Newsletter for Central & West Asia and North Africa · National Programme named “Plant Genepool”. Needs in collecting, conservation and utilization of plant genetic resources

NEWSLETTERforCentral & West Asia and North AfricaIssue no. 19 April 1999

International Plant Genetic Resources Institute: CWANA Regional Office

c/o ICARDA, PO box 5466, Aleppo, SyriaTel: +963-21-2231412(direct) Fax:+963-21-2213490/2225105 Email:[email protected]

Prof. Abdusattar A. Abdukarimov, In-stitute of Genetics and ExperimentalBiology and Dr. Maviyanova RavzaVazletdinovna, Uzbek Research Insti-tute of Plant Industry, Uzbekistan.

The rich diversity of the Central Asianwild and cultivated flora is conditionedby natural and climatic factors andhuman activity. The great N.I. Vavilovdefined several Middle Asian centresof origin of cultivated plants, thatinclude 42 species of grains, legumes,oil-crops, fibers, vegetables, fruit treesand spices. However, problems ofglobal significance arose with theexpansion of human society. Forexample the ecological disaster of theAral Sea has led to the urgent need fornew salt-resistant crops. Theimportance of agricultural crops fortheir use as sources of raw materials in

different fields of industry isincreasing. At the same time, gradualdisappearance of some species takesplace in nature, and rare plants are

continued to be listedin the IUCN Red Book.All this provokesanxiety and inducesactions forconservation of plantgenepools andenhance theirenrichment with newspecies. New plans forconservation of plantgenetic resources haverecently beendeveloped.

The “Regional Coordinative Council”has submitted to the Government ofUzbekistan a Project proposal for theconstruction of a genebank for

conservation of plants, fungiand Algae with the technicaland financial support ofJapan. It will allow theRepublic to be recognized asholder of one of the tenlargest genebanks of theworld, to developfundamental researches onglobal level and promotedevelopment of nationaleconomy in the wholeregion.

The national plantgermplasm collection ofUzbekistan contains morethan 80.000 accessions.

Conservation of plant geneticresources in- situ is carried out inreserves and National Parks and alsoin some scientific institutions. Thelargest ex-situ holdings areconcentrated at the Uzbek ResearchInstitute of Plant Industry (UzRIPI)with more than 50.000 samples of 120agricultural crops. All thesecollections are actively used. A regionalplan has been developed for collectingof endangered plants, local varieties ofcultivated plants and their wild relativesin the Central Asian region.

The Coordinative Council developed aNational Programme named “PlantGenepool”. Needs in collecting,conservation and utilization of plantgenetic resources are being addressed

FOCUS ON CENTRAL ASIA:

New plans for the conservation of plantgenetic resources in the region

The information, opinions and designations in the Newsletter are not necessarily those of IPGRI. Any comments on the content be sentdirectly to the author of the article.

Uzbek market E.Frison

Issue number 19, April 1999 CWANA CWANA CWANA CWANA CWANA Newsletter

by this Programme. The UzRIPI is theleading organization for theimplementation of this Program and 14scientific institutions of the Republicare its partners.

The government of Uzbekistanrecognizes that the conservation ofplant genetic resources an importantelemenet for the sustainabledevelopment of an independent State,and fully supports and endorsesrelevant research activities andprojects in this domain. The NationalCoordinative Council on plant genetic

resources consists of representativesof the Ministry of Finance, Ecology,Long-term Planning and Prognosis,Agriculture and Water Economy. TheCouncil is responsible for theimplementation and follow-up ofprogramme activities, monitoring offinancial expenses and analysis ofreports.

Collecting expeditions are organized byInstitutes each year (see also “NationalProgrammes”). Collaboration ofUzbekistan with the Republic of Ko-rea, Russia, Syria and other countriesis increasing. These countries financejoint collecting missions. Collectionsare enriched with new samples throughexchange among genebanks, scientificinstitutions such as the Botanical Gar-dens of Korea, the Netherlands andRussia.

On IPGRI and ICARDA’s initiative, theFirst International Training Course forConservation and Utilization of plantgenetic resources was carried out inTashkent in September, 1997 by theCoordinative Council with participationof Institute of Genetics andExperimental Biology of Plants,

Dana nature reserve in Jordan wasestablished in 1989 following a studyof IUCN in cooperation with the RoyalSociety for the Conservation of Nature(RSCN), a non-governmentalorganistion in Jordan. The IUCNstudy suggested 12 sites in Jordan forthe establishment of natural reserves.Presently, RSCN has established sixreserves and the Dana valley is one ofthem.

Many researchers have conductedstudies in the reserve on the mammals,birds, flora and fauna. Also thearcheological sites have been studied.The outcome of these studies is usedfor the development of a managementplan for the reserve.

The findings of the first ecologicalsurvey shows that there are about 650species of plants and even three newlyrecorded species of shrubs. There are

DANA Nature Reserve,an integrated approachto conservation

Mohammed Yousef (RSCN) andJoshka Wessels (IPGRI-CWANA)

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CAN-PGR structure and organization

Each representative of a Central Asian country is a member of the RegionalCoordinative Council (RCC) and Network for Conservation, Study and Use ofplant genetic resources in the person of a National Plant Genetic ResourcesCoordinator and one member is responsible for the working group in Forest GeneticResources of Central Asian countries.

The following working groups were established with respective coordinators:• Grains and Legumes: I.Abugaliev (Kazakhstan)-• Fiber pasture crops: K. Saipov (Kirghstan)-• Fruits, Berries and Vegetables: K.Mamedov (Turkmenistan)-• Technical and Herb crops: B.Sanginov (Tadjikistan)-• Forest resources: A.Kaimov (Uzbekistan)-

Academy of Science and UzbekResearch Institute of Plant Industry.Representatives of Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan, Tadjikistan, Turkmenistanand Uzbekistan participated in thiscourse. With VIR and ICARDA’ssupport a Plant Genepool Data Basewas developed and trait collectionscompiled.

