strategic Plan.The following key issues in the PacificIslands' Agriculture Sector have beenidentified:

l Increased intensity of land use as aresult of population growth and cashcropping leading to unsustainableagricultural practices, reducedefficiency of production, householdfood insecurity, and environmentaldegradation.

l Decreased biodiversity andintensification in crop and animalproduction systems making themmore prone to emergencies such asoutbreaks of disease and pests thatpose a risk to public health, tradeaccess and food security.

l More rigorous quality standards foragricultural produce in international

and local markets requiring valueaddition of agricultural products toimprove shelf-life and developmentof quality assurance systems.

l Liberalization of world trade,establishment of the WTO anddevelopment of free trade areas.

The objectives to address the majoremerging issues have been identified asfollows: i) increase efficiency andsustainability of agriculture, ii) improvefood security and public health, iii)facilitate trade in agricultural products,and iv) decrease impact of naturaldisasters. The following generalstrategies to provide overall guidance forprogramme activities were adopted: i)promote meaningful exchange withstakeholders to identify emerging issuesand priorities, ii) network with people andexternal agencies at various levels -international, regional, and national(Governments, NGOs, CBOs, FarmerGroups) to improve public awarenessand participation, and operationalefficiency of SPC’s agriculturalprogramme, iii) strengthen internallinkages within SPC Land ResourcesDivision to ensure better integrationacross disciplines, iv) investigate fundingopportunities at a regional andinternational level in support of nationalpriorities and assist agricultural ministriesto secure donor funds for priorityprojects, v) provide countries with timelyinformation to assist decision making,and vi) promote gender awareness as atool for agricultural planning and

Participants of training course on PGR Conservation and Managementat PGRC, Sri Lanka


Meetings/Training ProgrammesINDIA: Global Conference onPotato, New Delhi, 6-11December 1999.

A Global Conference on potato wasjointly organized by the Indian PotatoAssociation and Central Potato ResearchInstitute/Indian Council of AgriculturalResearch, New Delhi. The theme of theConference was “Fighting Hunger withPotato”. The Conference was attendedby over 460 delegates from 27 countries,including private entrepreneurs. Thescientific programme comprised of threetheme-based Symposia, viz., PotatoBiotechnology; Potato Late Blight; andPotato Storage, Processing andMarketing; and four sessions, viz., CropProduction, Cropping Systems and CropModelling; Genetic Resources and CropImprovement; Diseases, PestManagement and Seed Production; andTrue Potato Seed (TPS) and other Non-Conventional Methods of Propagation.A total of 78 lead presentations and 283poster presentations were made duringthe conference.

The Conference deliberations led toseveral general and specificrecommendations laying emphasis on:i) potato as a food crop in developingcountries, especially in India, as it has amajor intervention in our food security;ii) role of biotechnology in future cropimprovement and the need tocomplement conventional breeding withbiotechnological efforts; iii) the corecollection be established to get rid ofredundant types and the gaps in materialand information be identified and filled;iv) exchange of potato germplasm bynational programmes. This calls forestablishment of strong quarantinefacilities. The germplasm should first becleaned up prior to its exchange to avoidintroduction and spread of exoticdiseases; and linkage/partnership ofnational programmes and InternationalPotato Centre (CIP) may be furtherstrengthened.

Specific recommendations on geneticresources and crop improvementemphasized on the need for collectingmore variability, more exchange ofgermplasm, information, globalcooperation in potato breeding and indeveloping core collections [For detailscontact: Dr G.S. Shekhawat, Director,Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla171 001, Himachal Pradesh, India; Fax:91-177-224460; Email: [email protected] or [email protected]].

INDIA: International Conferenceon ‘Managing Natural Resourcesfor Sustainable AgriculturalProduction in the 21 st Century,New Delhi, 14-18 February 2000.

The conference was organized by agroup of Societies including the IndianSociety of Plant Genetic Resources andinaugurated by Dr M.S. Swaminathan,Chairman, M.S. Swaminathan ResearchFoundation (MSSRF), Chennai, India.Apart from other deliberations, a largenumber of experts and delegatesdiscussed upon the theme “Agro-

biodiversity- Conservation andSustainable Use” in two technicalsessions. In addition, a panel discussionon ‘Role of agro-biodiversity forenhancing global food production’, andplenary lectures were delivered by DrR.S. Paroda and Dr Peter Raven. Inconjunction, a poster sessionrepresenting voluntary participation anddisplay of nearly 100 research paperswas also held. The presentations byexperts and the deliberations held by alarge number of delegates in thetechnical sessions and the paneldiscussions, led to a number of usefulrecommendations. Some of these whichare pertinent to plant diversity aresummarized below:

l Emphasis needs to be given to fillup the gaps in germplasm collecting,particularly of the underutilizedcrops, and of the major crop species(case to case basis) and their wildrelatives. In order to enhanceutilization of genetic resources,representative sets, i.e. corecollections should be developed fordifferent crops.

