Newsletter for Asia, the Pacific and Oceania - Bioversity ...

1 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA No. 30

Editorial

Improving the Use of Plant GeneticResourcesThe linkage between conservation anduse is embedded in both the Conventionon Biological Diversity and the FAO

Global Plan of Action for theConservation and Sustainable Utilizationof Plant Genetic Resources for Food and

Agriculture. The Convention identifies theconservation and sustainable use ofbiological diversity and the sharing of

benefits from use as its centralobjectives. The improved utilization ofPlant Genetic Resources (PGR) is one

of the four major thematic areas of FAOthe Global Plan of Action.

While the importance of using genetic

resources is fully recognized, there isalso a continuing concern that in manyways PGR are under-used. The FAO

State of the World Report, 1996 listed20 or so different bottlenecks to usewhich were identified in the country

reports. Over the past 20 years, manyeminent scientists and others concernedwith PGR, have also expressed their

concern about the poor use of materialstored in ex situ collections.

However, if we have to improve the use

of PGR, there needs to be somesubstantial reconsideration of whatconstitutes use and a much better

knowledge of the current patterns of useand problems encountered in improvingthe use. Some aspects of these

concerns are illustrated below:

The information, opinions and designations in the Newsletter are not necessarily those of IPGRIThe IPGRI Homepage on the World Wide Web of Internet: http://www.cgiar.org/ipgri

ContentsEditorial ................................... 1

Headquarters ........................... 3

Regional .................................. 4

National ................................... 9

COGENT Update .................... 12

Meetings/Trainings .................. 17

Interesting Books andPublications ...................... 19

Scientific Contributions ........... 21

Useful Names & Addresses ... 24

Conservation through use andconservation for use

Much of the genetic diversity of the world

crops is still maintained in farmers’ fields,

orchards, pasture lands and forests. For

many useful plant species and for many

crops, conservation through use in

productive agro-ecosystems by farmers

and communities will continue to be the

most important conservation method in

terms of the amount of genetic diversity

maintained over time. This is so, firstly,

because farmers will continue to need

the diversity in their production systems.

Secondly, sufficient ex situ facilities will

probably be never available to maintain

many useful tropical fruits, minor

vegetables, forage species, medicinal

plants and other useful species.

In recent years, the importance of the

continuing maintenance and use by

farmers of their own local cultivars of both

major and minor crops has been fully

recognized by the conservation

community and on-farm conservation has

become a part of the conservation

agenda. At present, this work often

focuses on major crops. However, in the

longer term, conservation through use is

likely to be even more important for minor

crops, perennial species and for species

which are under-represented in ex situcollections because of the difficulties

associated with their conservation.

No. 30 September-December 1999

INTERNATIONAL PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES INSTITUTE ISSN 1561-2473

About the NewsletterThe International Plant GeneticResources Institute (IPGRI), formerlyIBPGR, is one of the 16 Centres of theConsultative Group on InternationalAgricultural Research (CGIAR) with itsHeadquarters at Rome. IPGRI’smission is to encourage, support andengage in activities to strengthen theconservation and use of plant geneticresources world-wide with specialemphasis on the needs of developingcountries. IPGRI works in partnershipwith other organizations, undertakesresearch and training, and providesscientific and technical advice andinformation. IPGRI operates in fivegeographical areas: Sub-SaharanAfrica (SSA), the Americas, Europe,Central and West Asia and North Africa(CWANA), and Asia, the Pacific andOceania (APO). APO Regional Officeis based in Serdang, Malaysia withoffices for East Asia and South Asialocated in Beijing, China and NewDelhi, India, respectively.

The APO Newsletter is produced thricea year and is mainly aimed at promotingthe overall concern on plant geneticresources, with emphasis on theirconservation and use. [Contd. on page 4]

NEWSLETTERFOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA

No. 30 IPGRI NEWSLETTER FOR ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND OCEANIA 2

In contrast to conservation through use,

conservation for use describes the

maintenance of ex situ collections in

ways that support the supply of material

to different users. This is the

conventional responsibility and concern

of many genebank managers who

constitute IPGRI’s primary collaborators

and the supporters of the global

conservation effort. Increasingly, the

value of these collections is being judged

in terms of the “use” that is made of

them. Their ability to obtain resources

depends on demonstrating that the

collections have been used to improve

production in some way.

Different types of use of ex situconserved germplasm

Use of accessions from ex situ

collections can take many different

forms, some of which are often ignored

or overlooked. It could be argued that

use of accessions includes any activity

that adds value to an accession,

contributes to our agricultural knowledge

or contributes to improved production.

Thus, use can take many forms and

meet many objectives from complex

breeding programmes for cultivar

improvement to direct use or for carrying

out detailed studies of metabolism and

gene control. A few brief points can be

made on the three different aspects of

use.

Work that adds value to an accession

includes characterization and evaluation.

While a number of commentators have

argued that these activities do not really

constitute use, there are good reasons

for emphasizing their importance for

improved use and their value in

improving both knowledge and

productivity. Firstly, in order to identify

accessions with desirable characters

(disease resistance, stress tolerance,

etc.), it is usually necessary to screen a

large number of accessions, many of

which will turn out not to have the desired

traits. All the accessions have, in fact,

been used and the ability to provide the

right accession to plant breeders

depends on having all the accessions

available and evaluating and

characterizing them properly. Secondly,

plant breeding programmes always have

a rather limited capacity to include new

material in the crossing plans. The

amount varies from crop to crop and

programme to programme but, typically,

it is unlikely to be more than a few

accessions per year. Improving use,

depends not on increasing the number

of accessions provided to breeding

programmes but on improving the

usefulness of the material provided i.e.

on being able to provide material with

that has already been characterized and

screened for known, desirable

characteristics.