In this perspective, our work will focuson consolidation between NationalProgrammes and consequentlydevelopment of links with regional andinternational institutions.

also about 45 mammals, 36 reptiles, 300invertebrates, 100 archeological sitesand 300 species of birds. The surveyrecorded the first Blanford’s fox inJordan. Mr Mohammed Yousef, Headof Research and Survey explains howRSCN used these data: “from that pointwe started to classify the speciesaccording to their conservationimportance. We identified the keyspecies for conservation in the reserveand started to prepare the monitoringprogramme for these species and theirhabitats. We monitor them everyseason to assess the effect of themanagement on them”.

The garden terracesAccording to a socio-economic surveythere are two different land-usesystems present in the Dana valley.Semi-nomadic pastoralists, dependingmainly on livestock, inhabit the lowerparts of the valley in Wadi Araba.Other inhabitants live in the upper partin the Dana village. This village is about500 years old and centuries old terracegardens are used for the cultivation offruittrees. However these gardensneeded maintainance. “We started torestore these gardens after we realizedthat the local people, since they were

prevented from the reserve to let theirsheep and goats graze, would need tohave an alternative for their loss ofincome” says Mohammed Yousef,”to solve this problem we try toencourage them to work with us and toget the benefits from the reserve. Firstwe developed a watershed scheme andwater harvesting channels. There are


National Programmes

Multi crop collectingexpedition to UzbekistanMr L. J. M. van Soest, CGN,Wageningen, The Netherlands;Dr. K.I. Baimatov & Dr. A.P.Pimakov, Uzbekistan ResearchInstitute of Plant Industry Kibray/Tashkent, Uzbekistan;Dr. V.F. Chapurin, N.I. VavilovInstitute of Plant Industry St.Petersburg, Russia.

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fruit trees like apricots and herbs likeoregano and many other crops whichare now grown naturally in the gardens.We trained some people from the localcommunity to dry the food and makejams and juices with the produce of theirorchards. Now we started to sell thisproducts to the visitors of the reserveand the villagers share the benefitsfrom this activity”.

Forest and fruit treesWild pistachio can be found in thereserve along with juniper, oak tree, wildalmond and cypress. Dana has the onlycypress forest in the southern part ofJordan with about 2000 trees, which arevery old and endangered. RSCNconducted a study on junipers incollaboration with the University ofArizona to determine the growth of thetrees. Mohammed Yousef looks a littlebit concerned “Over the last 50 yearswe do not observe any growth for thejuniper tree, maybe this is related to theweather conditions and the overgrazingin that area”. Hopefully measures canbe taken to make the juniper grow again

Genetic diversity of species in the re-serveOn the genetic diversity of species inthe reserve, no technical study hasbeen conducted but, ”We havedeveloped a checklist the entire floraof the reserve according to the speciesand the need for their conservation andthe benefits associated to their use”,says Mohammed Yousef, ”through thiswork we have recorded for examplespecies which are important for thehuman diet and these are key speciesthat are monitored regularly ”.

Spin off from of Dana’s successAfter the succes of Dana, RSCN isstarting a similar project in Wadi Rum.Known as the decor for the film“Lawrence of Arabia” where it seemsan empty desert area, this reserve isthough very rich in biodiversity. “In theDana project we did not involve thelocal communities from the beginningbut we learned a lot and now we willwork from the beginning with theinhabitants of Wadi Rum” saysMohammed Yousef. There will be closeinvolvement of the local communitiesin the project and they will activelyparticipate in the management and theplanning of the work of RSCN in WadiRum. “We will make use of the RapidRural Appraisal approach for moreinvolvement and participation of the

local community. And because we wantto protect the landscape and integratethe tourism which is the main source ofincome for the communities in WadiRum, we will have to learn from andwork hand in hand with local people.Otherwise we will not succeed in thisproject”. The Wadi Rum project ishoped to be as successful as Dana’s.“We signed this project in June 1998and we started in July 1998 to conductthe socio-economic survey anddevelop the zoning plan for the area todefine the most important parts forconservation in the area. All staff areJordanian, they were trained at RSCNand I think we now have good expertsspecialized in each part of the surveyneeds. The staff who started to workwith the Dana project are now key staffof RSCN.”

The future for Dana“Dana is a pilot project and we arepromoting sustainable developmentand conservation in Jordan throughthis project. I think it will be a model forother countries” says MohammedYousef. RSCN has made an applicationto the Man and Biosphere Programme(MAB) for the establishment of Danaas a Biosphere Reserve. This willcertainly raise the internationalimportance of Dana. “I think Dana wasa succesful project and we received asecond grant from the GlobalEnvironmental Facility (GEF). This isthe first time that the same organisationgets a grant twice in a row and it provesour DANA project is something to beproud of ! ”.

The DANA valley is located in thesouthern part of Jordan. It is about 312square km. For more informationcontact: RSCN, P.O. Box 6354, Amman11183, Jordan, telephone:+962-3-368498/7 fax: +962-3-368499 Email:[email protected]

The National Genebank ofUzbekistan, the UzbekistanResearch Institute of Plant Industry,the N.I. Vavilov Institute of PlantIndustry (VIR) and the Centre forGenetic Resources, theNetherlands (CGN) joined forces inAugust 1997 to undertake acollecting mission in Uzbekistan.The target species of this missionwere Allium spp. (onion, garlic andwild relatives), vegetables,(Brassica spp., Lactuca spp.),fruits, (Malus (apple)) and sometemperate grasses. Both cultivatedand wild material were collected.Some duplicates of the collectedmaterial were deposited in theUzbek National Genebank andothers at VIR.

Uzbekistan is situated in the middleof the Central Asian Centre oforigin where more than 40 cropsoriginate, including apple, cotton,garlic, melon, onion, Prunus spp.,spinach, walnut, several pulses andspicy plants. The expedition focusedon mountainous areas situatednorth, east and southeast ofTashkent and in some mountains inthe south near the borders withTurkmenistan and Afghanistan.

The differences in climate, soil andaltitude has highly influenced thegenetic diversity of a number ofimportant crops. Wild relatives ofseveral of the 40 crops may still befound, particularly in mountainousareas. Uzbekistan is also situatedat the periphery of the distributionarea of a number of other importantcrops, such as temperate grassesand pasture legumes, wild Lactucaspp. and Tulipa spp. In addition,landraces of several vegetables arestill cultivated by local farmers.