Global Potato Conference inaugurated by Shri Nitish Kumar,Hon'ble Minister of Agriculture, Govt. of India

National Institute of AgrobiologicalResources, Japan and one from IPGRI,New Delhi, India. There were lecturesand hands-on training covering allaspects of plant genetic resourcesincluding exploration and collecting,

characterization, evaluation, utilization,conservation and data management.There were also two study tours forunderstanding/studying PGR diversity invarious agro-climatic regions of SriLanka. This training programme is

expected to be held at the beginning ofevery year until 2004 [A.H.M.Jayasuriya, Senior Deputy Director,PGRC, Gannoruwa, Peradeniya, SriLanka].


l Use of on-farm participatoryapproaches should be integrated forconservation and geneticenhancement of traditional cultivarsthat will help development ofsustainable production systems,including promotion of formal andinformal seed production,conservation and geneticenhancement.

l Inventories and national/regionalcheck lists of species should beprepared to update the taxonomicinformation, and advancetechniques like the GeographicalInformation System (GIS) should beused.

l In the light of the globalinterdependence for geneticresources, nations are obliged todevelop their own effective suigeneris systems for IPR regime,safeguarding the national interests.The Conference noted that less than40 countries have their instrumentsalready in place or are in finalstages. Others should also comeforward.

l International community should laymore emphasis, in furthernegotiations on protection of“Indigenous Community Rights” overbiodiversity and associatedknowledge and fair and equitablebenefit sharing on commerciali-zation.

l The advent of biotechnological toolshas created single genepool of theglobal bioresources , comprising ofplants, livestock, fish and microbes.This requires an integratedapproach for their management,conservation and sustainable use[Director, National Bureau of PlantGenetic Resources, Pusa Campus,New Delhi 110 012, India].

Forthcoming Meetings

THAILAND: InternationalSymposium on Montane MainlandSoutheast Asia (MMSEA)Governance in the National andCultural Landscape, Chiang Mai,1-5 July 2000.

The symposium will have five major

themes, namely, trends in nationalresources policies and management,natural resource management, culturalresource management, informationsystems issues and regional cooperationand networking. The different sessionswill be organized under a series of panelpresentations and dialogue to stimulateknowledge and information dissemination[For more information contact: Mr U-Tin-Kim-Yong or Jureerat Thomas, PO Box181, CMU Post Office, Chiang MaiUniversity, Chiang Mai 50502, Thailand,Fax: 66-53-414121].

CHINA: InternationalSymposium on BiotechnologyApplication in HorticulturalCrops, Beijing, 4-8 September2000.

The Symposium is being sponsored bythe Chinese Society for HorticulturalScience (CSHS), International PlantGenetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) andthe International Potato Centre (CIP)Liaison Office in Beijing. The theme ofthe symposium is ‘BiotechnologyBenefiting Mankind’. The symposiumwill deal with topics such as tissueculture, cell fusion, genetictransformation and molecular markers inhorticultural crops [For more information,contact: Dr Fang Zhiyuan, [email protected].].

CHINA: International Conferenceon Computer Application inAgriculture of 21 st Century(ICCA 2000). Chinese Academyof Agriculture Science, Beijing,17-19 October 2000.

The conference theme includes:Database and CAI; Internet and NetworkTechnology; Computer Aided Design(CAD) and Image Processing; ArtificialIntelligence and Automation; GeographicInformation System (GIS), GlobalPositioning System (GPS) and RemoteSensing and Precision Agriculture. Allabove mentioned technologies should bedemonstrated to have applications inresearch, education and management ofagriculture, forestry, animal husbandry,fisheries, horticulture, and ruraldevelopment [For details contact:Secretary General, ConferenceSecretariat, Society of ComputerApplications in Agriculture, Computer

Centre of Chinese Academy ofAgriculture Science, No. 30 Bai Shi QiaoRoad, Beijing 100081, Republic of China.Tel: +86-10-68975098; Email:[email protected]].

USA: The V th InternationalSafflower Conference to be heldjointly in Williston, North Dakotaand Sidney, Montana USA, 23-27 July 2001.

The Conference is the fifth in a series ofpremier world meetings of scientists andindustry personnel interested in allaspects of safflower - production,research and development, processing,and marketing. Williston is theConference headquarters withconference facilities at the North DakotaState University Williston ResearchExtension Centre. The Montana StateUniversity Eastern Agricultural ResearchCentre at Sidney, Montana (about 70km from Williston) will provide a tour ofits safflower research on the second dayof the conference. The conference is co-sponsored by North Dakota StateUniversity, Montana State University,United States Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), the American Society ofAgronomy, Crop Science Society ofAmerica, Soil Science Society ofAmerica, and the Food and AgricultureOrganization (FAO). The conference willrun as a series of successive sessionswith limited number of oral presentationsand papers presented as posters [Fordetails, contact: Janelle Jensen (Tel.:406.482.2208; email: [email protected]].

JAPAN: InternationalSymposium on Sago (SAGO2001), Tsukuba, 15-17 October2001.

