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  • This publication is printed by

    The FAO Regional Project “Capacity building and enhanced regional collaboration for the conservation and

    sustainable use of plant genetic resources in Asia” (GCP/RAS/240/JPN)

    All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission, with a statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction, should be addressed to the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, 39 Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailand. For a copy of the report, please write to: Regional Project “Capacity building and enhanced regional collaboration for the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources in Asia” c/o FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific 39 Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailand. Contact address: Duncan Vaughan Chief Technical Adviser GCP/RAS/240/JPN Tel: 662-697 4142 Fax: 662-697 4445 Email: [email protected]

    The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

  • iii

    Foreword

    This document represents a record of the First National Focal Points Meeting of Project GCP/RAS/240/JPN – Capacity building and regional collaboration for enhancing the conservation and sustainable use of Plant Genetic Resources in Asia. The meeting was held at FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand from 29-30th June 2009. The meeting involved participants from 15 project member countries and representatives of the donor country, Japan, and specialists from CG centres, ICRISAT and Bioversity International, and the Crop Diversity Trust, International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture Secretariat and FAO-AGP. The FAO project GCP/RAS/240/JPN has as its main objective the establishment of a country driven, Asia wide system, which assists the GPA-PGRFA as a support for sustainable agricultural development in the Asian region. The main objectives of this meeting were: (a) To introduce the plant genetic resources information systems of Project member countries; (b) To discuss ways to improve in-country and between country information flow regarding plant genetic resources; (c) To learn the latest developments regarding international activities related to plant genetic resources; (d) To discuss within country work plans related to the project. This project has representation from East, South and Southeast Asia and thus is an excellent opportunity for cross continent sharing of ideas related to plant genetic resources. The participation in the meeting of representatives from FAO Headquarters, CG centres, the Crop Diversity Trust and ITPGRFA allowed for discussion of current key areas of plant genetic resources work.

  • iv

    Contents

    Page

    Foreword....................................................................................................................... iii Contents........................................................................................................................ iv Acronyms...................................................................................................................... vi Welcome address by He Changchui.............................................................................

    1

    Opening address by Masahide Hirokawa.................................................................... 3 Plant Genetic Resources and a new project for Asia by Duncan Vaughan.............. 4 Summary reports

    Bangladesh – Status of Plant Genetic Resources in Bangladesh M. K. A. Chowdhury...............................................................................................

    8

    Bhutan – Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agricultural System in Bhutan Asta M. Tamang.......................................................................................................

    12

    Cambodia – Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in Cambodia Ouk Makara and Sakhan Sophany...........................................................................

    16

    India – Plant Genetic Resources Information for India S.K. Sharma.............................................................................................................

    18

    Indonesia – Plant Genetic Resources Information System in Indonesia Sutrisno...................................................................................................................

    21

    Malaysia – Malaysia experience in the implementation of NISM Project Tosiah Sadi and N. Modh. Shukor..........................................................................

    25

    Mongolia – The current status of National Plant Genetic Resources Conservation in Mongolia N. Bayarsukh and J. Namjilsuren...........................................................................

    27

    Myanmar – Summary of PGR for Food and Agriculture System in Myanmar Aye Aye Myint........................................................................................................

    36

    Nepal – Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture system in Nepal Hari Dahal................................................................................................................

    40

    Pakistan – Plant Genetic Resources Information System in Pakistan M. Shahid Masood...................................................................................................

    45

    Philippines – National Information Sharing Mechanism (NISM) on the implementation of the Global Plan of Action (GPA) – A Plant Genetic Resources Information System established in the Philippines to support PGRFA activities Clarito M. Barron.....................................................................................................

    49

    Sri Lanka – Conservation and use of Plant Genetic Resources in Sri Lanka P.W.S.M. Samarasinghe..........................................................................................

    55

  • v

    Thailand – Report from Thailand to the First National Focal Point Meeting of Project “Capacity building and regional collaboration for enhancing the conservation and sustainable use of Plant Genetic Resources in Asia” Wichar Thitiprasert and Chutima Ratanasatien......................................................

    58

    Viet Nam – Report on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture System in Viet Nam Tran Danh Suu........................................................................................................

    61

    Bioversity International – Plant Genetic Resources Information Systems of Bioversity International and the CG system (updates) Leocadio S. Sebastian and Michael Mackay..........................................................

    63

    International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture Ryudai Oshima........................................................................................................ 65

    Global Crop Diversity Trust Luigi Guarino.......................................................................................................... 66

    ICRISAT – Approaches to enhance the value of genetic resources in crop improvement S.L. Dwivedi, H.D. Upadhyaya and C.L.L. Gowda............................................... 67

    Discussion comments Percy Sajise.............................................................................................................. 74 Steering Committee...................................................................................................... 78 Annexes

    Annex 1: Meeting Program...................................................................................... 80 Annex 2: List of Participants................................................................................... 82 Annex 3: Group Photo............................................................................................. 90

  • vi

    Acronyms ADB Asian Development Bank ANSWER Asian Network for Sweetpotato Genetic Resources AVRDC Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center BAMRI Bandaranayaka Memorial Ayurvedic Research Institute BAPNET Banana Asia Pacific Network BPI Bureau of Plant Industry CARI Central Agricultural Research Institute (Myanmar) CARDI Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CGIAR Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research CIC Centro Internazionale Crocevia CIP International Potato Center CRI Coconut Research Institute (Sri Lanka) CWR Crop Wild Relatives DAR Department of Agricultural Research (Myanmar) DARE Department of Agriculture Research and Education (India) ECPGR European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources GIGA Global Information on Germplasm Accessions GIS Global Information System GPA Global Plan of Action GRU Genetic Resources Unit (ICRISAT) ICAR Indian Council of Agricultural Research ICRISAT International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics INGER International Network for the Genetic Evaluation of Rice IRRI International Rice Research Institute ITPGRFA International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture MARDI Malaysian Agriculture Research and Development Institute MOU Memo of Understanding NAGS National Active Germplasm Sites NBIN National Biodiversity Information Network (Indonesia) NBPGR National Board of Plant Genetic Resources (Mongolia) NBPGR National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (India) NFP National Focal Point NIAS National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences (Japan) NISM-GPA National Information Sharing Mechanism-Global Plan of Action NSF National Science Foundation (Sri Lanka) PARC Pakistan Agricultural Research Council PGRC Plant Genetic Resources Center (Sri Lanka) PGRP Plant Genetic Resources Program (Pakistan) PGRFA Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture PNNPGRFA Philippine National Network on PGRFA PRA Participatory Rural Appraisal PRC Plant Resources Center (Vietnam)

  • vii

    PSARTI Plant Science and Agricultural Research Training Institute (Mongolia) RLD Root Length Density RRA Rapid Rural Appraisal RRI Rubber Research Institute (Sri Lanka) SABGRC Southeast Asia Banana Germplasm Resources Center SDC Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SH Stakeholders SINGER System-wide Information Network for Genetic Resources SRI Sugarcane Research Institute (Sri Lanka) TRI Tea Research Institute (Sri Lanka) UNDP/GEF United Nations Development Program/Global Environment Fund USDA-ARS United States Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service

  • 1

    Welcome Address

    He Changchui Assistant Director-General and

    FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific

    Distinguished guests, Distinguished participants, Ladies and gentlemen,

    It is a great pleasure to welcome you, on behalf of the FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf and on my own behalf, to this meeting at the FAO Regional Office in Bangkok. The theme of this first meeting of the project “Plant Genetic Resources – Capacity Building and Regional Collaboration” is Plant Genetic Resources Information Systems. This theme reflects the fact that data on plant genetic resources are only useful if the information is made widely accessible. We are in a new era with respect to information systems. Consequently, it is necessary for us to decide how we can best harness these new opportunities in information systems to further our collective goal of enhancing the sustainable use of plant genetic resources.

    The global community is currently undertaking a series of major activities related to

    plant genetic resources. Among these activities was the recent meeting in Tunisia of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, that some of you attended. Others include activities related to the Global Seed Vault, Svalbard, Norway that opened just last year. In addition, new networking activities within the region on plant genetic resources have been initiated by Biodiversity International. This FAO project is part of an overall effort to enhance the security of crop diversity.