The mission was successful andnearly 300 accessions of more than45 species were collected from 48localities. The expedition teamtravelled approximately 2500 kmover a period of 26 days. More than

Issue number 19, April 1999 CWANA CWANA CWANA CWANA CWANA Newsletter 4

A new Genetic Resources Centrehas been established on 5 October1998 at the Sana’a University,Republic of Yemen. This Centre ismandated for characterization,evaluation and classification of thenationally collected germplasm andendeavour to return and importremaining types which are collectedby International and RegionalGenebanks. A fully equippedbuilding was allocated for thiscentre, which hosts preparation andcold storage rooms, a biotechnologyand tissue lab, in addition toconditioned growth chambers. Themain objective of the Centre is tocollect genetic diversity of valuableplant species from different climaticand agricultural regions in therepublic of Yemen. The Centre aimsto conserve all samples in thegenebank and multiply collectedgermplasm to serve geneticimprovement programs in thecountry for the production ofvarieties adaptable to specificYemeni conditions. The Centre willalso establish in-situ conservationsites and botanical gardens incoordination with concernedauthorities In conclusion, the Centrewill be a central point for scientificstudies including genetic erosionassessment on selected priorityspecies.All scientists in the Faculty ofAgriculture feel that it is theirobligation to contribute to preserveindigenous plant genetic resourcesin order to benefit in the productionprocess of local varieties which areadapted to Yemeni environmentalconditions. For this reason, theyagreed unanimously that it isimportant to initiate this activity bythe establishment of a specializedGenetic Resources Centre. TheCentre is managed by a Board of

A New Centre tosafeguard Yemeni

Plant GeneticResources

Table 1. Number of species and accessions collected in Uzbekistan

Genus/crop Number of species To t a laccessionsLactuca spp (+ relatives) 4/5 23Allium spp. 13/14 63Brassica spp. 3 10Malus spp. 1? 66Tulipa spp. 3/5 42Grasses (Gramineae) 6/8 37Other crops/species 11/14 51Total 41/50 296

75% of the material was collectedfrom the wild but some was alsoobtained from markets and livingcollections. For asummary of thematerial collected,see Table 1.H e r b a r i u mspecimens werenot taken.

Broad phenotypicvariation wasobserved in thefield and thisvariation wasreflected in theaccessions collected. The 48collection sites were of verydifferent ecological zones andaltitudes ranging from 250 to 1600m asl., which also contributes to theextensive intra-specific diversityfound in the region.

The material collected during thistrip will enable three important basecollections held at CGN, specifically

Allium, Brassica and Lactuca, tobe broadened by the addition of bothwild and domesticated material.Current gaps in the Allium andLactuca collections may also befilled, since a number of speciescurrently not included orunderepresented were collected.

Interesting accessions were alsocollected for a number of perennialcrops such as apple. The perennial

nature of this material does notenable results to be obtained quicklyand so positive effects from the use

of this genetic diversity may onlybe observed after 5-10 years.

For some of the collected material,further taxonomic identification isrequired, particularly for the wildspecies. E.g. Allium, Lactuca,Tulipa and some of the forages.

The cooperation between theexpedition members of Uzbekistan,

Russia and the Netherlands wasexcellent. A second expedition toUzbekistan including mountainousareas around the Fergana Valleyand in some of the neighboringcountries is now underconsideration. A more detailedreport is published in the PlantGenetic Resources Newsletter ofFAO/IPGRI number 116, 1998.

Collection missions in Uzbekistan, 1997


New ChairmanPARC

Dr Kasur Abdulla Malik ,formerDirector General , Nuclear Institutefor Biotechnology and GeneticEngineering (NIBGE) Faisalabad, hasassumed the charge as Chairman,Pakistan Agricultural ResearchCouncil.Islamabad.In future all official correspondenceshould be addressed to him on thefollowing address.Dr. Kasur Abdulla Malik,Chairman, PARCP.O.Box 1031,Islamabad 44000,Pakistan.Tel. +92-51-9203955Fax. +92-51-9202968

The establishmentof a National

Forestry ResearchDivision to protect

Forestry PGR inSyria

On 20 August 1998, H.E. Dr Asa’adMustafa, the Minister of Agricultureand Agricultural Reform of The SyrianArab Republic, has issued a Ministerialdecree that establishes a Division forForestry Scientific and AppliedResearch within the Directorate ofForestry of the MAAR. The Headquarters of the new division are inBietima , “Rif” Damascus province. Theduties of the new research division,which is headed by Dr Ihsan Younes,include:

* Undertake experimental researchon forest species,

* Carry out research that aims at theprotection of plant geneticresources of forest tree speciesand their biological diversity, andthe improvement of their traits,

* Contribute to the development offorest activities on a soundscientific basis in order to maintainthese resources in a sustainablemanner.

The research division is composed offive sections: 1) coniferous forests, 2)broad-leaved forests, 3) rare andintroduced species, 4) arid and semi-arid forests, 5) and statistics,documentation, registration anddissemination of information. The

Directors, represented by theExecutive Director.

For more information pleasecontact:: The Executive Director,Yemeni Genetic Resources Centre(YGRC), Faculty of Agriculture,Sana’a University, P.O. Box13768, Sana’a, Republic ofYemen, Tel: +967-1-250 501Fax: +967-1-251 585 Tel/Fax:+967-1-226 493.

research division has four forestryresearch stations: Lattakia for thecoastal areas, Hama for the Central andNorthern areas, Deir Ez Zor for theEastern areas and “Rif” Damascus forthe Southern areas.

Regional News

Arab OrganizationFor AgriculturalDevelopment(AOAD) to im-

prove productivityof cereal crops

Dr. Yahya Bakour, Director Gen-eral AOAD

The AOAD is planning to implementa regional project on “Improving theproductivity of cereal crops in theArab region”. The projectcomponents encompassespreparation of country reportsfollowed by convening of seminarsto discuss these reports findings andoutcome. These activities will beconducted in all Arab countriesduring the period of March-August1999. The country reports findingsand the recommendations of theseminars will assist in editing thecomprehensive regional projectdocument which is scheduled to betowards September 1999. It ishoped that these activities will

Update on charac-terization ofPrunus Germplasmin Bekaa valleyAli Chehade and Lamis ChalakInstitut de RecherchesAgronomiques du Liban, TelAmara, Lebanon.