This International Symposium will beorganized by the Japanese Society ofSago Palm Studies with a support ofthe Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry andFisheries, Japan InternationalCooperation Agency, the JapaneseSociety for Tropical Agriculture and theJapanese Society of Applied Glyco-science. The five scientific sessions willstress on: i) science and technology onsago palm cultivation and starchproduction, ii) genetic studies on sago


palm, iii) roles of sago palm in thetropical wetland ecosystem, iv) roles insago starch in the world-wide starchindustry, and v) sago-eaters'communities and their culture. Thesymposium aims at sharing useful

Interesting Books, Periodicals and WebsitesBrush, Stephen B. (ed.). 2000. Genesin the Field: On-Farm Conservationof Crop Diversity. Co-published byInternational Development ResearchCentre and International Plant GeneticResources Institute, Rome and LewisPublishers, 2000 N.W. Corporate Blvd.Boca Raton, FL 33431 USA. 288 p.[ISBN: 0-88936-884-8].

The book elaborately presents differentissues relating to on-farm conservationof crop genetic resources. There areeleven papers (chapters) classified underfour sections. Section I presentsintroduction and review of the broadperspective of on-farm PGRconservation. Section II considersquestions on population biology andsocial sciences and deals with geneticstructure of landraces and the challengesto conserve them on-farm. Section IIIpresents different case studies fordifferent regions for different crops andmanagement of traditional diversity on-farm. Section IV relates to policy andinstitutional issues. A thought provokingforeword by Cary Fowler, GeoffreyHawtin and Toby Hodgkin provides dueemphasis and importance that this studydeserves and the many problems thatstill need to be resolved in researchstudies on in situ conservation of cropdiversity.

IPGRI. 1999. Descriptors for Citrus.International Plant Genetic ResourcesInstitute, Rome, Italy. 66 p. [ISBN 929043 425 2].

Descriptors for Citrus is a revision of theoriginal IBPGR publication of 1988. Therevised descriptors list is based on thework of a team of SRA INRA-CIRAD,France with inputs from the EGID-CitrusNetwork. It also covers Asian cropdiversity through contributions providedby UTFANET. The UPOV TechnicalGuidelines for Citrus have also been

examined. IPGRI encourages thecollecting of data for all five types ofdescriptors, whereby data from the firstfour categories - Passport, Management,Environment and Site, andCharacterization - should be availablefor any accessions. Descriptors listedunder evaluation allow for a moreextensive description of the accession.This format represents an important toolfor a standardized characterizationsystem. The descriptors list provides aninternational format and therebyproduces a universally understoodlanguage for plant genetic resourcesdata. The two Annexes contain multi-crop passport descriptors and thecollecting forms for citrus research.

IPGRI. 1999. Descriptors for Rocket(Eruca spp.). International Plant GeneticResources Institute, Rome, Italy. 56 p.[ISBN: 92 9043 421 x].

This descriptor list represents an outputof the Rocket Genetic ResourcesNetwork, and is specific to Eruca speciesonly. Data for all the five categories;passport descriptors, managementdescriptors, environment and sitedescriptors, characterization descriptorsand evaluation descriptors have beenincluded. Collecting form for rocket(Eruca spp.) has been provided.

Padua de L.S., NuntavanBunyapraphatsara and R.H.M.J.Lemmens (eds.). 1999. Medicinal andPoisonous Plants. 1-Hardbound edition.PROSEA 12(1), Backhuys Publishers,Leiden, The Netherlands 711 p. [ISBN:90-5782-042-0]. Low-priced paperbackedition: PROSEA, Bogor, Indonesia.1999. [ISBN 979-8316-27-4].

The publication contains an elaborateintroduction followed by an alphabeticaltreatment of 92 genera and the selectedspecies treatment providing details on

medicinal plants covering over 432pages. A very exhaustive list of literaturereferred is given (information condensedfrom PROSEA Newsletter No.23,December 1999).

Pradhan, P., M. Moktan and P.K.Legha. 1999. Perspective onSustainable Use of Pipla ( Piperspecies) in Bhutan. RNR ResearchCentre - East, REID, Ministry ofAgriculture, Thimphu, Bhutan. 42 p.

This report deals with the result of astudy on Pipla (Piper species) and laysemphasis on its cultivation, managementand conservation. Pipla is important topharmaceutical industry and the studyconducted to assess the status of theresource-base, its contribution to thesocio-economy and avenue for itssustainable use. Participatory tools wereused in this assessment study. The fruitsare of economic value and are collectedfrom the forests, and add to householdincome of farmers in remote areas ineastern Bhutan.

Ramanatha Rao, V. and P. Batugal,editors. 1998. Proceedings of theCOGENT Regional Coconut GenebankPlanning Workshop, 26-28 February1996, Pekanbaru, Riau, Indonesia.IPGRI-APO, Serdang. 115 p. [ISBN: 92-9043-365-5].

