Integration of Conservation Strategies of Plant Genetic ... - Genres

Ex sit u an d on f ar m con ser v at ion an d t h e f or m al sect or
- wild (e.g. Brassica rupestris) and cultivated cabbages
(B. oleracea) in Sicily (Perrino and Hammer 1985);
- wild/weedy (Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima) and
cultivated beets (B. vulgaris) in Calabria (Hammer et
al. 1987);
- wild (Pyrus amygdaliformis) and cultivated pears (P.
communis) in some parts of southern Italy (see e.g.
Hammer et al. 1987).
Exclusively within on farm situations introgressions could
be observed in several cases from which wheat in southern
Italy should be particularly mentioned (Hammer and
Perrino 1984).
Table 8: Results of the work with checklists
Taxa
Species
Genera
Families
Synonyms
Vernacular names
A special case are crop-weed-complexes in which the
related species grow as weeds in the field of the crop
(Hammer 1991b), e.g. Avena fatua in fields of Avena sativa (Kühn et al. 1976).
Italy Libya Korea Cuba
541
522
300
86
347
2.833
A special system has been developed by the Hungarian genebank in Tápiószele (Holly and Unk 1981)
which is called "backyard multiplication" and includes now about 100 people in ten districts (Anon.
1993a) who distribute seed samples from the genebank to farmers for multiplication. In this way the
280
276
187
67
50
223
473
456
314
99
358
530
1.045
1.029
531
117
727
1.671
Source: Knüpffer 1992, Hammer et al.
1988, Baik et al. 1986, Hammer et al. 1992
In all these cases ongoing evolution is evident andTable
9: Number of infraspecific categories in cultivated
should be supported. On farm conservation is theplants
following the treatment by Gatersleben
most effective way. Other examples are not sotaxonomists
evident but nevertheless of great importance, as
the possible loss of resistance genes with the
Species
absence of a specific selection pressure (Knolle
1989, Hammer 1991b).
Number of different taxa at
the lowest taxonomical rank
Triticum aestivum L. s.l.
404
Hordeum vulgare L. s.l.
192
On farm conservation and the formal sector
Pisum sativum L. s.l.
Glycine max (L.) Merr.
101
97
Papaver somniferum L.
The formal sector, because of its specific expertise, Brassica oleracea L.
has to play a more active role in on farmLinum
usitatissimum L.
52
31
28
conservation, e.g. finding out areas for case studiesLycopersicon
esculentum L.
24
and helping in the monitoring of the systems. InBeta
vulgaris L.
17
may cases seeds have been provided for NGOVicia
faba L.
Nicotiana rustica L.
activities. Collecting and conservation of this
material by genebanks was the precondition for a
successful reestablishment of traditional crops inSource:
Hammer 1981
European farms. After the redetection of Triticum
monococcum and T. dicoccon as relic crops in
6
6
parts of southern Italy (Perrino et al. 1981) a public awareness for these traditional cereals was obtained
by publications and in scientific and other meetings. The proposal to create field reserves with financial
support from the EC (Perrino and Hammer 1984), following an earlier more general proposal of
Kuckuck (1974), obviously came to early. But farmers in several parts of Italy started to cultivate
einkorn and especially emmer wheats again, partly in projects together with the Bari genebank, so that
now an increase of cultivation of these traditional wheats can easily be observed together with new
scientific input (e.g. D'Antuono 1989, D'Antuono and Pavoni 1993).