In our last issue we informedyou about the new department oftissue culture at the LebaneseAgricultural Research Institute.Below you will find an update onresearch results of the fieldactivities.

The distribution of Prunus speciesin Bekaa and the characteristics ofPrunus germplasm wereinvestigated. Collections weremade from both wild and cultivatedhabitats. Ecogeographic surveyswere conducted according to thetemperature, pluviometry, altitudeand soil type. Nine morphologicalcharacteristics of leaves, fruits andnuts were also statisticallyassessed. Eleven species werefound in Bekaa region at elevationsranged from 650 to 1700 m. Mostof these species are distributed inall sites of the Bekaa valley, atprecipitations ranged between 200and 1250 mm and where criticalwinter temperature reached -2°C.Diversity index ranged from 0.59(P. mahaleb) to 0.79 (P avium).Cultivated species were unlike wildspecies different in their indicesbetween populations. Thesedifferences of diversity could beattributed to the number of varietiesand orchard managementpractices. Coefficient of variationshowed that the weight of fruitswas the most efficient factorindicating the diversity.

contribute to sustainable increaseand improvement of cerealproduction in our region.


Safflower Corecollection -

Evaluation andutilization

S.K. Yau, American University ofBeirut (AUB), Beirut, Lebanon

In most countries of West Asia andNorth Africa (WANA), there is a criticaland growing shortage of ediblevegetable oil, which is healthier andcheaper than animal fat. Such ashortage exists, because little oil seedcrops are grown in the WANAcountries. Farmers should beencouraged to grow oil-seed crops toreduce such shortage instead ofdepending entirely on import.Safflower has the potential to be aprofitable oil-seed crop for theregion. Originating from the MiddleEast (Knowles, 1976), safflower(Carthamus tinctorius) is a suitablecrop for low-rainfall areas receivingwinter and spring rainfall. It isconsidered to be the most drought-resistant of all oil-seed annuals inIndia (Arnon, 1972). Besides, inMediterranean areas, safflower canbe grown just like winter cerealswithout additional irrigation.Safflower matures after the cerealharvest is completed; consequently itdoes not clash with the main cerealcrops for the use of harvestingequipment (Arnon, 1972). Furthermore,safflower oil usually fetches a goodprice next to olive oil. Research linkinghealth and diet has increased thedemand for safflower oil, which has thehighest polyunsaturated/saturatedratio of any oil available, and isassociated with lower blood cholesterol(Li and Mündel, 1996).In 1997, AUB initiated a safflowerimprovement project on the Bekaa Plainof Lebanon. The first step was toassemble and evaluate safflowergermplasm to obtain potentiallyvaluable materials, which may havehigh yield making them suitable forrelease to farmers, and/or have certaindesirable characteristics deserved to beused as parents for hybridization. Thesafflower core collection of theRegional Plant Introduction Station ofthe USDA at Pullman, Washington,USA, was evaluated. It consists of 207

accessions from 52 countries of theworld. Undoubtedly, large and usefulvariation exists in this core collection.Twelve accessions were selected by theauthor for initial yield trial, and sixty-nine other accessions or single-plantselections within accessions werepromoted for further screening. Theauthor believes that core collectionsgreatly facilitate and enhance thepractical utilization of germplasmcollections.Huge differences in seed yield existedbetween the accessions in the fallplanting. With a mean of 1230 kg/ha,the highest yielding accession gave4650 kg/ha, but the poorest accessionyielded only 30 kg/ha. The coefficientof variation was as high as 74%. Thethree highest yielding accessions were

PI 250537, 369850, and 304503.Checking the origin of high-yieldingaccessions can reveal importantinformation on where promisinggermplasm can be obtained. The elevenhighest-yielding accessions (with seedyield >3000 kg/ha) came from only sixcountries. With the exception of USA,all the other five countries were in theWANA region close to Lebanon, andthey probably have relatively similarclimatic conditions.The twenty-eight lowest-yieldingaccessions (<300 kg/ha) came fromcountries in East or South Asia, Europe,or Eastern Africa, which have verydifferent climatic conditions from thatexperienced in Lebanon and would notyield well on the Bekaa Plain.Unexpectedly, despite the huge rangethat existed in seed yield, all accessionsin the fall planting reached 50%flowering in June. The earliestaccession, PI 248629 from Pakistan,flowered on the 3rd, and the latestaccession flowered on 27th. Actually,all except 3 accessions flowered

between 5th and 20th of June. Thecoefficient of variation was 35.8%.Although days-to-flowering was notcorrelated with seed yield, ten of theeleven highest-yielding accessionsflowered between 10-15 June, which isexpected to be the optimal floweringtime for the season.In the spring planting, the earliestaccession flowered as early as 9 June.This accession was PI 537652 fromMexico. It was also the earliest inflowering in the plastic house. Mostaccessions flowered in June also,though some accessions dried upbefore forming flowers. The accessionPI 405984 from Iran appeared to requirestrong vernalization to flower since itdid not have flowering buds by 6 July.There was a significant correlationbetween early growth and seed yield (r= 0.36). All high yielding accessionshad average or above-average scores.Accessions also differed in plantheight, which was significantlycorrelated with seed yield (r = 0.45). Allhigh-yielding accessions had above-average plant height. The two shortestaccessions were PI 209295 from Kenya,and PI 544006 from China, both of whichhad very poor yield.The majority of the accessions haveyellow or yellow-orange flowers. Somehave orange-red or red flowers, andonly a few have white flowers. Most ofthe accessions have spine. Only twoaccessions are really spineless. Theyare PI 253569 from Portugal, and PI401581 from India. Though both werenot high in seed yield. (See also IPGRIAlumni and Trainees, eds. note)

References:Arnon, I. 1972. Crop Production in DryAreas, Volume II: Systematic Treatmentof the Principal Crops. Leonard Hill,London.Knowles, P.F. 1976. Safflower. Pages 31-33, in N.W. Simmonds ed., Evolution ofCrop Plants. Longman, London.Li, D.J. and Mündel, H.H. 1996.Safflower, Carthamus tinctorius L.International Plant Genetic ResourcesInstitute, Rome.