The proceedings deal with: Backgroundpapers which provide basic information,and institutional and legal requirementsfor establishing the genebanks; reportson evaluation of host countries, namely,Indonesia, India, Papua New Guinea andCôte d’ Ivoire as regional genebanks;genebank guidelines funding strategiesand draft agreements between FAO,host countries and IPGRI, that willgovern germplasm acquisition,conservation and proposed 7-year workplans and benefits for each of the fourregional genebanks.

information and ideas on variousaspects of sago palm and its productsin the world [For details contact: Dr KeijiKainuma, Chair, Organizing Committee,SAGO 2001 Secretariat Office, c/oInternational Communications Specialist,

Inc. Sabo-kaikan Bekkan, 2-7-4Hirakawa-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8646, Japan. Fax: 81-3-3263-7318;E-mail: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>; http://bio.mie-u.ac.jp/~ehara/sago/sago2001]


Rao, A.N. and V. Ramanatha Rao,editors. 1999. Bamboo - Conservation,Diversity, Ecogeography, Germplasm,Resource Utilization and Taxonomy.Proceedings of a Training Coursecum Workshop, 10-17 May 1998,Kunming and Xishuangbanna,Yunnan, China. IPGRI-APO, Serdang,Malaysia. 275 p. [ISSN: 92 9043 414 7].

The proceedings contain articles ontaxonomy, biogeography, germplasmcollecting, ethnobotany and distributionand diversity of bamboos. Twelvecountry reports covering Bangladesh,Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia,Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines,Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam havebeen presented. A well-synthesizedinformation is given on bambooresources, their conservation,management and utilization in eachcountry. The publication will serve as avaluable source of reference materialand a very useful compendium forbamboo researchers.

Thampan, P.K. 2000. Farmer’sAssessment of Coconut Varieties inKerala. 24 p. Peekay Tree CropsDevelopment Foundation, MIG 141,Gandhi Nagar, Kochi 682 020, Kerala.

This publication is the result of farmerparticipatory research to identify farmerpreferred coconut varieties. The studywas conducted by the Peekay TreeCrops Development Foundation, withfinancial support by IFAD, IPGRI/COGENT. Several farmers’organizations participated in this studyconducted in 9 village panchayats.Information on coconut varieties (tall,dwarf, and hybrid) has beensummarized. Farmer’s suggestions forvarietal improvement have been given.

Turok, J., F. Lefevre, S. de Vries, B.Heinze, R. Volosyanchuk and E.Lipman, compilers. 1999. Populusnigra Network. Report of the FifthMeeting, 5-9 May 1999, Kyiv Ukraine.International Plant Genetic ResourcesInstitute, Rome, Italy. 88 p. [ISBN 929043 431 7].

The publication presents the progressof work under the Populus nigra network.Fifteen country reports presented dealwith progress made on conservation ofP. nigra at the national level during the

past one and a half years. The reportsalso deal with P. alba material for exsitu conservation. Information has beenpresented on in situ conservationstrategies for P. nigra in the riparianecosystem and an update on theEUFORGEN core collection andcompilation of the database of clonesand the exchange of material.Coordination of activities on P. albagenetic resources has been alsodiscussed. Bibliography has been giventopic-wise: Systematics; Biology andgenetics; Parasites and environmentalstress; Riparian ecosystems and In situmanagement; Biotechnology and ex situconservation; Selection and germplasmconservation; Cultivation and use.

Tuxill, John. 1999. Nature’sCornucopia: Our Stake in PlantDiversity. Worldwatch paper 148.Worldwatch Institute, 1776Massachusetts Avenue, NW WashingtonDC. 85 p. [ISBN 1 878071 50 5].

The book highlights concern on the valueof biodiversity in human welfare and theincreased pace with which we are losingnature’s diversity due to its overexploitation. Protected plant diversitybegins with genebanks and protectedareas, and conserving biodiversityrequires new partnerships betweengovernments and agencies responsiblefor managing plant resources and thelocal communities who depend on themfor their livelihood. Also, in this context,it focuses on setting guidelines forsharing the benefits of plant diversityequitably vis-à-vis maintaining it.

Zhang, Z. and R.C. Johnson,compilers. 1999. SafflowerGermplasm Collection Directory.IPGRI Office for East Asia, Beijing,China. 18 p. [ISBN: 92 9043 422 8].

This Directory has been developed byIPGRI in cooperation with theInternational Safflower GermplasmAdvisory Committee (ISGAC). It providesinformation on safflower germplasmcollections held by 16 countries/genebanks of the world, i.e. Australia,Bulgaria, Canada, China, Ethiopia,Germany, India, Mexico, Romania,Russian Federation, Slovenia, Spain,Switzerland, Turkey and USA. Theinformation was collected through

questionnaire, existing databases andliterature. The publication will serve as asource of information to promote theconservation and use of safflowergermplasm.

Periodicals/ReportsCGIAR. 1999. Partnership in Action.China, the CGIAR and Food Security.Consultative Group on InternationalAgricultural Research, The World Bank,1818 H Street, NW, Washington DC20433, USA. 20 p.