    Global food security rests on the foundation of plant genetic diversity. Anything that

    weakens that foundation, such as genetic erosion in the field or in gene banks, threatens global food security. Plant genetic diversity is the foundation for increasing food production – paving the way for achievement of the World Food Summit target and Millennium Development Goal of halving the proportion of people suffering from hunger and extreme poverty by 2015. The ability to increase crop productivity rests on the ability of scientists and farmers to tap into the gene diversity that resides in plant genetic resources.

    Information on the special and useful characteristics of plant genetic resources is

    accumulated in germplasm databases. The better the quality of information and the more widely available it is, the more useful it will be. It is with this in mind that this new project builds on previous work in Asia to help strengthen national plant genetic resources information systems as part of a global network.

    This is the second phase of the project. In the first phase only seven countries

    participated; in the second phase fifteen countries are involved. Some of the countries represented here have well developed plant genetic resources information systems – so the question for them is how to improve on what already exists. For other countries plant genetic resources information systems are at an early stage of development. It is my hope that for these countries this project will help set up country specific plant genetic resources

  • 2

    databases on a sound footing that can be developed over the years and become linked to the global system.

    It is part of FAO’s job to mobilize resources for activities that member countries

    consider important for their agricultural development. This second phase of the project responds directly to calls from members of the first phase for additional support. I would like to acknowledge and thank the Government of Japan for its continued support to this important activity of conserving plant genetic resources.

    This meeting will last for only two days. In the short time you are together I want to

    strongly encourage participants to make every effort to forge new linkages with colleagues from other countries. I hope that regional collaboration will be fostered not just within the framework of this project but beyond. It is not often that plant genetic resources’ leaders from across Asia have the opportunity to sit together in the same room. I hope the relatively informal setting of this meeting will make your time together most productive.

    Finally, I wish you all a successful consultation, and a pleasant and enjoyable stay

    in Bangkok. Thank you.

  • 3

    Opening address

    Masahide Hirokawa

    First Secretary and Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to ESCAP Embassy of Japan in Thailand

    177 Witthayu Rd., Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand Mr. He, Ladies and Gentlemen

    This morning it gives me great pleasure to greet you at the first meeting of this Regional Project on Plant Genetic Resources.

    The Government of Japan recognizes that societies and civilizations are built upon a

    foundation of food – and plants are the primary food source. In Asia we recognize rice as our most important food, but rice alone does not provide a healthy diet. Asia is blessed to be the home land of a multitude of other major crops such as soybean, banana, citrus, tea and sugar cane.

    In the current era we are acutely aware of the need to increase food production and

    also adapt crops to the various new challenges that crop production is faced with. These challenges include not just new or changed pests and diseases, but also abiotic stresses some of which are associated with global climate change. It is because food production in Asia, where most of the human population lives, must increase that conservation of crop diversity for sustainable use has become a truly important issue.

    Recognizing this, the Government of Japan approved funding for this project,

    proposed by FAO, to help countries across Asia with conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources. This project provides a wonderful opportunity to share information on plant genetic all across Asia since this morning we have 16 countries participating in this meeting. I hope that in the two days of the meeting you will make every effort to establish new contacts. In addition, I hope that you will be able to forge a framework that will make this project useful in strengthening plant genetic resources conservation in your respective countries.

    Conservation of plant genetic resources is a continuous work with many aspects –

    collection, evaluation, characterization and use. Maybe today working with plant genetic resources lacks the glamour of biotechnology. However, biotechnology relies on the work of plant genetic resources workers to provide the materials that they use in their studies. Crop breeders also are reliant on the work that is done by those involved with conservation of plant genetic resources. It is in recognition of the central importance of plant genetic resources for food security that the Government of Japan is supporting this project.

    I wish you a very productive meeting and look forward to learning of the progress

    of this project in your countries over the next three year. Thank you.

  • 4

    Plant Genetic Resources and a New Project for Asia (GCP/RAS/240/JPN)

    Duncan Vaughan

    Chief Technical Adviser Plant Genetic Resources FAO-RAP

    Introduction On 19th June 2009 the FAO projected that more than one billion people

    (1,000,000,000) will be hungry on a daily basis. This plant genetic resources project is but a small part in the global response to the need for increased sustainable food production to provide lasting food security for all people.

    The causes of hunger are many and sometimes a consequence of interacting factors

    such as war, disasters, unpredictable and predicted climatic events, poverty etc. But in 2009 it is becoming increasingly clear that after several decades of adequate food stocks, albeit sometimes poorly distributed, we are facing a crisis in food production to feed the worlds population adequately. Yields of our major crops have been not been keeping up with demand.

    The routes to over coming constraints in crop productivity are through genetics and

    agronomic practices. Both have a major role to play in increasing crop yields as they have done repeatedly in the past. The 1st green revolution of rice in China resulted in double cropping a thousand years ago when short duration varieties of rice were introduced to southern China. The most recent rice green revolution has been hydrid rice. It is worth noting both these green revolutions rested on particular rice genetic resources – short duration Champa rices (possibly from Viet Nam) and a wild rice from Hainan province.

    Plant genetic resources are central to increasing global agricultural productivity. The

    project that we are embarking on is one part of the global effort to conserve and sustainable use plant genetic resources. I hope by explaining the wider context of plant genetic resources and their importance to global food security for humanity will help us appreciate why we are here this morning. Strengthening conservation of plant genetic resources in Asia

    Those involved in the conservation of plant genetic resources have many and varied

    activities. These activities, however, can be broadly divided into two areas: a. those that involve keeping germplasm alive, viable and healthy; b. those involved with the information on the germplasm.

    I call these two components the yin and yang of plant genetic resources work. Seeds (accessions) are only of value if there is reliable information on the seeds. The information is only of value if viable seeds are associated with the information. I want to focus on information on plant genetic resources.

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    FAO is perhaps most well known for its activities to compile, with the help of all member countries, statistics on agriculture. Annually the FAO produces a valuable document, the State of Food and Agriculture, that compiles statistics from each country on food and agriculture. This provides the global community the basic foundation on which to determine global food security or lack of it. This compilation of statistics starts at the village level where extension workers record what farmers are planting and amounts harvested in each district. That data is sent to regional centers and then National Bureaus of statistics. This in turn is fed into the global database on agricultural statistics. This annual exercise is of critical importance in understanding national and global food trends and providing the basis for policy decisions.

    Over the last several years FAO has embarked on a similar activity with the help

    and support of member countries to monitor on a regular basis the state of global plant genetic resources. This emerged from concerns at the end of the last century that the very foundation on which our crop production depends was eroding as local landrace varieties were replaced by high yielding varieties. The trend in genetic erosion of crops occurred at an alarming speed in some but not all areas. Sometimes the speed with which landrace varieties or cropping patterns changed could not be predicted. Sometimes innovation was promoted by governments or companies, other times innovation was lead by farmers. But rapid change has been a characteristic of agriculture across Asian in the last 40 years and this will continue. This change has been accompanied by a rapid reduction in plant genetic diversity across large swaths of agricultural land. Agriculture and the conservation of PGRFA

    At the same time as these agricultural changes were occurring, Asia wide efforts to

    collect and conserve plant genetic resources were initiated. This resulted in large collections of plant genetic resources and the construction of facilities (genebanks and supporting structures) to house them and maintain their viability.

    Now about 40 years after the start of this great effort in conservation of the worlds

    plant genetic resources for food and agriculture we are faced with new and important challenges. These challenges in large part result from the size of collections and the costs involved in the proper maintenance of germplasm collections. The impacts of science

    While global actions on the conservation of PGRFA have been occurring science in

    two areas has experienced dramatic and on-going revolutions that impact the work of conserving PGRFA. The first revolution is the biotechnology revolution. This revolution has opened doors to genetic change that could not have been envisaged 40 years ago. PGRFA that in a previous era would not have been considered possible to use now, can be used in crop improvement. The barriers to gene exchange have been broken down.

    The second revolution has been in relation to information science. This has resulted

    in the quantity and quality of information on PGRFA increasing exponentially. The age of digital photography and GIS provides opportunities to record passport data in whole new ways. This is an age when whole genome sequencing will become routine at the species level and at least partial genome sequencing possible at the accession level. The problem now is how to handle all the data so that it will be truly useful.