The contribution made by PGR to

improved agricultural knowledge has

been rather overlooked. At IPGRI, we

have just completed a survey of the use

of PGR based on research reports in

four international journals (Crop Science,

Plant Breeding, Euphytica and

Theoretical and Applied Genetics). Over

20% of the 800 articles published in

these journals in 1996 used PGR that

came from ex situ collections or directly

from field collecting. These genetic

resources were used to investigate key

aspects of crop performance, of genetic

control of important traits (yield, disease

resistance, stress tolerance etc.) and of

exploring different ways of improving

production. It would be valuable to

extend this work to cover a wider range

of nationally important agricultural

journals which are also likely to include

work where genetic resources from an

ex situ collection have provided the

necessary material to improve crop

production.

Plant breeders have always been

considered to be the primary users of

crop genetic resources. Meeting their

continuing need for additional diversity,

for new traits and for new combinations

of traits has been a central concern of

many genebanks. It is important to

recognize that the number of accessions

that breeders can use will often be very

small. Indeed, plant breeders often report

that their preferred genebank is one that

can provide a small number of well

characterized accessions that avoids the

need for large trials to determine

accessions that should enter a crossing

programme. If information on accessions

is limited, breeders may well limit their

use of new materials because of the

extra labour involved. However, there is

a continuing and increasing use of

genetic resources in the major breeding

programmes of many countries and of

many international programmes. For

example, wheat lines released by

CIMMYT today have over 50 landraces

in their pedigrees, while those released

25 years ago had only 5-10 landraces.

Knowledge of use

While recognizing that there are many

different forms of use that are often under-

valued, it also has to be accepted that

the information we have on the extent of

PGR use is quite inadequate. This may

reflect an incomplete knowledge of the

amount of material sent out from

genebanks, the destination of the material

and the use that is made of it. However,

it may often happen that while this data

exists, it has never been collated or

analysed. Many genebanks which keep

records of the material despatched and

of its destination, have not had the time

or resources to analyse this data to

identify key uses and users and, more

importantly, the key gaps or bottlenecks

to use. It must now be a priority to work

firstly to understand patterns of

distribution, and then to follow up with

users to determine the ways in which the

material has been used. This will provide

the information needed to identify ways

in which distribution and use could be

improved. Such work will be of direct

benefit to all involved in conservation. It

will provide direct factual evidence on the

utility of genebanks, on how to improve

use and clear evidence on impact. This

can be shared with policy makers and

national planners who need to be

convinced of the value of conserving PGR

[Dr Toby Hodgkin, Principal Scientist,

Genetic Diversity, Genetic Research

Science and Technology Group (GRST),

IPGRI-HQ, Rome, Italy].


HeadquartersIPGRI’s Forest GeneticResources ProgrammeMeeting, Rome

For the first time, IPGRI hosted its ForestGenetic Resources (FGR) programmemeeting at its Headquarters in Romefrom 22-29 September 1999. In view ofthe relatively rapid growth of the FGRprogramme which started in 1993, it wasfelt important to convene a meeting tobring together all regional andHeadquarters FGR staff in order to:

i) Develop a common vision andunderstanding of the FGRprogramme strategy and activities,

ii) Review and enrich the FGRprogramme strategy with commentsand suggestions of participants, and

iii) Review current FGR programmeactivities and develop an operationalframework for the coordinatedimplementation of IPGRI’s FGRstrategy.

The meeting started with the FGRinternal programme review, followed bya collaborative IPGRI-ICRAF-CIFOR-SGRP meeting on FGR and the IUFROTask Force meeting on FGR. Theparticipation of representatives from FAOas well as from a wide variety of HQbased staff was highly effective andappreciated. IPGRI’s FGR staffparticipated as observers at the FAOPanel of Experts on Forest GeneticResources during 29 September - 1October 1999. The outcomes of themeeting were as follows:

l Mechanisms and strategies forimproved project organization,coordination and impact identified.

l Activity and project concepts atvarious levels (national, regional ,global) developed to besubsequently developed into fullproposals for donors, based onestablished priorities.

l Ways of integrating proposalsexamined and strengthening inter-regional linkages determined.

The meeting was highly successful in

fulfilling its objectives and achieving its

outputs to the extent that participants

felt the need to organize such events on

an annual basis in future. The details on

various aspects are given below:

Policy and legal issues relatedto FGR

Several conventions and

recommendations at the global level are

legally binding at national level and have

implications for FGR management. It

was recommended that IPGRI’s FGR

programme should identify crucial FGR-

specific policy and legal aspects which

need to be taken into account in

developing national plans, and in

forthcoming international conventions.

The FGR programme should encourage

partners to integrate FGR issues in their

national programmes and provide

information and advice to countries as

they formulate their policies. The scope

for regional activities on FGR policy

aspects needs to be further explored.

Regional activities on FGR

Specific locations for consolidation of

thematic activities were chosen in each

region, for instance in the APO, the

thematic focus will be on:

i) The impact of logging and extraction

of non-timber forest products and

valuable tree species in the Western

Ghats (India),

ii) Locating genetic diversity in

mainland Southeast Asia (Thailand,

Vietnam),

iii) Assessing genetic erosion in the

Pacific, and

iv) Conservation and sustainable use

of bamboo and rattan genetic

resources in the varied INBAR

locations.

The enhanced cooperation between the

HQ FGR project (Global FGR strategies)

and the FGR research activities carried

out in the regions was highly

recommended. Regional activities and

global strategies need to be better

integrated into a logical framework

structure to avoid duplication and to

improve collaboration according to the

principle of subsidiarity.