China has undergone an economictransformation in little more than twodecades. This report deals with China-CGIAR research partnership vis-à-visproblems of food security. It points outto partnership by national andinternational scientists to achieve higherproductivity in food crops. Overallachievements of agriculture in Chinahave been presented/summarized.

Diversity. 1999. ( Vol.15, No.3). GeneticResources Communication Systems. Inc.4905 Del Ray Avenue, Suite 401,Bethesda, MD 20814,USA. 33 p.

This international quarterly news journalprovides information on activities relatingto the conservation and utilization ofgenetic resources. A broad range oftopics is covered and views on issuesand policies are presented such as onpublic awareness, terminator genes,biosafety protocol, biotechnology,agricultural sustainability. Interestinginformation is given on Echinaceagenetic resources (native to NorthAmerica), constituting raw materials fornumerous phytomedicines.

Fagopyrum. 1999. (Vol.16). PlantGermplasm Institute, Faculty ofAgriculture, Kyoto University, Mozume-cho, Muko, Kyoto 617-0001, Japan. 100p. [ISSN 0352-3032].

This international journal on buckwheatis published by the InternationalBuckwheat Research Association. Thepublication is brought out yearly (onevolume) and provides consolidatedinformation on research relating to allaspects of buckwheat: genetics,cytology, breeding, agronomy, nutrition,utilization, biochemistry, ethnobotany,etc. This volume includes interesting


articles on search for Fagopyrum speciesin eastern Tibet, status of buckwheat inIndia, population studies on buckwheat,breeding/hybridization, assessment ofdiversity, in vitro studies, somaticembryogenesis, nutritional aspects/biochemistry.

FAO. 1999. The State of FoodInsecurity in the World. The Food andAgriculture Organization of the UnitedStates, Via delle Terme di Caracalla,00100 Rome, Italy. 32 p. [ISBN 92-5-104328-0].

The report provides the latest estimatesof the number of chronically hungrypeople in the world. Based on dataavailable, it highlights countries that haveachieved the greatest gains or sufferedthe most severe setbacks over the pasttwo decades. It also looks at global andnational efforts and probes into theunderstanding of hunger and foodsecurity and nutritional status.

Geneflow. 1999. International PlantGenetic Resources Institute, via delleSette Chiese 142, 00145 Rome, Italy. 24 p.

This publication about the earth’s plantgenetic resources is brought out annuallyby IPGRI Headquarters. In the 1999issue, information is provided on IPGRI’snew strategy. Brief information is givenon the ‘International Network for GeneticEvaluation of Rice (INGER)’, botanicalgardens and agricultural genebanks:partners for conservation; global meetingin Nepal for conservation of agriculturalbiodiversity on-farm, and an interviewwith Professor Peter Crane, the newDirector of Kew Gardens on the role ofbotanical gardens to food security,biodiversity conservation etc.

Global Newsletter on UnderutilizedCrops. 1999. (December issue).International Centre for UnderutilizedCrops (ICUC), Institute of Irrigation andDevelopment Studies, The University ofSouthampton, Highfield, SouthamptonS017 1BJ, UK. 28 p.

This newsletter is published twice a year,and is devoted to diverse global activitieson underutilized plants. This issueincludes brief information on cropresearch and development networks,meetings held and future conferences/forthcoming events and publications ofinterest.

IPGRI-APO. 1999. Status Report onGenetic Resources of Buckwheat.IPGRI Regional Office for Asia, thePacific and Oceania, PO Box 236, UPMPost Office, Serdang, 43400 SelangorDarul Ehsan, Malaysia.

The publication deals with three statusreports on buckwheat genetic resources,namely for East Asia - China; and SouthAsia -India and Nepal. Information onorigin, evolution, classification anddistribution of diversity, breeding,utilization and conservation aspects hasbeen provided. Further queries may beaddressed to Professor M. Zhou,Coordinator, IPGRI Office for East Asia,C/o. CAAS, 30 Bai Shi Qiao Road,Beijing 100081, China.

IPGRI/FAO. 1999. Plant GeneticResources Newsletter. (No.120).International Plant Genetic ResourcesInstitute, via delle Sette Chiese 142,00145 Rome, Italy. 68 p. [ISSN 1020-3362].

This newsletter is published quarterly byIPGRI/FAO and deals with activities onplant genetic resources in widerperspectives. The issue No. 120 includesan interesting article from the APO regionon ‘Traditional crops in the CentralHimalayas’, and short communicationson ‘Collecting castor (Ricinus communisL.) germplasm in northwestern India andon ‘Genetic diversity of Chinese hull-lessbarley germplasm and its utilization’.

Journal of Applied Agriculture. 1999(Vol.1(2), July-December). Society ofAdvancement of Horticulture, A-859,Indiranagar, Lucknow 226 016. Pp. 79-154. [ISSN 0972-1045].