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    The new order regarding PGRFA

    The initial activities in any global trend will be the easiest. With experience and analysis new and better (or more appropriate) solutions are sought. There is far greater environmental awareness in societies now compared to 10 years ago, a trend that continues to gain momentum globally. As a result the potential for different ways to conserve PGRFA are opening up. In situ conservation has greater potential now than in the past because communities are more aware of the importance of protecting their heritage and environment. The need for farmers to be an active part of the global conservation system is recognized. The need for the PGRFA conservation system to be more inclusive is now well recognized.

    At the same time information systems are becoming a part of everyone’s daily lives in

    all parts of the world. Access to information is possible on a scale – both in terms of who can access the information and what information can be accessed – that only a few years ago would not have been considered possible.

    Therefore we are now in an age where conservation of and information on PGR is a

    great global project. While international, regional and national meetings and initiatives are underway there are a tremendous number of community level activities that impact PGR conservation and use. The rush in the 1970’s and 1980’s was to get PGR into the genebank. Now we see a greater interest in PGR in the community. Urban people are being taught where their food comes from by, for example, sponsorship of urban gardens. Green has become the color of the age and green technology the way of the future. Plant Genetic Resources in Asia

    This project (GCP/RAS/240/JPN) is a small part of the evolving global PGRFA system – a system that is ever more inclusive. The objective of the project is to provide Asian countries an opportunity to strengthen their activities related to the Global Plan of Action and thus support sustainable agricultural development in the Asian Region.

    This project has two main dimensions – the regional component and the national

    component. The regional component is exemplified by regional meetings that provide a rare opportunity for representatives from across Asia to meet, share views and provide the opportunity to establish regional collaboration. A regional meeting of PGR database specialists offers the chance for linkages across Asia on this topic.

    The national component of the project provides each country the opportunity to

    undertake PGRFA activities that are most important to the country. These national activities are expected to result in outputs that can be shared regionally and globally.

    The project benefits from the fact that 2010 is the UN International Year of Biodiversity.

    Project member countries might want to use the project as a means to gain increased public awareness of PGRFA in their countries. The objectives of the project

    The main objective of this project is to establish a country driven, Asia wide system that assists the GPA-PGRFA as a support for sustainable agricultural development in the Asian region.

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    The expected project outputs are: 1. Establishment of a well-developed and functional Asia-wide coordinated NISM-GPA

    network for enhancing PGRFA information sharing and collaboration in the project member countries.

    2. Past and current activities related to the 20 GPA-PGRFA priority activity areas in the project member countries documented and updated; the needs and priorities for the future identified, and the information published.

    3. Strengthened institution capacity in and collaboration among member countries for the conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA, including indigenous PGR.

    4. In close collaboration with FAO headquarters and in consultation with project member countries, improvements that may be needed will be incorporated into the NISM-GPA computer application.

    5. In close consultation with FAO headquarters, project member countries and other concerned parties an Asian contribution in support of updating the State of the Worlds PGRFA will be provided.

    The objectives of this meeting

    The objectives of this regional meeting are for project planning and review, sharing knowledge and experiences, discussing issues and concerns and finding solutions to problems, develop and agree on activities and joint initiatives.

    Member countries will prioritize the activities that could be effectively addressed at the national level and/or jointly by the member countries based on their complementary commitment and comparative advantages.

    The regional meeting will also establish a project steering committee, with its membership comprising elected members from among the NFPs, and a representative from FAO and donor that will serve as an internal mechanism to oversee and guide the work of the project. Beyond this meeting

    The expected outcomes of the project are: a) establishment of a country-driven Asia-wide NISM-GPA network, for sharing

    information on PGRFA activities and improving coordination and partnership among and within countries;

    b) enhanced conservation and use of PGRFA for sustainable agricultural development in the region.

    It is hoped that, with the support promised by the Japanese government and the backup activities from FAO both here in Bangkok and also Rome, the National Focal Points will fully support and assist project activities in their countries. For countries that have previously been introduced to NISM-GPA this is the opportunity to get the system institutionalized and a regular feature of your agricultural annual reporting. For countries new to the system this is an opportunity to learn from other countries and reach the same level with regards the plant genetic resources information system in your countries.

    Returning to the introductory comments, the activities of this new project on national

    plant genetic resources information in the countries across Asia should be seen within the full context of evolving global plant genetic resources activities that are a foundation to both national and global food security.

  • 8

    Status of Plant Genetic Resources in Bangladesh

    Dr. M K A Chowdhury Member-Director (Crops)

    & National Focal Point, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council, Bangladesh

    Introduction

    The Fourth International Technical Conference of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations held in Leipzig, Germany in 1996 adopted twenty priority areas in the Global Plan of Action (GPA) for the Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA). The Conference also adopted the Leipzig declaration, which focuses attention on the importance of plant genetic resources for the world food security, and commits countries to implementing the plan. Bangladesh as a signatory to the CBD(1992) is committed to the implementation of GPA for Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

    There are some 10,000 to 80,000 edible plants on Earth, but only 29 species account

    for 90% of our food products. Bangladesh is bestowed with immense agrobiodiversity. It is the home of 5,000 species of vascular plants and is the secondary centre of origin of a good number of crop plants. There are more than 500 species of medicinal plants, 130 species of fibre resources (both wild and cultivated), 18 species of bamboo. About 160 different crops are grown in Bangladesh. There are also about 100 minor crops, including fruits and vegetables that are grown in Bangladesh. It is the secondary centre of origin of major crops like rice, a number of vegetables like eggplant, the cucurbits, beans, fruits like jackfruit, banana, mango and citrus, spices like chilli, ginger and turmeric, root crops like taros and yams, etc. There are also a good number of timber and medicinal plants indigenous to the country. The use of medicinal plants in Bangladesh has an ancient history.

    The diverse agro-ecological regions of the country have sustained rich genetic

    resources of crop plants, which are unique to the country. To varied environments, continuous selection by the farmers and maintenance of promising types over a long period of time, have resulted in a large number of agro-ecotypes, which are adapted to the various agro-ecological regions and growing conditions. Bangladesh is considered to be one of the centres of origin of cultivated rice. It has rich varietal diversity of landraces and wild rice. There are ethnic or tribal people living in Bangladesh who have also their own special rice for their own purposes. Threat to Genetic Resources

    The world genetic diversity is in danger of being lost with the advent of modern agriculture; locally adapted crop landraces and traditional varieties have been replaced by the widespread use of genetically uniform high yielding varieties. There is overwhelming evidence in the literature to indicate that genetic diversity is eroding in many areas of the world. This situation is very much aggravated in Bangladesh, where high population density prevails, unplanned urbanization and massive deforestation is a common scenario.

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    Natural calamities are occurring almost every year it is one of the causes of genetic erosion. The factors responsible for genetic erosion in Bangladesh are many and each of these plays a part in the erosion of genetic resources. These are listed below:

    • Unplanned conversion of agricultural land to non-agricultural uses. • Urbanisation and human population growth. • Use of high yielding crop varieties at the expense of traditional

    varieties/landraces. • Riverbank erosion, leading not only to the direct loss of land and homesteads

    along with biodiversity but also to driving the affected peoples out to areas previously used for agriculture or left for wild/forest flora.

    • Disappearance of backyard forests due to scarcity of land. • Construction of flood control embankments leading to habitat destruction. • Unscrupulous forest clearance and over exploitation of forest species. • Hill cutting. • Construction of barrage leading to water stress downstream affecting

    biodiversity. • Environmental effects – cyclones, tidal surges, environmental pollution, and sea

    level rise, and salinity increase in coastal areas. • Plant diseases (especially red rot disease in sugarcane has been identified as a

    major cause of loss of sugarcane diversity) Importance of Genetic Resources

    Future progress in crop improvement and our food security depends to a great extent on immediate conservation of the rapidly vanishing crop genetic resources and their sustainable utilization by plant breeders. The lack of sound national plant genetic resources conservation strategies, sufficient funding and adequate trained human resources are the major impediments in proper management of plant genetic resources of the country.