Safflower in Syria J.Wessels


IPGRI Alumni and Trainees

Evaluating and Characterizing Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) germplasm

An Abstract of the Thesis for Master of ScienceSamer Ali Khalifeh, AUB, Lebanon

The objectives of this research were to study morphological characteristics of safflower accessions collectedfrom different parts of the world, to determine the yield potential, and to describe the extent of biodiversity of thecollection. Germination, speed of germination and germination elasticity were tested under varying levels of moisturestress. Seed oil content was also determined. Molecular characterization, using RAPD analysis was performed onall accessions. In addition, a field experiment was done at AREC to assess growth, yield and other morphologicalcharacters under irrigated and non-irrigated conditions. Percentage germination and speed of germination weresignificantly effected by choice of accessions as well as osmotic stress. Germination elasticity, on the other hand,was not affected by osmotic potential, and most accessions showed poor recovery following stress. A wide rangeof seed oil content, 37.75-62.30% was observed. Many variable, such as plant height, time to harvest and seed yieldwere not affected by irrigation treatment, but differ between accessions. Cluster analysis resulted in differentgrouping depending on quantitative, qualitative or DNA results. Also, accessions were grouped differently whenirrigated and non-irrigated variable results were compared. Diversity analysis therefore is highly affected by andchanges according to prevalent conditions. It is therefore recommended that such analysis be performed underconditions resembling the target area of production.

Enhancing the useof underutilizedspecies throughirradiation andrelated techniques

Dr. Stefano Padulosi (IPGRI-CWANA) attended the firstResearch Coordination Meeting ofthe FAO/IAEA project entitled“Genetic improvement ofunderutilized and neglected crops inLIFDCs through irradiation andrelated techniques” which was heldat the FAO/IAEA headquarters inVienna, Austria, from 7 to 11December 1998. This attendancefollows up a recently signedresearch agreement betweenIPGRI and FAO/IAEA in the areaof underutilized crops. Dr.Padulosi’s seminar on “Promotion

Global Newsand use of diversity ofunderutilized and neglected speciesin LIFDCs” (LIFDCs standing forlow income food deficit countries)was the opening talk whichprepared the ground for some 16presentations made by scientistsfrom 11 countries (Costa Rica,Indonesia, India, Ghana, Mexico,Republic of South Africa, Slovakia,France, Bolivia, Ecuador andThailand). The meeting wasorganized to review in details theresearch program of a number ofprojects supported through thenewly launched FAO/IAEA projecton underutilized crops which willbe addressing the geneticimprovement and the marketpromotion of some selected seedpropagated (Vigna subterranea,Chenopodium quinoa, Amaranthusspp., Lathyrus sativus,Abelmoschus esculentus) andvegetatively propagated crops(Colocasia spp., Xanthosoma spp.,Dioscorea spp., SolanumjucepzukiiS. ajanhuiri, S.quitoense). IPGRI’s important rolein creating /strengthening linkswith existing initiatives on theselected crops was particularlyemphasized by the participants.

M.Sc. GraduationYawooz Adham (IPGRI-CWANA)

Mr. Samer Ali Khalifeh from theAmerican University of Beirut(AUB) Lebanon presented, hisMaster of Science defense entitled“Evaluating and CharacterizingSafflower (Carthamus tinctoriusL.) germplasm” on 11 December1998 at AUB , Beirut, Lebanon.

After the presentation, thegraduation committee (Dr. RiadBaalbaki, AUB, Dr. Salma Talhouk,AUB, Dr. Rami Zurayk, AUB andDr. Yawooz Adham from IPGRI-CWANA) granted Mr. Samer AliKhalifeh the Master ScienceDegree for his thesis.

Mr. Khalifeh started his researchwork with support from IPGRI atAUB in 1997/1998 academic yearsupervised jointly by Dr. Baalbakiand Dr. Adham.


Course on Molecular tools forbiodiversity studies 04 – 15 July, Aleppo, SyriaICARDA/IPGRI

for more information contact IPGRI-CWANA office.

International Course on AppliedPlant Breeding14 March 1999 - 26 June 1999

International Course on SeedProduction and SeedTechnology (including a moduleon Quality assurance: a coursefor professional committed toquality in the seed)11 April 1999 – 15 July 1999 (Module10 –21 May 1999)

International Agricultural Centre (IAC)IAC, PO Box 88, Lawickse Allee11, 6700 AB Wageningen, TheNetherlands, Tel: +31 317 490111);Fax +31 317 418552);Email [email protected];http://www/iac-agro.nl/

Intensive course on plantbiotechnology and applications17 March - 4 June 1999, MAICh/CIHEAM, International Centre forAdvanced Mediterranean AgronomicStudies, Crete, Greece

International Diploma in BotanicGarden Education19 April 1999 – 14 May 1999Royal Botanic Gardens, KEW andBotanic Gardens ConservationInternational (BGCI)Andrew Jamieson, EducationSection, Royal Botanic Gardens,Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AB,UK; Tel. +44-181-3325638; Fax +44-181-3325640;Email: [email protected]

Julia Willison, Botanic GardenConservation International,Descanso House, 1999 Kew Road,Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3BW, UK;Tel +44-181-3325953/4/5; Fax +44-181-3325956;Email: [email protected]

TrainingOpportunities

Assessment of thegenetic variation

in naturalpopulations of

capparis spinosaL. using RAPD

analysisS. Khouildi, Plant BiotechnologyLaboratory (INRST) Tunisia

M. A. Pagnotta, O. A. Tanzarellaand E. Porceddu, Department ofAgrobiology and Agrochemistry,University of Tuscia, Viterbo,Italy,

A. Ghorbel, Plant BiotechnologyLaboratory (INRST) Tunisia

Caper is a crawling native shrub be-longing to the Capparidaceae fam-ily, The genus Capparis includesmore than 250 species. Caper is anevergreen, occasionally spiny, shrubor small tree with simple or spirallyarranged leaves. The small whiteor yellow flowers blossom duringthe summer in racemes or paniclesand bear 4 sepals, 4 petals and nu-merous stamens. Capparisspinosa L. grows spontaneously onthe rocky calcareous and degradedsoils of the Mediterranean basin, itis classified as an ornamental plant,but it is basically utilised for itsflower buds, which are pickled andused as a relish in several traditionaldishes. The pickled buds are ex-ported all over the world, Tunisia,for instance, in 1989 exported 11 tonsof capers to Spain, 51 tons toFrance and 15 tons to Italy.