Information strategy on FGR

The participants to the meeting, as well

as representatives from ICRAF, CIFOR

and SGRP expressed the need for an

adequate information system on FGR at

system-wide level. The following agenda

for action was proposed and agreed

upon:

i) An inventory of information available

under all electronic and non-

electronic forms including

databases, newsletters,

publications, research projects, etc.

in the CG centres needs to be

developed. This would help identify

areas of potential collaboration and

complementarity between them.

This work should lead to the

development of a common IPGRI-

CGIAR Webpage on FGR.

ii) The common denominators/

standards need to be developed to

pool and share information and

ensure compatibility of the

information systems.

Standardization is needed at the

level of tree species (taxonomy/

nomenclature), countries and

regions, as well as ecosystems. CG

standards for taxonomy and country

codes are being set under SINGER.

iii) The assessment of information

needs in FGR is required to be done

in close collaboration with IUFRO,

CIFOR, and ICRAF. IPGRI should

assess the needs of national

programmes, where its comparative

advantage lies, in order to identify

more accurately the information

priorities and themes [ Leonardo

Petri, Genetic Resources Science

and Technology Group (GRST)

IPGRI-HQ, Rome, Italy ].


RegionalUpdate on IPGRI-APOActivities

IPGRI supports national PGRworkshops

China : A national workshop onconservation and utilization strategies ofplant genetic resources was held inBeijing, China, from 25-27 October, 1999in order to develop strategies tosustainably develop Chinese agricultureand the field of plant genetic resources.This meeting was jointly organized bythe Institute of Crop GermplasmResources (ICGR) of the ChineseAcademy of Agricultural Sciences(CAAS) and the Sub-association of PlantGenetic Resources of ChineseAssociation of Agricultural SciencesSocieties, with financial and technicalsupport from IPGRI. Through theinformation exchange and discussion,the participants proposed strategies andmeasures for the development of PGRactivities in the future. For more details,see pages 11,13 [Abstracted from thereport: Gao Weidong. 1999. NationalWorkshop on Conservation and UseStrategies of Plant Genetic Resourcesin China, Report. IPGRI-APO, Serdang,Malaysia ].

Bhutan: IPGRI provided support for theNational Workshop on Plant GeneticResources which was organized byNational Biodiversity Programme (NBP)of the Ministry of Agriculture, RoyalGovernment of Bhutan at NaturalResources Training Institute (NRTI),Lobeysa, Bhutan from 8-10 November1999. See pages 9-10 for moreinformation.

IPGRI promotes regional PGRnetworking

Networks are considered as an importanttool for promoting awareness and actionon plant genetic resources. Suchnetworks can be based either on a crop/commodity or a geographical region.IPGRI makes use of both types ofnetworks to promote work on PGRconservation and use. Recently, itprovided support to activities of suchnetworks in the region.

ANSWER: This is the Asian Network forSweet Potato Genetic Resources(ANSWER) and its second meeting washeld from 3-5 November 1999 at theRegional Office of the InternationalPotato Centre (CIP), Bogor, Indonesia,with financial and technical support fromIPGRI. See page 6 for more details.

RECSEA-PGR: The RegionalCooperation in Southeast Asia on PGR(RECSEA-PGR), is a sub-regionalnetwork. Its second meeting was held inMalaysia from 7-8 September 1999. Seepage 7 for more details.

IPGRI provides scientificbackstopping to TaroGen in thePacific

The collaborators of TaroGen met on 21October 1999 to review and discuss theprogress made, identify additional areasthat needed attention and to facilitatelinking of each other’s activities. This ledto better understanding of each other’sroles in furthering TaroGen activities. Thesecond TGRC meeting took place on 22October 1999, at South PacificCommission (SPC), Suva, Fiji,immediately after a meeting of the sub-committee of Regional Conference ofPermanent Heads of Agricultural andLivestock Production Services(PHALPS). The Team Leader reportedon collecting and characterization,conservation and improvement,establishment of the RegionalGermplasm Centre and in situconservation study with IPGRI support.QUT/QU (ACIAR project) reported oncharacterization and diagnosticsdevelopment of taro viruses; DNAfingerprinting of germplasm andtechnology transfer. QU/SPC also planto develop a proposal to study geneticintegrity of tissue cultured taro.HortResearch, Auckland reported on taroleaf blight (TLB) testing methods. Otherissues discussed included: tarodescription and rationalization. Specificassistance from IPGRI on developingregional core collection has been sought.Movement of germplasm/virus indexing;plant breeding and pathology workshop;Regional Germplasm Centre; location

and date of next meeting, etc. were alsodiscussed [Dr V. Ramanatha Rao,IPGRI-APO, Serdang, Malaysia].

IPGRI assists in trainingactivities in the region

A regional training course on'Establishment and Management of FieldGenebanks for Germplasm Conservationand Use' was conducted from 28September - 10 October 1999 at PlantGenetic Resources Centre, UniversityPutra Malaysia (UPM) in collaborationwith Malaysian Agricultural Researchand Development Institute (MARDI) andIPGRI-APO, Serdang, Malaysia. Therewere 24 participants from 18 countriesof Asia and the Pacific region. Resourcepersons were from local and foreigninstitutions including UPM, UniversitiKebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), MARDI,Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia(PORIM), IPGRI-APO, FAO, Rome andUniversity of Sydney. ADB, FAO andIPGRI funded the course.

Main topics covered included: principlesand concepts in PGR conservation anduse, seed conservation and in vitroconservation, field genebank, geneticand agronomic considerations,inbreeding, outbreeding, populations,management and utilization, biochemicalmarkers and characterization. Othertopics discussed were legal issues,health issues, information

About the NewsletterContd. from page 1

It provides information on plantgenetic resources activities carriedout by national programmes andother centres in the region.Information is also periodicallyabstracted from recent literature(books, periodicals, etc.), and briefresearch contributions published.With over 2500 addressees on itsmailing list, the APO newsletter iswidely distributed to focus onIPGRI's mandate to advance theconservation and use of plantgenetic resources for the benefit ofpresent and future generations.


documentation, database andeconomics. Both theoretical as well aspractical and hands-on training wereimparted on main topics. A trip was alsoorganized to study the coconutgermplasm collection and research atTelok Intan, Perak, Malaysia. Theparticipants also visited variousinstitutions including MARDI, PORIM andIPGRI-APO.