    Land races and traditional varieties constitute an invaluable reservoir of genes that

    are needed by plant breeders for development of desirable crop varieties. The wild species and relatives of crop plants contain valuable genes that are of immense value as genetic resources for future use in crop improvement programmes. Hence, duly recognizing the prime importance of these valuable resources, their scientific management, including systematic survey, collection, characterization, conservation and sustainable utilization has been considered essential in the national system.

    Organisation involved with the Conservation of PGR

    National Agricultural Research Institutes are involved conserving and evaluating

    Plant Genetic Resources. Public agricultural universities are also conserving PGR especially horticultural crops. Some private organisations conserve genetic resources of special types of crops. The organisations responsible for conservation of PGR are given in Table 1.

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    The State of Use of Plant Genetic Resources

    Characterization and evaluation work is still in preliminary phases in Bangladesh. Studies on core collections are yet to take off. However, the number of germplasm used for breeding, seed enhancement and supply by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) was 590 accessions, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) about 20,000 accessions, Bangladesh Tea Research Institute (BTRI) about 30, Cotton Development Board 130, Bangladesh Sugarcane Research Institute (BASRI) about 229, Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI) about 2915, East West Seed (Bd) Limited 5,263 and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University used 547. Research on establishment of methodologies for core collections should be initiated with backstopping support from regional and international organizations. Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council has established the national network and is actively involved in PGRFA activities. Some survey and inventory work have already been undertaken by stakeholder institutions/organization. Support is needed for strengthening and for widening survey and inventory work.

    Table 1.

    Organisations Responsibility Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Bangladesh Jute Research Institute Bangladesh Sugarcane Research Institute Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture Bangladesh Tea Research Institute Bangladesh Forest Research Institute Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute

    NARS; public research institute: Collection, conservation and utilization of

    Genetic resources and breeders seed production.

    Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council Coordination and Policy Cotton Development Board Research & development of cotton;

    Germplasm evaluation; Seed production. Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation

    Govt. seed multiplication agency

    Department of Agriculture Extension Govt. extension department & farm level seed production.

    Bangladesh National Herbarium Surveying and recording of germplasm 1.Bangladesh Agricultural University 2.Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University

    Teaching, variety development & collection, conservation & utilization of germplasm

    1.Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee 2.East-West Seed Company Ltd

    Seed business and variety development

    Upokalio Unnayan Shahojogy On-farm conservation Ministry of Agriculture Policy

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    Priority Activity Areas for Bangladesh

    Bangladesh has made some progress on the collection of PGR of different crops during the last decade. But there are many things to do for proper utilization of PGR. Some of the priority activity areas on PGRFA are shown below:

    • Establishment of National Centre for PGRFA for conservation, use and enhancement of biodiversity

    • Development of national framework for PGRFA • An assessment of genetic diversity and the extent of PGR erosion • Documentation of all available information related to PGR for users • Strengthening of coordination among different stakeholders • Human resources development and capacity building in PGR activities • Collection and characterization of PGR • Preservation facilities (in situ, on-farm, ex situ, in vitro, cryo-preservation) for

    genetic material. • Biochemical and molecular characterization of germplasm • Introduction of course curricula on PGR in universities and other relevant

    educational institutions • Formalization of Biodiversity and community knowledge protection Act and Plant

    Variety and Farmers’ Rights Protection Act, other PGR related policy documents. • Training on: in situ methodologies, regeneration and conservation, marker aided

    characterization, information technology for database management and information sharing on conservation and sustainable utilization of PGR, genebank management.

    • Development of an early warning system on genetic erosion • Entrepreneurship development and marketing skills with regard to PGR resources • Creation of public awareness about the importance of PGR and promotion of its

    traditional and diverse use • Establishment of regional and international collaboration for the development of

    national programme on PGR.

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    Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture System in Bhutan

    Asta M. Tamang,

    Deputy Chief Biodiversity Officer, Bhutan National Genebank, National Biodiversity Centre, Serbithang, Thimphu, Bhutan.

    1. Bhutan is gifted with enormous floral diversity: In view of the fact that Bhutan is

    has diverse ecosystems and ecological zones with diverse altitudinal variation ranging from elevation of 200m in the south to 7500 m, Bhutan is gifted with enormous crop diversity (both wild and domestic) in the diverse topography of the country that has both regional and global importance.

    It is difficult to differentiate accurately and count the exact number of

    landraces of each crop as systematic characterisation using both morphological and marker techniques or DNA finger printing is crucial to ascertain actual genetic diversity of each crop in the country which will kick start within on-going 10 Five Year Plan period. However, based on folk classification in naming of landraces and information on characteristics provided by farmers through inventory in the field, a summary of the total traditional varieties or landraces of different field crops is given (Table 1). The number of landraces possibly will increase for some crops as we continue germplasm collection from different parts of the country.

    2. Genetic Erosion: Though Bhutan is blessed with enormous diversity of PGRFA, this agro-biological wealth is gradually disappearing despite the tremendous benefits and potentials they are gifted with. There are a number of factors and interacting factors directly or indirectly leading to genetic erosion of this agro-biological wealth. The various factors include displacement of indigenous landraces by new, genetically uniform varieties, switch from diverse traditional systems to few market orientated cash crops, destruction of habitats due to urbanization, wild animal damages on crops, drought/untimely rain/shortage of irrigation facilities, change of land use pattern, low yield, land clearing/landslides and habitat loss/soil erosion problems, shortage of labour, erosion of food culture etc.

    3. Bhutan’s commitment to Biodiversity Conservation: In view of the fact that plant genetic resources are the agro-biological wealth of the country and are critical for ensuring the long term food security and sustainable development of the country, biodiversity conservation is one of the 4 pillars of Bhutan’s unique developmental philosophy of Gross National Happiness. To conserve our crop and plant varieties, Bhutan through the National Biodiversity Centre is committed towards long-term preservation of genetic resources, combining both approaches of ex situ through the Gene Bank and in situ or on-farm conservation that allows continuous evolution and improvement in a complementary way to conserve plant genetic resources before they are lost from the fields forever.

  • 13

    Table 1. Total traditional varieties/landraces/farmers’ varieties under each crop recorded. Sl. no

    Crop Scientific name No.of landraces/TVs

    1 Rice Oryza sativa 281 2 Maize Zea mays 81 3 Barley Hordeum vulgare 32 4 Buckwheat (Sweet) Fagopyrum esculentum 10 5 Buckwheat (Bitter) Fagopyrum tataricum 11 6 Finger millet Eleusine coracana 37 7 Foxtail millet Setaria italica 36 8 Little millet Panicum miliacium 4 9 Wheat Triticum aestivum 26 10 Amaranthus Amaranthus 17 11 Beans Phaselus vulgaris 76 12 Soybean Glycine max 11 13 Dal Vigna mungo

    V. angularis V. umbellatta V. unguiculata

    23

    14 Pegion pea Cajanus cajan 1 15 Peas Pisum sativum 5 16 Mustard and

    rapeseeds Brasssica campestris var. toria and Brassica campestris var. sarson

    26

    17 Niger Guizotia abyssinica 1 18 Perilla Perilla frutescens 2 19 Ground nut Arachis hypogaea 1 20 Sesame Sesamum indicum 1

    Source: Plant Genetic Resources of Bhutan, 2008.

    The Bhutan National Gene Bank was established in 2005. As of January 2008, a total of 2,000 samples of traditional varieties of rice, maize, wheat, buckwheat, barley, millets, oil seed crops, legumes have been collected. The collected germplasm are cleaned, sample quality evaluated, processed, information documented in access database called Genebank Information System (GBIS) and germplasm samples are stored in the Gene bank at -20oC. A total of 1,000 accessions are registered in the Gene Bank as of January 2008, while other samples are being processed. The figure 1 presents the process and events in Genebank management.

  • 14

    Fig 1. Process and events in the Gene bank

    Seed Registration & Seed Cleaning

    Seed Drying

    Seed Packing

    Seed Regeneration

    Sample Testing: Seed Moisture%, seed viability, sample purity, sample quantity

    Distribution from active collection

    Monitoring

    Registration/Documentation

    Germplasm collection from all the Dzongkhags

  • 15

    There are two types of collections ‘Active’ and ‘Base’ both maintained at -20oC. The samples from the ‘Active Collections’ are used for distribution to the users, researchers, breeders etc. The samples from the ‘Base Collections’ is for security and will be used only for monitoring of viability of stored seeds or for regeneration or to replenish the active collections. Collected samples will have to be characterized with the use of molecular tools to ascertain actual genetic diversity.

