Biodiversity Conservation and Management at INTSORMIL

Gebisa Ejeta

Plant Genetics & Breeding

Purdue University

The African “center of crop origin”

• Cereals – African rice (Oryza glaberrima), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) (West African

drylands), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) (Abyssinia), tef (Eragrostis abyssinica), fonio (Digitaria exilis) (West Africa)

• Pulses – cowpea (Vigna linguculata), bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea), hyacinth

bean (Lablab purpureus), kersting's groundnut (Macrotyloma geocarpa)• Roots & tuber crops

– yam (Dioscorea cayanensis)• Oil crops

– oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) (West Africa), castor bean (Ricinus communis) • Fruits & nuts

– baobab (Adansonia digitata) (tropical Africa), watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris) melon (Cucumis melo) (central Africa)

• Vegetables & spices – okra (Hibiscus esculentus), sesame (Sesamum indicum), egglplant (Solanum

aethiopicum) (tropical Africa). • Fibers

– kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) (Western Sudan)• Stimulants

– coffee (Coffea arabica) (Abyssinia)

VI. Abyssinian Center Abyssinia, Eritrea, and part of Somaliland (Vavilov centers of origin)

Grains & Legumes

Abyssinian hard wheat Triticum durum abyssinicum

Poulard wheat Triticum turgidum abyssinicum

Emmer Triticum dicoccum abyssinicum

Polish wheat Triticum polonicum abyssinicum

Barley Hordeum sativum

Grain sorghum Andropogon sorghum

Pearl millet Pennisetum spicatum

African millet Eleusine coracana

Tef Eragrostis abyssinica

Cowpea Vigna sinensis

Flax Linum usitatissimum http://www.hort.purdue.edu/

Miscellaneous

Sesame Sesamum indicum (basic center)

Castor bean Ricinus communis (a center)

Garden cress Lepidium sativum

Coffee Coffea arabica

Okra Hibiscus esculentus

Myrrh Commiphora abyssinicia

Niger Guizotia abyssinica

Ensete Musa ventricosum

Indigo Indigofera argente

Diversity• Diverse ecological conditions and different ethnic customs and

preferences resulted in enormous genetic diversity.

• Most have shown great resilience and broad adaptation

• Global distribution of these species has served humanity well.

• Some have had a narrowly defined nich & utility

– Example: Teff is a highly valued staple cereal crop in Ethiopia, but is cultivated no where else as a food crop .

Conservation and Management ofGenetic Resources: Essential

• In situ conservation• Ex situ Conservation

• Whose Responsibility?– Partnerships and Dialogue

• Ag & Conservation Groups• Scientists & Policy Makers• Rich & Poor Nations

– Accountability (community, nation, & donors)– Education, based on demonstrable benefit

Genetic Resource Conservation Activities at INTSORMIL

• Collection, characterization, and documentation

Americas

China

Sorghum Domestication

India

early Sorghum bicolor

Sudan

Ethiopia

NPGSUSA

42,221 accessions

domestication center

ICRISAT India

36,719 accessions

Sorghum Collections

Sources of genetic variation

Drought toleranceFeteritas - SudanHegaris - SudanTransplants - Sudan, Chad, CameroonHard Durras - Ethiopia, IndiaSoft Durras - Nigeria

Nutritional QualityWotet BeguncheSinde LamineIndian Durras/BhasmatiSweet stalksTanzania Rice Types

Stand EstablishmentWest African CaudatumsChinese Kaoliangs

Cold ToleranceChinese KaoliangsEthiopian DurrasYemen Durras

Striga ToleranceKittgn Aifere - EthiopiaSeguétana - Mali

Acid Soils ToleranceUganda, Zambia, Mali

Genetic Resource Conservation Activities at INTSORMIL

• Collection, characterization, and documentation• Enhance the diversity base of breeding

programs

Genetic Resource Conservation Activities at INTSORMIL

• Collection, characterization, and documentation• Enhance the diversity base of breeding programs• Facilitate open exchange and distribution

Released in the Amhara region of Ethiopia, 2001 under the name “Brhan”

Genetic Resource Conservation Activities at INTSORMIL

• Collection, characterization, and documentation• Enhance the diversity base of breeding programs• Facilitate open exchange and distribution• Conduct diversity analysis (ex-situ , in-situ)

– Morphological– Molecular

Genetic Diversity in Cultivated Sorghums

• Genetic Diversity in Cultivated Races of Sorghum (Menkir et al., 1997. Crop Sci. 37:564)

– 190 acc. from four geographic regions of origin (Far and Middle East, Central and Eastern Africa, Southern Africa, Western Africa) - 162 polymorphic RAPD bands

– Cultivated races with limited amount of genetic differentiation Low level of differentiation among regions

– Genetic distances estimates to help identifying suitable germplasm for introgression into breeding stocks

• Phenotypic Diversity among Sudanese Landraces (Grenier et al., 2003. GRES in press)

– 2,017 acc. Sudanese landrace collection - 19 morpho-agronomic characters– Different distribution of phenotypic diversity among regions

Specific patterns of phenotypic diversity for each geographical area of origin– Phenotypic diversity to highlight selective pressures that have reduced the variation

to certain ideotypes

Genetic Diversity in Cultivated Races of Sorghum

Regions Far and Middle East

Central and Eastern Africa

Southern Africa

Western Africa

Far and Middle East

0.350a 0.357bc 0.356c 0.375b

Central and Eastern Africa

0.353ab 0.348b 0.365ad

Southern Africa

0.305a 0.374b

Western Africa

0.358a

Mean genetic distance estimates calculated from 162 polymorphic RAPD bands for all pairs of accessions from either one or two geographic regions of origin (Menkir et al., 1997. Crop Sci. 37:564)

Phenotypic Diversity among Sudanese

Landraces

Principal component analysis on the total Sudanese landrace collection (2,017 acc.) and for nine quantitative morpho-agronomic characters (Grenier et al., 2003. GRES in press)

Factor 1 : Plant height - Flowering date

Fa

cto

r 2

: K

ern

el s

ize

- 1

00

-se

ed

we

igh

t

Gezira-Gedarif

-5

-4

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

4

-5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4

Kassala

-5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4

Blue Nile

-5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4

Upper Nile

-5

-4

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

4

-5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4

Equatoria

-5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4

Unknown

-5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4

Upper Nile

Gezira-Gedarif

Kassala

Blue Nile

Equatoria

Genetic Resource Conservation Activities at INTSORMIL

• Collection, characterization, and documentation• Enhance the diversity base of breeding programs• Facilitate open exchange and distribution• Conduct diversity analysis (ex-situ , in-situ)

– Morphological– Molecular

• Assess extent of gene flow bet. Wild & Cultivated

Gene Flow Between Cultivated and Wild

Sorghums in Africa

Genetic Resource Conservation Activities at INTSORMIL

• Collection, characterization, and documentation• Enhance the diversity base of breeding programs• Facilitate open exchange and distribution• Conduct diversity analysis (ex-situ , in-situ)

– Morphological– Molecular

• Assess extent of gene flow bet. Wild & Cultivated• Investigate extent of real genetic erosion

Genetic Resource Conservation Activities at INTSORMIL

• Collection, characterization, and documentation• Enhance the diversity base of breeding programs• Facilitate open exchange and distribution• Conduct diversity analysis (ex-situ , in-situ)

– Morphological– Molecular

• Assess extent of gene flow bet. Wild & Cultivated• Investigate extent of real genetic erosion • Facilitate repatriation and/or new introduction

Biomass & Biofuel Potential?