CONSERVATION AND EVALUATION OF PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES IN

LATVIA

Dainis Ruņģis

History of PGR in Latvia

• PGR activities in Latvia were started after the dissolution of the former Soviet Union

• The inventory of existing working collections was started in 1993 when the Latvian society of Genetics and Breeders organized the working Board for Cultivated PGR and working groups for different groups of plants.

• Institutions holding collections did not have appropriate resources for long-term storage. To preserve Latvian genetic resources and to maintain high-viability accessions for long term storage the Latvian Gene Bank of Cultivated Plants (LGB) was founded in 1998 within the framework of the Nordic-Baltic project.

• In general the model of the Nordic Gene Bank was followed. First accessions were placed in freezers in 1999. Field collections of fruits and berries were located in the cooperating institutes.

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Main documents concerning GR

International documents• Convention on Biological Diversity accepted in Latvia in 1995.• The International Treaty on PGR for Food and Agriculture

accepted in Latvia in 2004.Local documents• The Biological Diversity National program developed by the

Latvian Ministry of Environment in 1999 to develop a program and strategy for conservation of PGR for food and agriculture.

• National Plan on Environmental Policy 2004-2008. • “Programme for long-term preservation and utilization of plant,

animal, forest and fish genetic resources for agriculture and food 2007-2009” developed by the Latvian state Ministry of Agriculture which is responsible for coordinating PGR activities.

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The administrative structure of genetic resources in Latvia

Genetic Resource Council

Genetic Resource Centre (GRC)

Gene bank Central DatabaseGenetic analysis

Laboratory

Co-ordinating experts

Section experts

Cooperating institutions (stakeholders) of GR

Ministry of Agriculture

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Genetic Resource Centre

• This is a facility set up at LVMI “Silava” with funding from the Ministry of Agriculture

• This centre incorporates the Latvian Gene Bank, the Gene Bank database, and a genetic analysis laboratory

LATVIJAS REPUBLIKAS ZEMKOPĪBAS MINISTRIJA

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Stakeholders – cooperating institutions where evaluation and

characterization of PGR have been done.

Institution Crop

State Stende Cereals Breeding Institute

Oat, barley, wheat

State Priekuļi Plant Breeding Institute Barley, rye, legumes, potatoes

Research Institute of Agriculture Forages

Latgale Agricultural Research Centre Flax and hemp

Latvian State Institute of Fruit- Growing

Fruits and berries

Pūre Horticultural Research Station Vegetables

Latvian University of Agriculture, Agrobiotechnological Institute

Aromatic and medicinal plants

Farm ‘Vīnkalni’ Grape

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What crops are the most important in Latvia?

Crop structure of plant genetic resources in Latvia

41%

4%19%5%

4%

6%3%

13%5%

cereals

sugar beet and root crops

forages

oil and fiber crops

legumes

vegetables

potatoes

fruit and berries

aromatic and medicinal plants

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PGR collections

• Field collections – Fruits and berries -Latvian State Institute of Fruit-Growing

(Partially duplicated at Pūre Horticultural Research Station)– Vegetables - Pūre Horticultural Research Station (Partially

duplicated at the Latvian University of Agriculture, Agrobiotechnological Institute)

– Aromatic and medicinal plants - Latvian University of Agriculture, Agrobiotechnological Institute

– Potatoes - State Priekuļi Plant Breeding Institute• In vitro collection of potatoes is kept at State Priekuļi

Plant Breeding Institute.• Gene bank – seeds

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Latvian gene bank

• 72 species from 38 genera are maintained. Currently, seed accessions of the majority of Latvian crop cultivars are represented in the LGB. Approximately 10% of the collection comprises of wild relatives of forage grasses collected within Latvia.

• Seeds of Latvian–bred cultivars are held in a Baltic Safety Duplication collection at the Nordic Gene Bank

55%

6%

25%

7% 5% 2%cereals

sugar beet and root crops

forages

oil and fiber crops

legumes

vegetables

Genetic Resource Centre - www.genres.lv