    On-farm conservation is promoted with triple gem concept of ‘Production’, ‘Accessibility’ and ‘Marketing’ (PAM) by way of adding value to landraces. Value addition is being done towards (1). Enhancement of yield through sustainable farming practices, seed exchange through Biodiversity Fairs, strengthening farmers PGR management system, strengthen capacity of Extension Officers and research partners, (2). Product development and diversification, and (3). Marketing. Information on on-farm conservation activities are documented in the form of reports.

    Therefore, both ex situ and on-farm strategies are complementary to each other in order to have genetic insurance against biological disasters to contribute to food security and sustainable development.

    4. Way forward: a. Information documentation system needs to be upgraded in order to

    facilitate easy documentation and access to information/information sharing. b. In-vitro Active (IVA) and In-vitro Base (IVB) should be established to

    conserve those crops with recalcitrant seeds and those that can be propagated only through vegetative means.

    c. Facilities should be established for preservation of duplicate collections. d. Systematic characterisation should be taken up to sort out duplicates and

    assess total genetic diversity. e. On-farm conservation program should be taken up in a holistic approach in

    specific sites. f. Documentation system to be developed for on-farm conservation programs. g. Strengthen technical capacity of both Research and Extension partners both

    in terms of field activities and information documentation.

  • 16

    Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in Cambodia

    Ouk Makara and Sakhan Sophany Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI)

    Situated in the tropics, Cambodia experiences a monsoonal climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. The wet season extends from May to October, while the dry season runs from November to April. The good rainfall may occur during May to October. However, rainfall is extremely erratic and mini droughts may be experienced during any of these months. A monsoonal climate suites growth of many agricultural crops, but the most important is rice. Conservation and Utilization

    Being close to the centre of origin, Cambodian farmers have been growing

    thousands of local rice varieties for at least 2000 years. Through natural selection, rice is grown across agro-ecosystems from upland to water depth as much as five meters. Recently, upland and deepwater rice covers about 4% of the total production area (2.58 million ha in 2007). Upland rice are grown mainly in the north and north-east of Cambodia, while deepwater rice is concentrated more on the edges of lakes where water is deeper than that in the higher fields. Irrigated rice with fully irrigation, supplemented irrigation, and recession rice covers about 13% of the total production area and is mainly concentrated in the lower part of the Mekong and Basac rivers. The remaining area is covered by rainfed lowland rice which is grown mainly in the central plain around the Tonle Sap lake and on the lower streams of the Mekong and Basac rivers.

    Conservation program for rice genetic resource of Cambodia was initiated since the

    early 1970s during which 756 accessions of traditional cultivars being collected and stored at IRRI (Sahai et al., 1992a). The second conservation program was carried out between 1989 and 1990 which resulted in the conservation of 1270 accessions (Sahai et al., 1992a). The third rice germplasm conservation was done from 1990 to 1991. Of 1600 collected samples (from 13 provinces) only 348 which appeared new were sorted out and given accession number (Sahai et al., 1992b). The fourth collection was performed between 1992 and 1997 in 19 provinces. A total of 939 accessions were conserved (Javier et al., 1999). So far a total of 3322 (756+2557) rice accessions are being long-term conserved at IRRI, the Philippines and 2557 accessions at the Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), Cambodia for medium term conservation.

    Among 2557 accessions conserved at CARDI, 88% are rainfed lowland, 10.6% are

    rainfed upland, 1.2% are deepwater and floating and 0.2% are irrigated rice. Rice accessions are most sensitive to photoperiod (60% are strong, 31% are moderate, 4% are mild and 5% are insensitive to photoperiod), pre-dominantly non-glutinous (92%) and those having mild to strong scent constitute about 10%.

  • 17

    After evaluation, most of the accessions have been directly and indirectly used in breeding program. Direct use refers to the use of local varieties through pure line or mass selection. More than thousand local varieties have been purified and tested across different growing conditions and over many years. So far a total of 17 varieties have been released. Nine varieties are intermediate maturity and the others are late maturity. Four are aromatic rice with good grain and eating quality. The production area of the released varieties is significantly increased, and among those CAR3, CAR4, CAR6, CAR8, Riang Chey, Phka Rumduol and Phka Romeat are widely used by farmers.

    Some of good varieties collected are used as parents for hybridization to improve

    grain quality, yield potential and recently for drought tolerance. Since 1989, hundreds of crosses were made with improved high yielding varieties (semi-dwarf type) that have been developed by IRRI and other rice research institutes. Thousands of breeding lines have been selected throughout the selection process and hundreds of them have been tested for their performance across locations and over years. Beside that more than 30 accessions and breeding lines have been sent to INGER, IRRI as sharing germplasm.

    Conservation of the other crops has also been started by CARDI. There are 150

    samples of banana, 23 samples of cassava, 22 samples of sugarcane, 9 samples of sweet potato and 8 samples of papaya being preserved at CARDI. All conserved samples are used by the breeding program for their broad adaptation. Documentation and Information System

    All rice accessions have been evaluated for 52 agro-morphological characters and

    well documented in three rice catalogues (Sahai et al., 1992a; Sahai et al., 1992b and Javier et al., 1999). This information is also entered in databases in the plant breeding division of CARDI and in Gene bank of IRRI. There is no proper characterization for other crops yet.

    Except rice, the management of plant genetic resources in Cambodia is relatively

    poor and not well-organized. Improving capacity of human resources in plant genetic resource conservation and utilization, creating effective network, development of sustainable database management and conservation facilities are the immediate challenge. References

    Javier, L.E., Men, S., Pith, K.H., Khun, L.H., Say, P., Sin, S., Ouk, M., Hun, Y., Suy, S., Thun, V., Sidhu, G.S., Mishra, D.P., Sahai, V.N., Chaudhary, R.C. and Ledesma, D.R. (1999). Rice Germplasm Catalog of Cambodia III. Cambodia-IRRI-Australia Project. PO Box 01, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

    Sahai, V.N., Chaudhary, R.C. and Sin, S. (1992a). Rice Germplasm Catalog of Cambodia I. Cambodia-IRRI-Australia Project. P.O. Box 01, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

    Sahai, V.N., Chaudhary, R.C. and Sin, S. (1992b). Rice Germplasm Catalog of Cambodia II. Cambodia-IRRI-Australia Project. P.O. Box 01, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

  • 18

    Plant Genetic Resources Information in India

    S.K.Sharma National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources,

    Pusa Campus, New Delhi-110 012

    Introduction The vast amount of very useful information on PGR activities throughout the

    country in India had been gathered and documented in the NISM-GPA database (through earlier GCP/RAS/186/JPN project of FAO), which has now been made accessible to the public through the NISM website. The excellent leadership was played by the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India in the establishment of NISM-GPA. About 114 stakeholders from around the country were contacted by NBPGR to discuss and share knowledge about the GPA, the purposes and the activities of the NISM-GPA and to commit stakeholders to collaborate in establishing the Mechanism.

    The information and data presented in a well synthesized NISM report helped in

    effective planning of projects and identifying priority areas in plant genetic resources in India. The establishment of the NISM-GPA also enhanced coordination and collaboration of activities, and reduced duplication of efforts among the various agencies in India.

    Some of the important points related to Information systems on PGR, its networks,

    education on PGR activities are given below. The PGR Network in India

    The Department of Agriculture Research and Education (DARE) and ICAR deals

    with all aspects including policy, research, conservation, sustainable use, education, training and extension related to domesticated and economically important plants. The NBPGR acts as a nodal organization under the ICAR for planning, conducting, coordinating and promoting all activities concerning PGR of agricultural and horticultural crops and their wild relatives. The Bureau has headquarters at New Delhi and 10 regional/base centres in different agro-climatic zones of the country. The NBPGR also maintains international linkage and cooperation based on joint memoranda of understanding and work plans signed by DARE/ ICAR with agencies of other countries and international centers.