Caper is also considered a medici-nal plant and it is rich in vitamin C.Aside its economic importance, ca-per could also play an important rolein the restoration process of eco-systems in Mediterranean landswhere the problem of aridity arises.

Due to the lack of information con-cerning the genetic diversity and thegermplasm handling of this genus,we focused this preliminary inves-tigation (i) to evaluate the potenti-

ality of the RAPD markers in thecharacterisation and identificationof this species at the molecularlevel; (ii) to assess the genetic vari-ation between and within naturalItalian and Tunisian populations;and (iii) to estimate the usefulnessof further population studies, in par-ticular for germplasm evaluationand conservation to be exploited forthe genetic improvement of thiscrop

In the present research 70 capergenotypes from Tunisia, collectedall around the country, and 40 geno-types from Central Italy were used.DNA was extracted from freshleaves of single plant using theDellaporta (1983) method.

RAPD amplifications were per-formed using Operon primers. Outof 60 screened primers (series B,R and S), only 10 were selected fortheir reproducibility, suitable patternand ability to detect polymorphism,and applied to all the collected geno-types.

The analysis of the RAPD datawas performed using the GDApackage (Lewis and Zaykin, 1996).The computation of the degree ofgenetic diversity and of the geneticdistance Nei (1972) betweenpopulations detected a relevantamount of genetic polymorphismamong and within the sampledpopulations. The observed variationcould be more related to environ-mental factors than to geographicdistances, in fact it was not possi-ble to discriminate the populationson the basis of their geographicprovenance. In conclusion, RAPDmarkers seem a suitable tool forstudying the genetic structure ofCapparis spinosa populations andfor assessing the extent of geneticvariation in its germplasm.

Sondos Khouildi, received a researchfellowship within the ItalianIndividual Training Scheme to studyfor one year in Italy with the supportof IPGRI.


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IPGRI and the Jordan University ofScience and Technology (JUST) heldan international Workshop on 14-17December 1998 in Irbid, Jordan, entitled“Pistachio: towards a comprehensivedocumentation of distribution and useof its genetic diversity in the CWANAregion”. The meeting called on expertsfor assessing the state of the art onPistacia genetic resources across theregion. The wide participation (expertsfrom both CWANA -Jordan, Syria, Lebanon,Iran, Turkey, Egypt,Cyprus, Pakistan,Uzbekistan, Morocco,Tunisia, Libya- andMediterranean Europe -Italy, Greece, Spain- werepresent), and the wellfocused and thoroughscientific presentationsgiven during themeeting contributed tomake this Workshop avery successful one.This initiative is part ofan on-going effort that IPGRI has beendeploying over the last few years toenhance conservation & use ofpistachio and its wild relatives,important economic horticultural cropin CWANA and key forest species ableto withstand poor soil and severedrought conditions. The IrbidWorkshop, which contributed tostrengthen the cooperation betweenvarious actors involved on Pistaciaresearch s.a. IPGRI, GREMPA (Groupde Recherches et d’ÉtudesMéditerranéen pour le Pistachier etl’Amandier), FAO-CHIEAM NutNetwork and ACSAD, allowed toconduct a sharp analyses of theproblems faced today by pistachiovarieties. All presentations reportedgenetic erosion as one of the mostserious threat to the survival of bothcultivated and wild taxa of Pistacia inCWANA and European countries. The

abandon of local varieties due to thespecialization of pistachio orchards onjust few improved varieties and thedestruction of the natural habitats wereamong the main causes for suchreported loss of diversity. In additionto urgent calls for the betterconservation of Pistacia (there werereported cases of local varieties on theverge of extinction –s.a. var. ‘Einetine’in Syria –see inset) participants voiced

the need for moretaxonomic studies, greater attention onagromorphological and molecularcharacterization of pistachio varietiesand ecophysiological characterizationof Pistacia growing areas aiming at theidentification of best growingconditions for each variety within theregion. The Workshop lead to thecommitment from all participatingcountries to pursue an agreed workplan in which a number of identifiedtask will be tackled using availableexpertise, existing partnerships andNetworking platforms (such asWANANET). In order to facilitate theimplementation of activities twocommittees (on cultivated and wildspecies) were established with theobjective to look at possible fundingopportunities for concerted initiatives.

Pistacia Genetic Resources: their current status in CWANA andMediterranean EuropeStefano Padulosi

A stand of pistachio Einetinevariety from Einetine village,near Damascus, Syria. Suchremnants of a once popularvariety are estimated to beseveral hundreds years oldand are today close toextinction due to their severestate of abandon. Yet thesetrees are part of a uniquebiodiversity and culturalheritage that must be safelydelivered by us into the newMillennium!

participants

S.Padulosi

IPGRI is very pleased to announce the

release of the publication “Descriptors

for Pistacia spp. (excluding Pistacia vera

L.). International Plant Genetic Resources

Institute, Rome, Italy. The publication,

which follows the 1997 descriptors for

pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) is the result of

a networking effort of experts from more

than 12 countries. This output represents

a milestone of IPGRI’s step-by-step

approach in the promotion of Pistacia

genetic resources which started in 1994

in the framework of the Italian-supported

project on Underutilized Mediterranean

Species. The publication is expected to

become an irreplaceable tool in assisting

horticulturalists and foresters around the

world in their characterization and

evaluation activities of wild Pistacia

species.