The trainees expressed satisfactionduring an evaluation done at the end ofthe course. Each participant alsopresented a country report emphasizingthe work on field genebank activities intheir respective countries. It was obviousthat some countries did not yet have anyfield genebanks, while others madeserious attempts to establish both ex situand in situ genebanks. The participantsbenefited by making contacts with otherresearchers, who are experiencingsimilar problems and striving to conservePGR and to use them sustainably.Exchange of ideas, technical informationand collaboration among participantswas promoted.

IPGRI supports MS PGR courseand the plant genetic resourcesdialogue

Ten candidates were awardedfellowships for MS PGR course atUniversity of the Philippines Los Baños(UPLB), 4 being funded through the ADBgrant to IPGRI and 6 by South EastAsian Regional Centre for GraduateStudy and Research in Agriculture(SEARCA). All the IPGRI and SEARCAscholars will be working on problemsrelated to coconut genetic resources.

The MS PGR Dialogue was held atIPGRI-APO, Serdang from 11-13November 1999, with participants fromPhilippines (UPLB, SEARCA), Sri Lanka(University of Peradeniya), Nepal (LI-BIRD) and Malaysia (UKM) and IPGRI.Representatives from India could notattend the meeting due to unavoidablecircumstances but the paper submittedby them was discussed. MSc degreecourse on PGR is already beingconducted jointly by the IndianAgricultural Rsearch Institute (IARI) andthe National Bureau of Plant GeneticResources (NBPGR), New Delhi, Indiaand UPLB, Los Baños, Philippines and

similar courses will start in Malaysia andSri Lanka from the year 2000.

It is well recognised that very little of theexisting knowledge on PGR conservationand utilization is adopted for curriculumdevelopment and to apprise the studentswith theoretical and practical knowledgeand application; disseminate theimportant information to relevant peopleor conduct further research on differenttopics. The approach has to bemultidisciplinary in conducting coursesat the institutions of higher learning.

The progress thus far made in differentinstitutions, in the above mentionedcountries were discussed. Variousconstraints and problems were identifiedand suitable suggestions were outlinedto meet the needs. Main topics ofnational and regional importance werehighlighted and needs of variouscountries to conduct the courses werenoted. Both basic and fundamentalcourses at undergraduate level andmajor courses for the degree programmewere identified and discussed.Suggestions were also made tostreamline the contents of courses to fitin with the available time frame of twoacademic years. Use of the availablecurricula for short-term training was alsodiscussed [Dr A.N. Rao, IPGRI-APO,Serdang, Malaysia].

Genetic diversity in the Vignaangularis complex and relatedspecies in East Asia

IPGRI-supported project on analysis ofgenetic diversity in the Vigna angulariscomplex and related species in East Asiais being jointly carried out by NationalInstitute of Agrobiological Resources,Japan; RDA Genebank of Republic ofKorea; Crop Genetic Resources InstitutePyongyang, DPR Korea, and Institute ofCrop Germplasm Resources of China.

A field investigation and collecting has

been done in Japan. From 20- 29October 1999, Dr Mun Sup Yoon (RDA,Korea) and staff of the National Institute

of Agrobiological Resources (NIAR),Japan visited the southern islands ofOkinawa Prefecture. Populations of 2

Vigna species, namely, Vigna minimaand V. reflexo-pilosa were collected fromthe 7 islands. The most northerly location

for Glycine tabacina was found in MiyakoIsland where seeds from large

populations of this perennial relative ofsoybean were collected. In addition,during October 1999, Dr Mun Sup Yoon

participated in the 7th MAFF InternationalWorkshop on Genetic Resources (Wildlegumes and in situ conservation

research) held in NIAR, Tsukuba, Japanand a wild legume collecting tripundertaken to Nagano Prefecture.

The materials, which will be analyzedduring Dr Yoon’s stay in Japan, includeaccessions of Vigna nakashimae from

Korea and Japan and materials collectedin Okinawa prefecture. Dr Yoon andNIAR staff will use the AFLP technique

to measure genetic diversity in thesematerials [Dr Duncan Vaughan, CropEvolutionary Dynamics Laboratory,

National Institute of AgrobiologicalResources, Kannondai 2-1-2, Tsukuba,Ibaraki 305, Japan, Fax: 81-298-38-

7408].

AVRDC to Conserve andUtilize IndigenousVegetables

The scientists working on vegetables inthe South and Southeast Asian regions

agree that indigenous vegetables couldmake a significant contribution to worldfood production because they are well

adapted to adverse environmentalconditions and are generally resistant topests and pathogens. There is also an

overall concern about the rapiddisappearance of old local varieties andindigenous species.

In an attempt to deliberate on thisimportant subject, 30 scientists fromBangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines,

Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam recentlymet in a planning workshop on collection,conservation and utilization of indigenous

vegetables at the Asian VegetableResearch and Development Centre(AVRDC), Taiwan from 16-18 August,

1999. Apart from scientists from AVRDCHeadquarters, Drs Dharam Pal Singhand Romeo T. Opena, Heads of AVRDC

Regional Centres in Bangladesh andThailand, respectively, also participatedin the workshop.