    The NBPGR, being the single window for PGR exchange for research purposes, also performs regulatory functions as the authorized agency for Post-entry Plant Quarantine examination, issuance of Phytosanitary Certificates and issuance of Import Permit for introduction of germplasm for research as per the PFS Order that was revised in the light of World Trade Organization Agreements and the Plant Quarantine (Regulation of Import into India) Order 2003 that came into force with effect from April 1, 2004.

  • 19

    The Bureau has developed and operates the Indian Plant Genetic Resources Management System (IPGeRMS) in the form of network encompassing NBPGR and 57 National Active Germplasm Sites (NAGS) located at the various Institutes, Project Directorates Coordinating Units, National Research Centres of ICAR, State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) and other stakeholders, such as NGOs and professional societies carrying out activities related to PGR management. The major activities of IPGeRMS for effective management of PGR include germplasm acquisition, characterization, evaluation, documentation and conservation in which NBPGR plays the leading role. The strength of IPGeRMS lies in the synergistic approach established for the maintenance of active collections (collections comprising accessions immediately available for multiplication, distribution and use) at the crop based NAGs for use in crop improvement. Regular workshops and meetings of concerned persons and organizations are being held to review national activities on conservation and use of PGRFA. The number of technical, legal and managerial/policy experts working in the various National Programmes in India are currently stable but on a decreasing trend. Information systems

    Software for Genebank Information Management System (GBIMS), Plant Genetic

    Resources Passport Information Management System (PGRPIMS), Electronic catalogues for the recording of the evaluation/characterization data, database for the inventorization of import and export of the accessions, Tissue Culture Information System, Notified and Released Varieties Information System (NORV), Indian Information System as per DUS Guidelines (IINDUS) have been developed at NBPGR and this complete information is being documented using the Relational Database Management System (RDBSM) tools and is being used by the concerned PGR researchers for the management of the genetic resources. In addition to these Information Systems, India has developed a database on “National Information Sharing Mechanism” which is available through the NISM website available at www.nbpgr.ernet.in. Education and training

    Realising the increasing importance of activities related to PGR in the changing

    global scenario, NBPGR in collaboration with Indian Agricultural Research Institute started M.Sc. (PGR) degree programme in 1997 and Ph.D. programme in 2004. In addition, training of professionals is imparted under the Team of Excellence in PGR Training, On-job Training Programmes and Awareness Training Programmes organised regularly. In addition, organisations dealing with curricula of schools and colleges, namely, Ministry of Human Resources Development (MoHRD), University Grant Commission (UGC) and National Council of Education, Research and Training (NCERT) interacts effectively with other ministries and organisations concerned with biodiversity issues for introducing and expanding environmental concepts, themes, issue etc. at the university and school levels. Thus, although there is sufficient existence of educational and training programmes incorporating PGR aspects both at the regional and national level, training and education opportunities are regularly needed in the country for effective PGRFA conservation and utilization. Special training programmes are required in specialised areas such as on farm conservation, molecular taxonomy, biotechnological approaches for effective conservation, statistical methodologies and GIS application for diversity mapping and remote sensing in PGR management.

  • 20

    Public awareness The level of public awareness on the importance of PGRFA conservation in the

    country is satisfactory, however, literacy about various international agreements and national legislations with regard to plant genetic resources needs strengthening. To achieve this, policy papers and concept notes will have to be developed, widely distributed and debated in workshops, seminars and refresher courses to be organized involving all stakeholders. In addition to the scientific organisations, NGOs and individuals are also involved in public awareness activities in the country and aspects related to PGRFA are being integrated into the pre-secondary and secondary educational curricula. The important role of mass media to generate public awareness has to be fully recognised and appreciated. Conclusions

    In the present project we need to include more stakeholders (approximately 150)

    representing different government departments and ministries, research and educational institutions, private sectors, NGOs and international organizations in the country. As much of the information related to in situ activities/programmes could not be collected in the first phase of NISM, we intend to include the stakeholders actively involved in in situ related programmes.

    The present project to establish a country driven, Asia-wide system that will

    assist the GPA-PGRFA as a support for sustainable agricultural development in the Asian region.

    This Bureau finds the present project (GCP/RAS/240/JPN) as a excellent

    support for sustainable agricultural development in the Asian region and very useful for the capacity building in the area of conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA and enhanced regional collaboration for the same in Asia. We shall extend all possible help in establishment of country-driven Asia-wide NISM-GPA network, for sharing information on PGRFA activities and improving coordination and partnership among and within countries.

  • 21

    Plant Genetic Resources Information System in Indonesia

    Sutrisno Director of Indonesian Centre for Agricultural Biotechnology and Genetic Resources

    Research and Development Executive Chair of National Committee for Genetic Resources

    Indonesian biodiversity

    Indonesia is a mega diversity country, located between the Asian continent (Java,

    Sumatra and Kalimantan) and Australian continent (Papua) and includes the Wallace line (Celebes, Maluku and Nusa Tenggara). Indonesia has 17,000 islands with an estimate 1,826,440 km2 land (1.3 % of world land). The land is occupied by more than 38,000 of plants species (55% endemic). 477 species of palm (225 endemic), 350 species of Dipterocarpaceae, economic woody trees (155 endemic) (www.bk.menlh.go.id). The land has plants for food and houses. The people of Indonesia consumes not less than 100 of plants species that produces grains and tuber; not less than 100 species of legumes, 450 species of fruits and 250 species of vegetables and edible mushroom, while 940 plant species can be used as traditional medicine (www.bk.menlh.go.id). More than 100 woody species, 56 species of bamboo and 150 species of rattan have been used to for housing and home appliances (www.bk.menlh.go.id).

    In Indonesia, many stakeholders are involved in the management of biodiversity

    (including plant genetic resources for food and agriculture). The stakeholders are government, private, non government, community, and individual. To strengthen the capacity in the management of biodiversity and plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, Indonesia has joined the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA); Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture; and Regional Center for Southeast Asia on Plant Genetic Resources (RECSEA-PGR). In relation to the preparation of the 12th Session CGRFA, a draft of national report on the 2nd State of PGRFA in Indonesia has been submitted to FAO secretariat.

    Stakeholders in Indonesia share information on the management of PGRFA through

    hard copy publications and websites. The following are examples of sharing information carried out by stakeholders in Indonesia: Government

    To manage Indonesia biodiversity, in 2003 the National Development Planning

    Agency has developed an Indonesian Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. The action includes enabling communities to access accurate data and information on the function and potentials of biodiversity and the development and dissemination of biodiversity information network. Some information on the Indonesian biodiversity can be obtained from the Indonesians Clearing House Mechanism for Biodiversity (www.bk.menlh.go.id) hosted by Ministry of Environment as national focal point on CBD.

    This website contains the National Report of CBD Implementation in Indonesia

    which includes some information on the implementation of global strategy for plant conservation, agro biodiversity and forest biodiversity. The Ministry of Environment is also

  • 22

    encouraging every province to establish a Biodiversity Garden, a collection of plant species specific in a certain province.

    The NBIN (National Biodiversity Information Network) also contained some

    information on Indonesian biodiversity. Indonesian NBIN is an integrated body of Clearing House Mechanism established in the Ministry of Environment as the National Focal Point for the Convention on Biological Diversity in Indonesia. The NBIN hosted by Research Center for Biology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences and has 32 nodes of institutes from different departments (www.nbin.lipi.go.id/). Out of 32 nodes or institutes, 10 nodes work on plant genetic resources. The Indonesian Institute of Sciences is also supervising the establishment and maintenance of the National Garden, an in situ conservation activity in the provinces.

    Some information on the forest plant genetic resources is available from Directorate

    General of Plant Protection and Nature Conservation (www.ditjenphka.go.id); Agency for Forestry Research and Development (www.forda-mof.org); Center for International Forestry Research, CIFOR (www.cifor.org). The available information dealing with at least one of the PGRFA-GPA, namely: in situ conservation and development; ex situ conservation; utilization of plant genetic resources; institutions and capacity building.

    ICABIOGRAD (Indonesian Center for Agricultural Biotechnology and Genetic

    Resources Research and Development) is an institute under the Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD), Ministry of Agriculture. ICABIOGRAD has developed a web-based Germplasm Information System to share germplasm characteristic data for online users. The characteristic data obtained from agricultural germplasm-managing institutions within IAARD (www.litbang.deptan.go.id). IAARD coordinate 19 research institutes that are working on plant genetic resources. The data of 19 research institute is compiled and may be accessed by the users by mechanism regulated by ICABIOGRAD (www.indobiogen.litbang.deptan.go.id).