This journal is published biannually, anddeals with all aspects of horticulturalcrops. Several articles in this volumedeal with evaluation of mango geneticresources for morphological,physiological and quality traits; diseaseresistance; post-harvest aspects etc.Other articles include crop improvementin vegetables, ornamentals and a fewunderutilized fruits such as Syzygiumcuminii and Aegle marmelos.

MUSARAMA. 1999 (Vol.12, No.2). TheInternational Bibliographic Abstracts.Journal on Banana and Plantain .

INIBAP, Parc Scientifique Agropolis II,34497 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.32 p.

MUSARAMA is published with thesupport of the Technical Centre forAgricultural and Rural Corporation(CTA). This issue provides abstracts on166 references on banana and plantain:dealing with botany, genetics, breeding,organogenesis, ecology, biochemistry,multiplication, agronomy, plantprotection, pest, harvest, processing,uses, production systems, agro-economics, trade aspects and research.

PROSEA NEWSLETTER. 1999 (No.28).PROSEA Network office, C/o. HerbariumBogoriense, RDCB-LIPO, PO Box 332,Bogor 16122, West Java, Indonesia. 8p. [ISSN: 0853 2958].

The PROSEA activities are given,including information on the recentlypublished book on Medicinal andPoisonous Plants 1, Numbers 2 and 3of this series are being finalized. Theissue contains an interesting article onplant resources in the markets of Hanoi.

SEEDLING. 1999 (Vol.16, No.4).GRAIN, Girona 25, Pral, E-08010,Barcelona, Spain. 24 p. [ISSN 1002-5154].

This is a quarterly newsletter of GeneticResources Action International (GRAIN),an international non-governmentalorganization (NGO) based in Spain. Itpromotes the sustainable managementand use of agricultural biodiversity basedon people’s control over geneticresources and local knowledge withspecial emphasis on developingcountries. The article entitled ‘Fair andEquitable, Where Did They Go’ by IsaacRojas Ramirez provides good discussionon access to resources and benefitsharing based on a panel meeting heldrecently in Costa Rica.

WebsitesSome interesting sites are given below:

http://www.bionet_us.org/website.html

This site maintains a list of websitesrelated to biodiversity policy and law. Itis maintained by BIONET and is updatedand distributed on a quarterly basis. The


Scientific Contributions

list contains two sections: one containingissue-specific web addresses; and theother having the addresses of relevantinstitutions, organizations and otherstakeholder groups working around theCBD.

http://www.botany.net/IDB

This site is related to Internet Directoryfor Botany, which provides informationon taxonomic expertise.

http://www.cgiar.org/ipgri/doc/dbintro.htm

This site provides information ongenebank holdings worldwide and canbe interrogated on the databaseavailable on the Internet. It providesinformation on materials of particularcrops held in both national genebanksand in regional and internationalinstitutes.

http://shiva.pub.getty.edu/tgn_browser/

The Getty Thesaurus of GeographicNames is the first automated globalsource of hierarchically arrangedgeographical data. It comprises recordsfor approximately 900 000 places.Besides providing the service to look forplaces in different countries, it is also agood reference for converting names ofplaces to the Latitude and Longitude ofthe places represented in degreesminutes direction as well as in decimaldegrees and fractions of degrees.

http://www.fao.org/agris/default32.htm

AGRIS was created by the Food andAgriculture Organization of the UnitedNations (FAO) in 1974, to facilitateinformation exchange and to identifyworld literature dealing with all aspectsof agriculture. The database has

accumulated more than 3 000 000references to date. CARIS was createdby FAO in 1975 to identify and tofacilitate the exchange of informationabout current agricultural researchprojects being carried out in - or onbehalf of - developing countries.Centres have submitted exhaustiveinformation on roughly 30 000 currentlyactive projects.

http://www.inbar.org.sg

This is the website of the InternationalNetwork on Bamboo and Rattan. Thelatest news and highlights on the pageis bamboo: Timber for the 21st Century.INBAR’s Address: Anyuan BuildingNo.10, Anhui Beili, Asian Games Village,Chaoyang District, Beijing, P.R. China.Mailing Address: Branch Box 155, P.O.Box 9799, Beijing, China 100101.Tel:+86-10-64956961/82 Fax: +86-10-64956983 Email: [email protected]

In situ Conservation ofFagopyrum Species inNepal - Field Survey andCollection

A collaborative research project on insitu conservation of buckwheat(Fagopyrum spp.) in Nepal is beingcarried out jointly by Nepal AgriculturalResearch Council (NARC) and NationalInstitute of Agrobiological Resources(NIAR) since 1998. The aims of thisproject are to: i) conduct field survey ofthe species, ii) collect seed samples forDNA analysis, and iii) investigate geneticdiversity of in situ conserved Fagopyrumspecies. F. tataricum (tartary buckwheat)is common in Dolpa area, and F.esculentum (common buckwheat) ispredominantly grown at Mustang area.F. cymosum plants are foundspontaneously in several areas includingDolpa and Mustang, mainly used asanimal fodder by mountain people.