Implemented by AVRDC through itsGenetic Resources and Services Unit(GRSU) and the Asian DevelopmentBank (ADB), the three-year project,known as Technical Assistance (TA)5839, is an answer to the need ofexploiting the tremendous potential ofindigenous vegetables in enhancingnutrition and diversifying productionsystems. In his opening remarks duringthe workshop, Dr Dimyati Nangju, leadagronomist of ADB said that “ADBapproved the Technical Assistance (TA)to AVRDC because it deals with the useof biodiversity and we cannot discountthe fact that indigenous vegetables areconsidered economically important cropsin the Asian region”.

Dr Liwayway Engle, Head of GRSU andPrincipal Coordinator of the project saidthat the decreasing utilization ofindigenous vegetables could beattributed to lack of seeds, lack ofinformation about their performance,input requirements and how they fit intoproduction systems. She emphasizedthat the current project outputs will pavethe way for enhancing utilization ofindigenous vegetables. She furthermentioned that, “The real challenge isto link conservation with utilization. Ifindigenous vegetables are to become apart of existing cropping systems, thereis a need to develop strategies for theirgenetic enhancement, and improve ontheir cultural management.”

In the light of the fact that AVRDC andADB have had various successfulcollaborations in the past, Dr SamsonC.S. Tsou, Director General of AVRDCsaid, "this project hopes to achieve asimilar milestone in vegetable research".“There are still many vegetablecompounds which are health related andare yet to be explored and so we reallyneed to do further studies on indigenousvegetables,” he said.

The Project which commenced in July1999, is composed of the followingcomponents: i) conservation andutilization of genetic resources ofindigenous vegetables; ii) humanresources strengthening; iii) identificationof species which have potential forinclusion in production systems and iv)multiplication of the collected germplasm

for exchange and utilization. AVRDC isthe executing agency and is responsiblefor coordinating, monitoring andsupervising the activities of the wholeproject.

Each country participant presented apaper focusing on the current status,problems and potentials of theindigenous vegetables. As a counterpartfor the country presentations, someAVRDC scientists provided an overviewof the Centre’s research activities andevaluation in relation to the workshop’sobjectives. Further, during the workshop,participants deliberated and exchangedideas on how to fine-tune the details ofproject implementation. Issues discussedranged from identifying strategies forsystematic collecting and the rules andregulations on bioprospecting, exchangeand quarantine [Ronald G. Mangubat,Special Assistant in Communications,Office of the Director General, AVRDC,Taiwan].

Second ANSWER Meeting

The second meeting of Asian Networkfor Sweet Potato Genetic Resources(ANSWER) was held from 3-5 November1999 at the Regional Office of theInternational Potato Centre (CIP), Bogor,Indonesia, with financial and technicalsupport from IPGRI. Most ANSWERmembers participated, except Japan,Republic of Korea and Papua NewGuinea (PNG). Seventeen participantsattended the meeting. Both Dr GordonPrain (CIP) and Dr V. Ramanatha Rao(IPGRI) presented the welcomeaddresses. Dr Michael Hermann fromCIP, Lima took the lead to reviewprogress in sweet potato germplasmconservation activities by ANSWERparticipants. It also took stock of sweetpotato holdings in the region anddeveloped plan for inter-genebankdatabase. Efforts were made to identifyproblems of sweet potato conservationin the ANSWER region. Efforts were alsomade to develop a plan for a regionalsweet potato conservation project withemphasis on coordinated actions andshared resources. This will be furtherfollowed up (coordinated by DrHermann). Two separate working groupsdiscussed different topics and defined

project priorities and outputs. Based onthe discussions, initial guidelines ongovernance and management ofANSWER activities were developed. DrAlgerico Mariscal from the Philippineswas elected as the Coordinator. CIPagreed to be the Secretariat of ANSWERand this can lead the way to make theANSWER network sustainable. IPGRIwill continue to provide scientific andtechnical backstopping to ANSWER andsupport CIP to make the networksustainable through collaborating inproject development, resourceidentification and by supporting thepublication of the proceedings of thesecond ANSWER meeting[Dr V. Ramanatha Rao, IPGRI-APO,Serdang, Malaysia].

Rice-Wheat Consortium(RWC) for the Indo-Gangetic Plains

The eighth meeting of the RegionalTechnical Coordination Committee(RTCC) was held from 30 August - 1September 1999 at the InternationalIrrigation Management Institute (IIMI)Programme Office, Lahore, Pakistan. Allthe members from national systems,international centres and the advancedresearch centres attended the meeting.Dr R.L. Yadav has been appointed asthe new Rice-Wheat Coordinator in Indiaand Dr M. A. Bakr in Bangladesh. Thewebsite of the consortium on the internet(http://www.cgiar.org/rwc) has beenupdated with more information on theresearch activities, contact information,publications, rice-wheat bibliography, etc.There is increased emphasis thatFacilitation Unit has put in place theManagement Information System (MIS).The Regional Steering Committee (RSC)has advised the RWC to develop aninformation and monitoring system forthe National Agricultural TechnologyProject (NATP) of ICAR, New Delhi inthe initial phase, which could be usedas the base by the other three NARS(Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal) and alsoby the Facilitation Unit to develop theregional information system. TheFacilitation Unit is supporting the designand development of websites for theNATP of the Indian Council of


Agricultural Research and the NepalAgricultural Research Council in an effortto enhance the visibility of researchactivities at the national level. Themeeting also discussed the researchprogress of the two projects of theDepartment of International Development(DFID) [Abstracted from Rice-WheatInformation Sheet No.37, 23 September1999; Facilitation Unit, Rice-WheatConsortium for the Indo-Gangetic Plains,c/o. CIMMYT, IARI Campus, (OldNBPGR Building), Pusa, New Delhi 110012, India].