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Pinus brutia Ten. is among themost important forest tree speciesin the eastern region of theMediterranean. The ability of thespecies to grow in the mostadverse climatic and soilconditions, as well as itsgrowth potentialities underfavorable sites, make themvery important for multipurpose forestry (wood,fibers for paper, resin,amenity). However,increasing human activities,such as land use change,fire, and overexploitation, areseriously threatening its geneticdiversity or evencause the loss ofvast forest areas.Given its wideuse forreforestation ande c o n o m i cimportance, P.brutia shouldreceive a lot ofattention forfuture selection,breeding andg e n econservation purposes. In Syria,IPGRI together with nationalpartners started a study of thegenetic diversity and the usepatterns of this species tostrengthen the national capacityon forest genetic resources.Such efforts aim at thedevelopment of a strategy forthe sustainable conservation, useand management of the Syrianforest genetic resources.

Pinus brutia possesses a ratherwide range of ecologicalrequirements. It grows from sealevel up to 1500 m asl., underseveral variations of theMediterranean climate.Precipitation in its natural habitatis between 350 and 1300 mm.

It tolerates both high and lowtemperatures, but germination andseedling growth require moremoderate conditions (Skordilis et

al., 1995). The species grows onvarious bedrock formations and

s o i l s .However, inits naturalrange, it canbe found moston marl,ca l ca reousmarl, and ongreen rocks( N a h a l ,1983).

It is a light-demanding

species, although young treesperform better under lateral

shadow, especially during very hotand dry periods with high lightintensity (Nahal, 1983). As aninvasive species, it occupies open

disturbed sites, generallywit a scarce vegetativecover, and particularlywithout the presence ofaggressive competitors(Trabaud, 1995).

In older stands, it isusually predominant,mostly with rich shrubbyundergrowth belonging

to various maquis communities. Insome areas it forms mixed standswith Pinus pinea.

Diversity and improvementVarious studies on germinationrequirements, and morphology,anatomical, protein, allozymes andresin characteristics have revealedthe existence of considerablevariation in P. brutia. Variation inmost of these characteristicsappears to be related mostly toaltitude and/or climatic factors.

The great variation within thespecies gives possibilities for

management aimed at thegenetic improvement ofP. brutia, especially sincesome portion of thisvariation is of adaptiveimportance and seems tobe under genetic control.Because of the restrictionof data concerning itsgenetic structure,intensive selection ofvarieties in eachphysiogeographic divisionis recommended(Panetsos, 1986).Furthermore, moreinformation is needed onthe genetic structure ofthe species on inter- andintra-population level.

Description

It is a medium-sized tree to 20 meter,occasionally more, with an irregular pyramidalor rounded crown at maturity. The bark issilver-grey, becoming reddish brown andfissured. Twigs are reddish-yellow orgreenish. The needle-like leaves are in pairs,11-16 cm long(2). The tree is monoecious,with conical shaped flowers. The male flowersare yellowish, with red freckles while thefemale flowers are purple. They occur ingroups of 2-3 in the spring. On average, thespecies starts to bear fruits after 10 years. Thecones are spreading, and very short-stalked.They are gathered in groups of 2-4 (1).

TaxonomyPinus brutia is of the family Pinaceae. Four sub-species are distinguished. P. brutia subsp. brutia isthe most wide spread subspecies. It can be found inGreece, Cyprus, Crete, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, andin the north east of Iraq. The three other sub-specieswithin the Pinus brutia complex are growing in few

Forest Genetic Resources and SyriaPaulo van Breugel

Brutia stand in Northern Syria J.Wessels



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Field collections of fruit germplasmare subject to attacks by a range ofpests and pathogens, just like anyproduction orchard. With increasingmovement of germplasm betweencountries andregions there is aserious risk ofmoving pests andpathogens to newareas. The fact thatlittle is known of thehealth status ofc o m m e r c i a lorchards in generaland germplasmcollections in particular complicatesthe issue. Systematic surveys and thepublication of reports are oftenlacking, and the absence of reportsdoes not always imply the absenceof a pathogen from a particular area.

Germplasm collections are threatenedmore by pests and pathogens thatsurvive in and travel with thepropagation material. While forexample the mildew fungus is presenteverywhere where fruit trees aregrown, many viruses and virus-likepathogens are restricted in theirgeographical distribution and theirspread to new areas could havedisastrous effects. Most insect pests,are relatively easily detected andcontrolled by insecticide or low-temperature treatment, however, thisis more difficult for viruses. Manycountries have addressed suchproblems in commercial plantingmaterial by certification schemes;however, germplasm collections seemto receive much less attention.

Some specific examples:Plum pox potyvirus (PPV) causessharka disease, which is the mostdamaging virus disease on Prunusspp. in Eastern Europe. The virus is

still spreading to new areas. Thedisease was first observed on theAmerican continent in Chile in agermplasm collection about 10 yearsago and this report caused seriousproblems for the fruit export industry.Among the countries with reports ofthe disease in the CWANA region are

Cyprus, Egypt, Syria,and Turkey, whereasLebanon, Morocco andTunisia are stillconsidered free from PPV.

The bacterium causingcitrus greening mainlyin parts of SoutheastAsia and Africa has notreached the

Mediterranean area. If introducedalong with its insect vectors, somepsyllid species, it could have adisastrous effect on the Mediterraneancitrus industry.

The goals for germplasm collectionsshould be (1) to obtain ‘virus-freematerial’, and (2) to maintain thecollection in this status. Both goals areambitious and may not be easilyachieved.

(1) In addition to laboratory tests byvarious methods, eitherserological (e.g. ELISA) ormolecular (e.g. PCR), biologicaltests such as grafting on woodyindicators (e.g. GF 305 peachseedlings for viruses of Prunusspp.) and inoculation toherbaceous hosts (e.g. Cucumissativus, Nicotiana occidentalis,Chenopodium quinoa) arerequired. Electron microscopy willallow also the detection of so farundescribed virus particles andthus increase the confidence level.This set of measures will allow toachieve the level of sensitivity andthe broad spectrum required todeclare material to be ‘virus-free’.Should for some reason such an

elaborate programme not befeasible, a list of priority pathogensshould be established, e.g. with thehelp of a pest risk analysis (PRA ).Specific tests will be applieddepending on the pathogensconcerned. The material will belabeled ‘virus-tested’ or‘pathogen-tested’. A general wordof caution: because many virusesare not evenly distributed in thetrees always several samples fromone tree have to be tested.