The purpose of the present study wasto identify and collect wild Fagopyrumspecies in Dolpa area of west Nepal andMustang area for further analysis of DNAvariation. Three field surveys wereconducted, consisting of one surveymission jointly by Nepal and Japanese

scientists and two missions by Nepalesescientists. Specimens of Fagopyrumplants collected from in situ sites alreadydeposited at NARC were identified byProfessor Ohmi Ohnishi of the Universityof Kyoto. Seed samples of Fagopyrumspp. were also collected for further DNAanalysis to detect genetic diversity.

Based on field surveys and identificationof collected specimens, interestingobservations made are as follows:

l F. cymosum was distributed widelyin Nepal and wild F. tataricum ssp.potanini and other wild forms werefound in a very limited area ofMustang.

l Fagopyrum species in Dolpa area(Juphal and Dunai) of west Nepalgrowing at an altitude of 2000 m,matured in early November. Severalnatural habitats of F. cymosum weredetected on the slopes alongriversides and in botanical gardens.Plant population of F. megacarpumwas detected and the seeds werecollected.

l Boch National HorticulturalExperiment Farm located at thealtitude of 2230 m, 120 km east fromKathmandu conserves several

horticultural plants. About 2000plants of F. cymosum were foundspontaneously growing alongterraces and foothills and enoughseeds were collected for DNAanalysis.

l F. cymosum does not occur in largepopulations in situ, and smallspontaneous populations werefound in several areas. In order toinvestigate the genetic diversitywithin and between populations ofF. cymosum, the analysis of DNAvariation is planned to be done onthe collected materials.

[Dr Shu-ichi Fukuoka, National Instituteof Agrobiological Resources (NIAR),Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry andFisheries, Japan; Professor OhmiOhnshi, University of Kyoto, Japan; andDr Mahesh L. Vaidya, Dr D.R. Sharmaand Dr Bimal K. Baniya, NepalAgricultural Research Council (NARC),Lalitpur, Khumaltar, Nepal].

Genetic Variability inJackfruit

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllusLamk.), supposed to be a native ofWestern Ghats of India, is grown under


fruit (138-585); bulb weight (11.3-28.0g); bulb length (2.4-3.8 cm); bulb width(1.5-6.2 cm); cylinder (4.2-12.5%); totalsoluble solids (15.0-28.0%); total sugars(11.5-25.5%); acidity (0.15-0.25%);protein (2.1-3.0%) and total minerals(1.2-1.9%).

Variation among the genotypes was alsoobserved for average seed weight (1.1-11.0 g); length (1.3-3.8 cm); width (0.5-3.6 cm); shape (kidney, flat, conical,bean shaped, oblong, oval) and colour(pure white, creamy white, light tan, darktan), growth, bearing (some genotypesbear twice a year), yield (12-400 fruits/tree) and fruit maturity (June to August).

There are no recognized cultivars injackfruit. Cultivars are named after thelocality of their occurrence, flavour, tasteand colour of fruit. Some popular typesare ‘Zarda’, ‘Bhusheela’, ‘Hariyahva’,‘Gulabi’, ‘Champa’, ‘Hazari’, etc. Thecultivar ‘Singapore’ produces fruits within2-3 years and ‘Rudrakshi’ producesroundish fruits of the size of a largepumello.

Considering its high productivity andnutritive value, selection of superiorclones for vegetable purposes and as atable fruit, possessing high yield withbetter quality and tolerance to abiotic andbiotic stresses, would be of great valuefor commercialization of jackfruit [Dr I.S.Singh, Professor and Head, and Dr A.K. Srivastava, Senior TechnicalAssistant, Narendra Deva University ofAgriculture and Technology, Kumarganj,Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh 224 229, India].

Table 1. Fagopyrum species collected in Nepal

Species Collection sites

District Village Altitude (m)

Fagopyrum cymosum (4n) Dolakha Boch NHEF 2232

Dolpa Juphal 2550

Dolpa Yala 2345

Dolpa Dangiwada 2100

Dolpa Majfal 2700

Dolpa Dunai 2010

Dolpa Rasi 2880

Dolpa Sahartara 2610

Dolpa Lhara 2820

Kaski Lumle Ag. Stn. 1675

Kaski Lumle Ag. Stn. 1675

Lalitpur Imadal -

F. tataricum Dolakha Boch 2232

Dolpa Dangiwada 2100

Dolpa Vyasgad -


Dolpa Dhupichaur -

Dolpa Rasi 2880

Dolpa Runai 2010

Mustang Samda -

F. esculentum Dolpa Dangiwada 2100


Dolpa Vyasgad -

Dolpa Rupgad 2220

F. megacarpum Dolpa Vyasgad 2130-2310

both tropical and subtropical climates.In India, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, WestBengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh,Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, Orissa andKerala are the major jackfruit growingstates. An attempt has been made atthe Narendra Deva University ofAgriculture and Technology, Faizabad tocollect and identify suitable germplasmwith high yield potential and quality fruitfor an organized orcharding.