Third RECSEA-PGRMeeting

The third RECSEA-PGR meeting washeld in Malaysia from 7-8 September

1999. Members also attended theNational Meeting on Tropical FruitsConservation and Networking in

Malaysia on the 9 September 1999. TheMalaysian Agriculture Research andDevelopment Institute (MARDI) with

assistance from IPGRI-APO as interimsecretariat hosted the meeting. Membersand technical representatives fromIndonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines,

Thailand and Vietnam attended themeeting. The new chairman forRECSEA-PGR is Dr Crisanto Escano

from the Philippines([email protected]).IPGRI-APO remains the interim secretariat

([email protected]). The next meetingin 2001 will be held in the Philippines.

New IPGRI-APO Regional Director

Dr Percy E. Sajise has joined as the RegionalDirector, IPGRI Office for Asia, the Pacific andOceania (APO) with effect from 17 January 2000.He is a citizen of the Philippines. He obtained hisMSc and PhD in Plant Ecology from CornellUniversity and BSc in Agricultural Botany from theUniversity of Los Baños, Philippines. Dr Sajiseheld notable positions as the Director of SEAMEOSEARCA - Southeast Asia Ministers of EducationOrganization Regional Centres for Graduate Studyand Research in Agriculture in the Philippines(1995-1999), Division Head and Development Action Coordinator of the Instituteof Environmental Science and Management (IESAM) at the University of thePhilippines (1989 - 1994), and Director of the Programme on EnvironmentalScience and Management at the University of the Philippines (1978 - 1986). Hewas also the Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, U.P. Los Baños (1984-1986)and Dean, College of Human Ecology, U.P. at Los Baños (1982-1984). DrSajise has extensive work experience with exposure at the national andinternational level.

In addition to the above, Dr Sajise is currently the Chairman of the PhilippineNational Working Group on Biodiversity Research in the Philippines and hasbeen a member of several national and international committees. He serves asExecutive Secretary of the Asian Association of Agricultural Colleges andUniversities (AAACU) and as Coordinator and Chair of the Southeast AsianUniversities Agroecosystem Network (SUAN). He served as Co-PrincipalInvestigator of a project on 'Conditions of Biodiversity Maintenance in Asia' from1994 to 1999. Dr Sajise is also a Professor at the University of the Philippines,and a member of the CIFOR Board of Trustees.

We welcome Dr Sajise to IPGRI-APO.

Members exchanged information onconservation of fruit crops in theircountries through their technical reports.An invited speaker, Mr Clark Peteru fromSamoa, spoke on IPR issues having

impact on germplasm and informationexchange. The following activities weredecided for the next two years for thenetwork: i) increase public awareness ofPGR activities; ii) promote technicalcollaboration for training in PGR workthrough in-house or regional training byexperts from the region; iii) membercountries should report the activities inthe APO Newsletter; and iv) develop aproposal for indigenous fruitsdevelopment in the region. Besidesthese, on-going activities of updating thedirectory of PGR workers and directoryof services within member countries willbe carried out. Efforts will also be madeto contact all the countries in SoutheastAsia to join the network [Dr Paul Quek,IPGRI-APO, Serdang, Malaysia].

Bamboo and RattanUpdate

The attention on publications continued.The revised edition of the priority species

Participants of RECSEA-PGR and National Workshop on tropical fruits atMARDI, Serdang, Malaysia


of bamboo and rattan and theProceedings of 3rd Bamboo and RattanBiodiversity and Genetic ResourcesConservation Working Group Meetingand the research reports were publishedand distributed widely. Proceedings ofBamboo Kunming Workshop-cum-Training Course is in press. Editing ofRattan research in China and Bambooand Rattan research reports, has beencompleted and these are ready to go tothe press. A manual on economicallyimportant bamboos and rattans ofIndonesia is also being prepared.University of Agricultural Sciences andthe Ashoka Trust for Research inEcology and the Environment (ATREE),Bangalore were supported to conductwork on mapping of genetic diversity ofbamboo and rattan in Western Ghats ofIndia. A proposal for using molecularmarkers for sex determination indioecious rattans is under discussion.IPGRI’s work on bamboo and rattan issupported by the Japanese government.A brief report on the progress of recentactivities is given below:

Rattan resources in Vietnam

Research on rattans supported byIPGRI-APO in Vietnam, with theobjective of determining ecogeographicdistribution of five commercially importantrattan species: Calamus platyacanthus,C. rudentum, C. poilanei, C. tetradactylusand C. ornatus is going on well. Surveywork has been completed in fourprovinces and relative abundance of thespecies is being assessed. From thedata so far available, Hoa Binh provincehas more abundant rattan resourcesthan others. Calamus platyacanthus(= C. wailong) extends from Yunnanprovince in China to different provincesin Vietnam. It is a big sized, strong,commercially important cane, used infurniture industry, comparable with C.manan of Southeast Asia, and is alsorelated to C. palustris, one of the priorityspecies. C. platyacanthus and C.tetradactylus are more widely distributedthan C. rudentum, C. poilanei and C.ornatus. C. poilanei is found only in HoaBin and Than Hoa provinces. C.rudentum and C. ornatus were collectedfrom 4-5 provinces. C. tetradactylus andC. platyacanthus are cultivated andothers are distributed both in secondary

and regenerated forests on the hill slopesafter slash and burn cultivation. Of thefive species studied, only C. tetradactylusextends from Sumatra to Vietnam,whereas other 4 species are restrictedto Vietnam and perhaps Laos andCambodia. But all of them are well usedcommercially.

Altogether 31 species of rattan occur inVietnam; 20 species of Calamus, 4 ofDaemonorops, 2 of Korthalsia, 1 ofMyrialepis, 3 of Plectocomia and 1 ofPlectocomiopsis. The taxonomicdescriptions are incomplete for most ofthe species. Only six species are semi-domesticated and others are collectedfrom forests. The Central and SouthernVietnam are yet to be well investigated.[Abstracted from IPGRI Project Report:Ha Chu Chu. 1999. Distribution of rattansin Vietnam. IPGRI-APO, Serdang,Malaysia].