    National Committee on Genetic Resources (NCGR) in Indonesia is established by

    Ministry of Agriculture since 1976. One of the tasks of NCGR is to encourage the establishment of committee of genetic resources at every province, so called Province Committee of Genetic Resources (PCGR). NCGR has developed software for database of plant genetic resources and shared to all institutes under the IAARD and the PCGR. The training on how to use the software has also been provided. The NCGR compile and share the database through website (www.indoplasma.or.id). For example, Yogyakarta Province work on farm conservation of banana and jackfruits (www.pemda-diy.go.id).

    Several Directorate General and Secretary General of Ministry of Agriculture also

    share the information on plant genetic resources, such as Center for Plant Variety Protection share concerning with registration of local variety and commercial varieties that had been granted protection (www.ppvt.setjen.deptan.go.id), Directorate General of Horticulture share the information on the utilization of horticulture crops (www.hortikultura.deptan.go.id), Directorate General of Estate Crops share information on the utilization of estate crops (www.ditjenbun.deptan.go.id), Directorate General of Food Crops share information on the utilization of food crops (www.ditjentan.deptan.go.id).

    Several universities in Indonesia there have a faculty of agriculture or faculty of

    forestry or faculty of biology also share the information on the utilization of plant genetic

  • 23

    resources for research and development through the web site, for example Bogor Agricultural University (www.ipb.ac.id); Gadjah Mada University (www.ugm.ac.id); Bandung Technology Institute (www.itb.ac.id); and University of Indonesia (www.ui.ac.id).

  • 24

    Private sector Taman Buah Mekarsari (Mekarsari Fruits Park) is a park contained many species of

    fruits. This park is a place for tourists who like to see and enjoy the fruits with their family (www.mekarsari.com). Warso Farm is another fruits park specializing on Durian fruits (www.puncakview.com/Durian-Warso.htm).

    Taman Bunga Nusantara (Nusantara Flowers park) is a park where the flowers of

    the world grow. The tourist can enjoy the beauty of many kinds of flowers (www.tamanbunganusantara.com).

    Recently, several private companies established on farm conservation for palm oils

    genetic resources. Non government officials

    Several stake holders other than the government have also played an important role

    in the implementation of the Global Plan Action of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. For example, Yayasan Keanekaragaman Hayati (Indonesia Biodiversity Foundation, IBF) established in 2004 is a non profit organization who manage grant fund for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in Indonesia. IBF is a catalyst in discovering innovative ways to manage and sustainably use biodiversity. IBF collaborate with government institution, NGO, basins community, professional association, and mass media to implement it function (www.kehati.or.id). Community

    Several communities have participated in the management of PGRFA. For example,

    Masyarakat Adat Hutan Wonosadi (Culture Community Wonasadi Forest), Yogyakarta Province, a winner of biodiversity award 2009 has maintained and saved 25 Ha Wonosadi culture forest over 44 years. The forest contained several plants species for food, wood, grasses, medicinal, and horticulture (www.kehati.or.id). Individual

    Several individuals have also work on the utilization of PGRFA. For example, Maryono who was one of the receivers of a biodiversity award in 2009 started to established his company namely “PT. Samal Nusantara” since 2004 to produce herbal products. Since then he motivated and coordinated 150 farmers at Sebokarang, Yogyakarta, Central of Java to grow 59 kinds of rare herbals. He facilitates and assists in the processing and marketing of the herbal products.

    Another example, Saein who lives in Bukateja, Purbalingga, Central Java, and was

    also one of the receivers of a biodiversity award in 2009. As an educated farmer, he bred rice through several crossing and yielded 10 new rice varieties. One of his variety has characteristic of a good eating quality, resistance to bacterial leaf blight, has yield potential 7 ton/ha.

  • 25

    The future establishment of NISM-GPA in Indonesia The establishment of NISM-GPA for PGRFA in Indonesia is very beneficial since it

    may function as one stop service on the access of information on NISM-GPA. This effort is very challenging because although many stake holders (government, non government, private sector, community, and individual) hold on some extent of an information on plant genetic resources, but few stake holders dealing with all elements of GPA-PGRFA (in situ conservation, ex situ conservation, utilization of plant genetic resources, institution and capacity building). The other challenge we faced in the establishment of NISM-GPA is to motivate the willingness of stakeholders to work together nationally. We hope this project will provide a significant contribution in initiating the establishment of NISM-GPA in Indonesia.

  • 26

    Malaysia experience in the implementation of NISM Project

    Tosiah Sadi1 and N. Mohd Shukor2 1Senior Research Officer, Strategic Resource Research Center, Mardi Headquarters,

    Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia 2 Principal Research Officer and Deputy Director, Strategic Resource Research Center,

    Mardi Headquarters, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia Introduction Malaysia was one of the 155 countries that met in Leipzig, Germany in June, 1996 and adopted the Global Plan of Action (GPA) as the way forward for the conservation and sustainable utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA).

    Malaysia, along with six other member countries, namely Bangladesh, India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Thailand, was involved in the first phase of the project (GCP/RAS/186/JPN) with the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries (MOA) of Malaysia as the National Focal Point for the project and MARDI is the implementing agency. Implementation mechanism

    The main objective of the NISM project is to share information related to Malaysian plant genetic resources and, in particular, the implementation of the Global Plan of Action on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in Malaysia. The project involved 3 main phases; Phase I: Preparatory In this phase, the activities cover the initial meeting, the first SHs meeting and the appointment of the Steering Committee, translation of the software (indicators) into Malay language, filling initial information in common table and several awareness seminars. The phase took 12 months to complete and at the end, twenty eight stakeholders (SHs) were willing to participate. Phase II: Implementation The implementation phase took about 14 months. The activities covered in this phase were, the updating and validation of information on common tables, creating SHs compact discs, training of SHs on the use of the NISM-GPA Computer Application Training (CAT), clarification of what are indicators and reporting format for monitoring the GPA implementation and merging zip files from the SHs. To ensure the success of the project MARDI’s technical staff members responsible in running and managing the NISM-GPA visited the SH that need assistance on the computer application onsite. Beside that special email addressed [email protected] was also created for ease of contact.

  • 27

    Phase III: Data Analysis and Reporting

    The activities in this phase include validating information, data analyses, writing of report and the presentation of the report to the SHs, development of the GPA webpage and placement of NISM-GPA for access to the interested parties. The webpage can be accessed at http://mega.mardi.my/gpa/mys/index.html. The phase took 6 months to complete. Problems Some of the important problems identified during the implementation of the project are:

    1. The indicators are not properly defined and explained to both project team members and stakeholders. Confusion and misunderstand sometimes occur on the part of project team members as well as the SHs. Therefore, this aspect needs to be looked into in the next phase

    2. Data entry, validation and steps to extract information from the database activities is very complicated and not user friendly. Although the computer application is useful in gathering and merging information but it still can not accomplish certain important functions (e.g. generating reports for dissemination).

    Suggested remedies

    Followings are some suggestions to improve the implementation of the project in Malaysia: 1. More SHs should involve in the second iteration. 2. Thorough trainings on the use of software, indicators, etc for project team members and

    representative of the stakeholders. The SHs upon their return to their respective organizations are encouraged to train other colleagues in the use of the Computer Application for the GPA with the active support of the National Focal Point.

    3. There is a need to set up a core team who can analyze the data and make a concrete recommendation to the policy makers with respect to future PGR System for Malaysia to ensure the objectives of GPA, ITPGRFA and CBD be achieved.

    4. To continue to create appropriate avenues and fora to transmit results from the project to politicians, and decision and policy makers, to ensure they understand and continue to support the efforts in PGRFA conservation and utilization.

    5. To formalize the information Sharing Mechanism in all stakeholder institutions to facilitate information release and exchange.

    6. To encourage Government to make financial commitment to the Information Sharing Mechanism on PGRFA in its budget process.

    7. It is suggested that the system be operated in real-time globally with more user-friendly interface and data generated should be displayed in easy spreadsheet table base on user query. FAO should play key role in realizing this. Search functions of the common table also need to be improved to a simpler interface.