Exploration and germplasm collectingtrips were undertaken in various tractsof eastern Uttar Pradesh where jackfruitgrows wild. A large number of naturalpopulations were studied to select thevariability. About 18 types have beenidentified as superior clones. Theseexhibited variation for variousmorphological and physiochemicalcharacteristics, namely, fruit shape (oval,oblong, elongated, irregular, roundish);weight (1.1-18.8 kg); length (15.5-61.0cm); circumference (37.3-93.5 cm); rind

thickness (0.5-1.2 cm); skin colour (darkgreen, green, greenish yellow, yellow,yellowish green, light brown, darkbrown); pulp colour (white, creamy white,creamy, creamy yellow, yellow); fibrelength (3.0-6.0 cm); number of bulbs/

Fruit variability in jackfruit

AAHFAsian Agri-History Foundation47 ICRISAT Colony 1Brig. Sayeed RoadSecunderabad 500 009Andhra PradeshIndia

AVRDCAsian Vegetable Research andDevelopment CentreP.O Box 205, Taipei 10099Taiwan

ICIMODInternational Centre for IntegratedMountain Development4/80 Jawala KhelGPO Box 3226KathmanduNepal

INBARInternational Network for Bambooand RattanAnynan Building No.10Asian Games VillageChaoyang District, PO Box 9799BeijingChina

NIARNational Institute of AgrobioloicalResourcesKannondai 2-1-2, TsukubaIbaraki 305Japan

SEARCASoutheast Asian Regional CentreFor Graduate Study and Researchin AgricultureLos BañosPhilippines

Useful Names & AddressesMr Farid Uddin AhmedMember Director (Forestry)Bangladesh Agricultural ResearchCouncil (BARC)Farmgate, Dhaka 1215Bangladesh

Dr N. Murthi AnishettySenior Officer - Plant Genetic ResourcesPlant Production and Protection DivisionFAO of the United NationsVia delle Terme di Caracalla00100 RomeItaly

Dr Pons A. BatugalSenior Scientist, COGENT CoordinatorIPGRI Regional Office for Asia, thePacific and OceaniaPO Box 236, UPM Post Office43400 SerdangSelangor Darul EhsanMalaysia

Ms Elizabeth GoldbergGroup DirectorDocumentation, Information and Training(DIT)International Plant Genetic ResourcesInstitute, Via delle Sette Chiese 14200145 RomeItaly

Dr A.H.M. JayasuriyaSenior Deputy DirectorPlant Genetic Resources CentrePeradeniyaSri Lanka

IPGRI Office for South Asiac/o NBPGR, Pusa Campus,New Delhi 110012, IndiaTelex: 31-77257 NBGR INTel: (91-11) 5731845, 5786112,Fax: (91-11) 5819899Email: [email protected]

IPGRI Regional Office for Asia, thePacific and OceaniaPO Box 236, UPM Post Office43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan,MalaysiaTel: (603) 89423891; Fax: (603) 89487655Email: [email protected]

IPGRI Office for East Asiac/o CAAS, No. 30 Bai Shi Qiao Road,Beijing 100081, P.R. ChinaTelex : 222720 CAAS CN, Tel : (86-10)62183744Fax: (86-10) 62174159Email: [email protected]


The Newsletter is produced byDr Bhag Mal, Coordinator and Dr R. K. Arora, Hon. Research Fellow, IPGRI Office for South Asia, with support from: Dr PercyE. Sajise, Regional Director, Dr V. Ramanatha Rao, Senior Scientist (Genetic Diversity/Conservation), Dr Pons Batugal,COGENT Coordinator, Dr Paul Quek, Documentation/Information Specialist at the IPGRI Regional Office for Asia, the Pacific andOceania; Professor Zhou Ming-De, Coordinator and Mr Zhang Zongwen, Associate Coordinator at the IPGRI Office for EastAsia, and Dr P. N. Mathur, Associate Coordinator at the IPGRI Office for South Asia. The addresses of these offices are:

Dr Dhruva JoshyExecutive DirectorNepal Agricultural Research CouncilKhumaltar, LalitpurPO Box 5459, KathmanduNepal

Dr R. S. ParodaSecretary, DARE andDirector General, ICARIndian Council of Agricultural ResearchKrishi BhavanNew Delhi 110 001India

Dr Percy E. SajiseRegional DirectorIPGRI Regional Office for Asia, thePacific and Oceania (APO)PO Box 236, UPM Post Office43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul EhsanMalaysia

Dr Param SivanProject Team Leader, TaroGenSecretariat of the Pacific CommunityPrivate Mail BagSuvaFiji

Dr M.S. SwaminathanChairmanM.S. Swaminathan ResearchFoundation (MSSRF)1, Taramani Institutional AreaChennai 600 113India

Mr Lu XinrongInstitute of Crop Germplasm ResourcesChinese Academy of AgriculturalSciencesBeijing 100081P.R. China

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