Bamboos in Vietnam

About 100 species are recorded withdescriptions mostly published in French(1935-50) and translated intoVietnamese. The descriptions given arevery brief. The researchers mostly usethe local name (folk taxonomy) than thescientific names, both for identificationand trade.

There are two bambuseta in the country,one in North and one in South. ChanThai Forest Research Centre locatedabout 200 km from Hanoi has abambusetum in an area of 30 ha. ChuThai Centre in North has biggercollection of about 35 species and12 -13 of them are yet to be properlyidentified. Herbarium facilities areinadequate. Original collections arestored in Natural History Museum, Paris.

Dendrocalamus membranaceus and D.latiflorus are the two main bamboospecies cultivated on very large scaleand used for various purposes includingpaper pulp. D. latiflorus is a priorityspecies. Total area planted in NorthVietnam is about 73 044 ha about 200clumps/ha. Total investment for the firstthree years is 49 000 000 dongs. (1 US$= about VND 13 000). Harvesting canbe started from 4th year onwards,extracting 30% of culms in a clump,annual income per ha/year is about 7-8

million dongs. Steady harvesting isexpected for 8-10 years after which thebamboos have to be replanted. About25-28% of bamboos are mixed withStyrax tonkinensis, Eucalyptus spp.,Manglietia glauca (Magnoliaceae)(endemic to Vietnam) to prepare thepaper pulp. The long fibres of bamboo(up to 1 mm) would improve the qualityof paper. The cultivation of bamboos isvery popular and profitable likePhyllostachys pubescens in China. Thegovernment helps the farmers in bamboocultivation, by providing funds as well astechnical help and guidance. Chan ThaiForest Research Centre conductstraining courses on bamboo cultivation.D. membranaceus is mainly propagatedby branch cuttings where as D. latiflorusmostly by rhizome fragmentation.Enough number of propagules isobtained each year serving the needs offarmers. Nursery facilities are good, butthe demand for bamboos exceeds thepresent supply. Dry leaves of D. latiflorusare exported to Taiwan at US$1 per kg[AN Rao, IPGRI-APO, Serdang,Malaysia].

Genetic assessment of rattanspecies

Studies on genetic diversity assessmentin rattan were recently completed atForest Research Institute, Kuala Lumpur,supported by IPGRI. The objectives ofthis study were: i) to determine geneticvariation among seeds, seedlings andmature plants (male and female) of threerattan species, and ii) to examine therelationship between multi- and singlelocus estimates of genetic diversityparameters with seedling growth traits.

Isozyme analysis of 48 mature plants(21 female and 27 male plants) of C.manan from 5 seed sources representing10 enzymes systems showed lowgenetic diversity for selection andimprovement. Isozyme analysis of about1080 seedlings of C. manan indicatedheterozygosity. Efforts should be madeto obtain seeds from wild populations ofC. manan to realise genetic improvementand sustainability of plantations. Also,there was poor correlation of isozymemarkers with genes related to basaldiameter or height of seedlings.

Isozyme analysis of 41 mature plants


(11 female and 30 male plants) ofC. caesius from 2 seed sources revealeda mean observed and expectedheterozygosity of 0.286. Isozymeanalysis of about 1026 C. caesiusseedlings using 10 loci representing 7enzyme systems also yielded a meanobserved and expected heterozygosityof 0.193 and 0.176, respectively. Nosignificant differences were observedbetween single or multi-locus genotypeclasses and seedling growth parameters,viz., basal diameter and height indicatingindependence of early growth in C.caesius on isozyme genotype class.

Isozyme analysis of 87 mature plants ofC. palustris (22 female and 65 maleplants) from 5 seed sources representing7 enzyme systems revealed a meanobserved and expected heterozygosityof 0.130 and 0.153, respectivelyindicating sufficient genetic diversity forconservation and breeding. Main clusterswere identified among certain seedsources. Isozyme analysis of about3240 seedlings of C. palustris with 8enzyme systems exhibited moderategenetic diversity (A = 1.5, P=32.5%, He= 0.112).

Although discriminatory alleles and

genotypes were detected between sexesin C. manan, C. caesius and C. palustris,these alleles/genotypes occurred in lowfrequencies. This needs to be verifiedusing larger sample sizes of matureplants [Abstracted from IPGRI projectreport: Wickneswari, R. 1999. Geneticdiversity of rattans. Final Project Report.IPGRI APO, Serdang, Malaysia].

Distribution and geneticconservation of rattans

Conservation measures require anunderstanding of the genetic system ofthe target species particularly anunderstanding of spatial patterns ofgenetic variation. For the geneticconservation of a particular species,conservation of unique characteristics ofgeographic races is needed. In Calamusandamanicus, the Andaman and Nicobarprovenances were found to begenetically variable. Within Andamans,several distinct phenotypic variationswere also present within one population.In C. thwaitesii, 2 phenotypically distinctpopulations were observed, based on thestem diameter, leaf arrangement and fruitsize.

A good knowledge of reproductive

biology is essential for conservation andgenetic improvement programmes ofrattan as these are dioecious.Outcrossing species are particularlyprone to inbreeding depression. Whenestablishing artificial plantations ofrattans, care should be taken to collectseeds from the highest possible numberof mother plants preferably growingabout 100 m apart and to mix all theprogenies together before planting.Conversely, there is also a tendency forinsect pollinated species to have strongergenetic differentiation among stands thanwind pollinated species. The scattereddistribution of rattans and the timedifference in flowering in different areascan contribute to increase thedifferentiation. Moreover, theirregularities in chromosome number insomatic cells noticed in rattan speciesstudied has got a distinct role to play inthe evolution of the species. The resultsof the above investigation were part ofthe research at the Kerala ForestResearch Institute, Peechi, India,supported by IPGRI-APO [Abstractedfrom IPGRI project report: Renuka, C.1999. Distribution and GeneticConservation of Rattans, Final ProjectReport. IPGRI-APO, Serdang, Malaysia].