(2) To maintain a germplasm collectionin a ‘virus-free’ or ‘virus-tested’status re-infection has to beprevented. Many pathogens arespread by insect vectors that arecommon in orchards, e.g. plum poxvirus by a number of different aphidspecies. Isolation from infectedorchards is often not feasible. Anideal solution is to maintain thecollection in vitro, with a fieldcollection as back-up and forcharacterization and evaluation ofthe germplasm.

Fruit tree germplasm should preferablybe moved internationally as in vitrocultures. Under no circumstancesshould germplasm be moved as rootedplant material, as this entails the risk ofintroducing a vast number of pestsincluding nematodes and insects thatmay act as virus vectors.

Curators and researchers working withfruit germplasm may wish to contact the‘Mediterranean Network for VirusDisease Assessment and Sanitation ofStone Fruit Trees’ (MNFT), a networkpromoted by CIHEAM (CentreInternational de Hautes EtudesAgronomiques Méditerranées) andcoordinated by the Istituto AgronomicoMediterraneo in collaboration with theDipartimento di Protezione delle Piante,University of Bari at the followingaddress: Via Ceglie 23, 70010 Valenzano(BA), Italy or [email protected].

Fruit Germplasm and Plant Diseases

Marlene Diekmann

Exporting plum (Prunus domestica)in Syria J.Wessels



IPGRI CWANA Regional Office

George Ayad, Regional DirectorYawooz Adham, Senior Scientist,Regional NetworksStefano Padulosi, Senior Scientist,Intergrated Conservation Methodologiesand UsesAbdallah Bari, Associate Scientist, PGRinformation/datamanagement and analysismethodologiesJoshka Wessels, Associate Scientist, Re-gional Information OfficerPaulo van Breugel, Associate Scientist,Forest Genetic ResourcesAdib Mamelly, Finance & AdministrationOfficerFuad Mustafa, Driver & TechnicianLinda Fattal, Programme Secretary

InformationServices

Information on plant genetic re-sources in the CWANA region canbe obtained through the CWANAregional office. IPGRI publicationsare available free of charge to thelibraries of the genebanks. univer-sity departments, research insti-tutes, etc. Single copies of IPGRItitles may also be made available toindividuals who can show they havea need for personal copy of a par-ticular publication. To order any ofthese publications or titles on plantgenetic resources contact theIPGRI-CWANA office.

IPGRI publishes 5 Regional Newsletters covering the different regions of the world. They are intended to serve as an informal forumfor the exchange of news and views, and to create closer ties between national programme scientists, researchers and other geneticresources workers. Contributions/news items for the CWANA Newsletter are welcome and can be sent electronically to [email protected] or by mail to:IPGRI-CWANA, clo ICARDA, P.O.5466, Aleppo, Syria.

Upcoming Events New Publications22 - 27 AugustVI International Conference on theDevelopment of Dry Lands: DesertDevelopment: Challenges Beyond the Year2000, IDDC/ICARDA/Ministry ofAgriculture EGYPT, Cairo

1-4 September18th International Symposium on PlantEssential Oils & Extracts, Association pourla Promotion des Plantes a Parfum,Aromatiques et Medicinales, Digne lesBains, France

6-8 SeptemberWorld Seed Conference, ISTA-FIS/ASSINSEL-OECD-UPOV,Conference contact: 42 Devonshire road,Cambridge CB1 2BL, U.K. tel. +44-1-22332 34 37 fax. +44-1-22346 03 96 Email:[email protected]

26 - 28 SeptemberCommission for Controlling the DesertLocust in the Eastern Region of itsDistribution Area in South West Asia(22nd Session)and 13th Session of the ExecutiveCommittee, FAO, Teheran, Iran

17-21 OctoberDiversity in agricultural products, newcrops and new markets, Association forthe advancement of industrial crops,Eugene, Oregon, USA

DESCRIPTOR LISTSPistacia spp.(excluding Pistacia veraL.)1998. 48 pages. ISBN 92-9043-374-4,IPGRI

GENDER AND GENETICRESOURCES MANAGEMENTWomen Farmers and Andean Seeds,Mario E. Tapia and Ana De la Torre1998. 45 pages. ISBN 92-9043-378-7,IPGRI

PROMOTING THE CONSERVATIONAND USE OF UNDERUTILIZED ANDNEGLECTED CROPS, Aibika/BeleAbelmoschus manihot (L.) Medik.Stephen R. Preston 1998. 97 pages.ISBN 92-9043-381-7, IPGRI

Cahiers Options Mediterraneennes,volume 38, Wild food and non-foodplants: information networking, DGI-CIHEAM/MAICh,1998, ISSN 1022-1379

Underutilized Crops ofPakistan,Proceedings of a symposiumheld May 28-29, 1997 N.Haq,K.Anthony, M.Sarwar and Z.Ahmad(eds.) CSC, PARC and ICUC, ISBN:969-409-124-1, Pakistan

CWANA office news

Mr. Samer Badra left to France to continuehis study on computer science. Along withSamer, our two secretaries Shaghaf TaherAgha and Mary Bakkal also left theCWANA office. We thank all of them fortheir invaluable contribution .

Dr. Marlene Diekmann left the CWANAoffice to take up a new assignment in Ger-many at GTZ, Bonn. Marlene Diekmannhas made a significant contribution in thefield of germplasm health on global and re-gional level. We all wish her good luck withher new assigment. Her new address is:BEAF, Advisory Service for Development- Oriented Agricultural Research,Dottendorfer Str. 86, 53129 Bonn, Ger-

many, tel. +49-228-5399220, fax. +49-228-5399277

We welcome Dr Muhabbat Turdieva,Forestry Genetic Resources Scientist, asa new member of our team. Dr Turdievawill be co-ordinating the new office:IPGRI-CWANA sub-office for CentralAsia and the Caucasusc/o The CGIAR Programme FacilitationUnit (PFU)The International Center for AgriculturalResearch in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)P.O.Box 4564TashkentUzbekistanTel +968-71-1375259/1375270Fax +968-71-1207125E-mail [email protected]

IPGRI Home Page athttp:llwww.cgiar.orglipgri.

Documents

Newsletter for Central & West Asia and North Africa · National Programme named “Plant Genepool”. Needs in collecting, conservation and utilization of plant genetic resources