    8. For the meantime Malaysia, MARDI in particular will maintain the webpage and the database using the funding given to us. Activities in promoting the database and the importance of information sharing in PGFRA will also be held.

    Acknowledgements Authors would like to thank the Government of Japan for the providing the financial support, FAO as the Project Regional Coordinator, Director General of MARDI for giving the permission to present this paper.

  • 28

    The current status of National Plant Genetic Resources Conservation in Mongolia

    N. Bayarsukh1 and J. Namjilsuren2

    1Deputy Director, Plant Science and Agriculture Research Training Institute, Darkhan-Uul, Mongolia

    2Head, Plant Genetic Resources Division, Plant Science and Agriculture Research Training Institute, Darkhan-Uul, Mongolia

    1. Introduction

    Mongolia a land locked country is located in Central Asia bordered by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the South, East and West and Russian Federation to the North. Mongolia covers a total area of 1,566,500 square kilometers and elevation ranges from 560 meters above see level to 4565m with an average altitude of 1580m. Mongolia is situated between latitude 41.33o and 52.06o north.

    Mongolia’s has an extreme continental climate. The watershed that crosses

    Mongolia’s northern region divides the country into 2 unequal parts with dissimilar climate. The northern section continues the east Siberian natural scenery while the southern sector, taking up 2/3 of the country’s area, belongs to the steppe, semi-desert and desert of Central Asia.

    The average year sees 250 fine and only 9-23 cloudy days. The average annual

    temperature fluctuates between -5.3oC and +4oC. The maximum temperature is reached in July. The average temperature in summer ranges from +12oC to +20oC for most of the country but can rise to +25oC in the south. The maximum temperature reaches between +35oC and +39oC in the north and +38oC to +41oC in the south. The minimum temperatures are in January with an average of about -15oC over most of the country and -25oC in the north. The lowest temperature recorded so far is -53oC and highest is 41oC. The vegetation growing period is 88-110 days. The average annual precipitation is 250-300mm in the north and 60-90mm in the south.

    The short growing season, low precipitation and high evaporation are the overriding

    constraints in Mongolian agriculture. Particularly, unseasonable frosts and severe drought can cause harvest losses of 10 to 30%.

    Due to its geographical location and climatic conditions as well as the large territory

    Mongolia possesses rich diversity of plant species and agricultural crops. In total, there are 2823 species of vascular plants belonging to 662 genera in 128

    families in Mongolia. There are also 417 species of moss belonging to 162 genera, 32 families, and 930 species of lichen belonging to 133 genera and 39 families, 875 species of fungi in 136 genera and 28 families as well as 971 species of algae belonging to 221 genera in 60 families.

    The total human population is 2.4 million. There are approximately 520,000

    families of which 170,000 are herders. About 51% of population lives in urban areas and 40% live in the capital city, Ulaanbaatar, with a population of 812,500. The birth rate is 2.06% and death rate is 0.66%. There are 20 ethnic groups although there are very few differences in languages. The main religion is Buddhism (94% of population). The

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    Mongolian economy is primarily based on the livestock breeding, agriculture and the mining industry.

    Mongolia adopted a parliamentary political system in 1992. The highest organ of

    state power and the supreme legislative power is State Ikh Hural. The State Ikh Hural consists of 76 members that are selected by the citizens. The Prime Minister of Mongolia is the head of the Government. Administratively, Mongolia is divided into 21 provinces and 3 city areas.

    2. Overview of the agricultural statistics of Mongolia

    Agriculture is a major economic sector of Mongolia and the country’s economy is very much dependent on the development of agricultural production. The share of the agricultural produce in the gross domestic product (GDP) was on average 36.3% between 1994 and 2000 whereas it went down to 26.0% in 2001 and 20.1% in 2002. In respective years, the summer was dry and the grass was not abundant across most of the country, the cereal harvest was low.

    Crop production in Mongolia includes wheat, barley for food and fodder, oats for

    fodder, maize for silage, sunflower, potatoes, 20 types of vegetables, silage, and annual and perennial leguminous crops.

    In Mongolia, the estimated annual consumption of flour is 241,200 tons requiring

    350,000 tons of wheat in addition to 15,000 tons of grain for spirit production and 70-75,000 tons of seed wheat which is a total annual requirement of 425-430,000 tons of wheat. To produce this would require a non-irrigated area of about 350-400,000 ha for wheat. Wheat flour and wheat products represent 46% of daily food consumption in urban households and 70% in rural households. As such, it is considered an essential food item and has been categorized as a “strategic food product” under the Mongolian Law on Food. As wheat comprises 75% of the cropped area and 73% of total crop production, it emphasizes the importance of wheat in the agricultural sector.

    There is also lower consumption of vegetables and potatoes compared with wheat

    flour as a daily food source for humans. Mongolia’s annual demand for vegetables is approximately 100,000 tons of potatoes and 160,000 tons of other vegetables and it requires 8000-10,000 ha for potatoes and similar area for vegetables.

    Before 1990 Mongolia was self-sufficient in crop production and met the country’s

    needs in grain crops, potato and vegetable production and also surplus production was exported. In 1990 481,400 hectares were sown with grain crops and 718,300 tons of cereals were harvested, 131,000 tons of potatoes were collected from 12,200 hectares and 41,700 tons of vegetables were gathered from 3,600 hectares.

    Since 1990, Mongolia entered into a free market economy system and state owned

    crop production enterprises disintegrated into the small private farms. During this transition period most of the private farms were not able to function normally and follow the technology requirements because of a shortage of circulating capital, machineries were old and not effective for small farms in addition intensification measures were not taken. This is one of the major factors causing decrease in crop yield. On the other hand, since 1998

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    Mongolia suffered severe continuous drought and extreme winter cold for 4 - 5 years. This natural disaster weakened all farmers and herders and many of them becoming bankrupt.

    In recent years, Mongolia cultivated only 30% of total registered arable land and

    produced only 24.9% of the total required grain, 86% of potato and 47% of vegetables locally. This is due to the negative impacts of climate changes, and the lack of financial capacity of crop farmers and reduction of available professional agriculturalists and other adverse conditions affecting agriculture production.

    In 2008, Mongolia cultivated cereals on 155,000 ha, 11,900 ha of potato, vegetables

    on 6,400 ha, oil crops on 12,200 ha and animal fodder crops on 6,400 ha. As a result of the direct impact of the Government program on “Rehabilitation of the Crop Sector”, in 2008 the estimated harvest for cereal grains was 200,600 tons, for potatoes 143,600 tons, for vegetables 81,600 tons, for oil crops 12,100 tons and for animal forage crops 16,100 tons and this supplied the 49.1% of the total domestic demand for cereal grains, 104% of potato, and 48.5% of vegetables.

    With the purpose to improve the legal environment of the food and agricultural sector the “Law on Water” was passed in 1995, the “Law on Plant Protection” was approved in 1996 and the “Law on Seeds and Varieties of Plants” was endorsed in 1999. The amendments were made to the “Law on Land”, the “Law on Cooperatives” and the “Law on Insurance of Crop Farming” in 2002. The “Law on Land Ownership” and the “Law on Prohibition and Inspection of Animals, Plants, Animal and Plant Origin Products during Export and Import” were passed lately and are being observed.

    With the aim of supporting crop farming the “National green revolution” and “Revival of land farming” projects and “Seed” and “Fallow” sub projects have been implemented successfully.

    3. Activities on Conservation, Evaluation and Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources

    The Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science play an important role making policies, planning and funding activities on plant genetic resources. The Mongolian State University of Agriculture (MSUA) and related research institutes are mainly involved in the research work on PGR.

    The Plant Science and Agricultural Research Training Institute (PSARTI) in

    Darkhan-Uu has been designated as the national base collection for both crop and forage species and plays leading role in collaboration with other institutes.

    Mongolia depends heavily on animal husbandry and is rich in forage plant genetic

    resources. Conservation of forage species is as important as food crop species. The Research Institute of Animal Husbandry (RIAH) is the leading Institute in collecting, characterization, evaluation and documentation of forage genetic resources in the country.

    The National Board for Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) is an advisory

    committee for activities on plant genetic resources. The Board