NationalBHUTAN

National BiodiversityProgramme

The National Biodiversity Programme(NBP) was initiated in August 1998 forcoordinating all activities on biodiversityconservation and utilization includingpolicy issues etc., and to facilitateregional and international cooperation.It has four operative sections, namely,Agrobiodiversity Section (ABS), NationalHerbarium and Flora of Bhutan Section(NH&FB), Royal Botanical GardenSection (RBGS) and the InformationSection. Since its establishment, severalactivities have been undertaken. It hascompleted a pilot survey on agro-biodiversity inventory in Dramatse Geog,Monger district; conducted biodiversityworkshops at RNR-RCs to increaseawareness; established partnership inbiodiversity conservation and use;

enriched herbarium collection throughfield surveys to assist grass speciescollection for compilation of grassconspectus in Royal Botanical Garden,Edinburg, UK; prepared inventory ofherbarium collection in Taba; and theNational Herbarium Complex andInfrastructure Development of the RBG,Serbithang. Recently, with IPGRI’scollaboration and support, a PGRDocumentation Training course wasorganized to strengthen concern on agro-biodiversity conservation and use andincrease national capabilities in this field[For details, contact Mr Karma Tse-ring,Programme Coordinator, NationalBiodiversity Programme, Serbithang,Ministry of Agriculture, Thimphu, Bhutan].

National Workshop onPlant Genetic Resources

The National Workshop on Plant GeneticResources was organized by National

Biodiversity Programme (NBP) of theMinistry of Agriculture, RoyalGovernment of Bhutan at NaturalResources Training Institute (NRTI),Lobeysa, Bhutan from 8-10 November1999 with support from the InternationalPlant Genetic Resources Institute(IPGRI). The technical programme of theworkshop covered a wide variety oftopics including general perspectives,status of PGR conservation andutilization in cereals, legumes andoilseeds, forestry species, medicinal andaromatic plants; plant quarantine; policyissues and international developments.Twenty nine participants representingMinistry of Agriculture and its variousDivisions, namely, Research, Irrigationand Extension Division (RIED), Cropsand Livestock Division (CLD), ForestryServices Division (FSD), Policy PlanningDivision (PPD), Renewable NaturalResources Research Centres (RNR-


RCs) and National BiodiversityProgramme (NBP) attended theworkshop. The Coordinator andAssociate Coordinator from IPGRI SouthAsia Office, New Delhi also participated.

As a result of critical discussions on thepapers presented and the deliberationsof the thematic working groups, severalrecommendations and future actionpoints emerged. The generalrecommendations stressed on thefollowing aspects: i) potential benefit ofcrop specific networks; ii) developingMaterial Transfer Agreements (MTAs) forthe exchange of PGR; iii) collaborationwith the National Biodiversity Programmeand Medicinal Plants Section of RNRRC-Yusipang, with National Institute ofTraditional Medicines (NITM) in theidentification of more promising medicinalplants; iv) developing National SeedPolicy, and v) strengthening plantquarantine facilities.

Specific Recommendations

Working Group 1: PGR Conservationactivities: Needs and Priorities

i) Conservation of PGR ofunderutilized/secondary crops,medicinal plants, horticultural crops,and non-timber forest species needsto be given national priority.

ii) Systematic characterization,evaluation and documentation of thecollected germplasm need to beundertaken.

iii) Appropriate conservation strategies,ex situ, in situ or a combination ofboth (complementary conservationstrategy) need to be developed/implemented.

iv) Besides the national genebank atSerbithang, Renewable NaturalResources-Research Centres(RNR-RCs) and other relevantinstitutions should be provided withbasic facilities for germplasmconservation.

v) Duplicate collections need to bemaintained for safety reasons.

Working Group 2: Genetic Erosion

i) The work should be initiated ondeveloping inventory of PGR and

identifying hot-spot areas wheregenetic erosion is evident.

ii) For conservation and utilization andfor study of genetic erosion, relevantpolicies need to be framed tomonitor such activities.

iii) The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA),through relevant institutions andMinistries such as the MarketingUnit, National BiodiversityProgramme (NBP) and (MTI),should make efforts to develop anattractive market for the landracesand inculcate the habit among localcommunities to conserve andpreserve the seeds of rarelandraces.

iv) To minimize the impact ofdevelopment activities on geneticdiversity, the Royal Government ofBhutan should carry out EIA beforecommencement of any developmentworks.

v) To prevent loss of landraces, theMOA should provide incentives andmobilize local communities in theidentification, selection andevaluation of landraces for use inthe crop improvement programme.

Working group 3: Policy and Legislation

i) Considering the internationalagreements, farmers’ interest andthe national interest of the country,appropriate policy and legislationshould be in place for PGRconservation and use.

ii) A national consensus group needsto be established to conceptualizethe options for PGR policy andregulatory system. This groupshould be composed ofrepresentatives from the key sectorsand stakeholders having interestand responsibilities in PGRconservation and sustainableutilization, viz., NBP, RIED, FSD,PPD of MOA, NEC, NITM, farmersand NGOs.

iii) A national working group should beconstituted under the auspices ofthe consensus group, which willundertake follow-up actions on theconsensus group’s

recommendations. This groupshould draft a national PGR policyand strategy and a national PGRAct to develop implementation andenforcement guidelines and providea legal framework for execution.

iv) The PGR policy and Act shouldencompass and address thefollowing issues of importance: a)sui generis system of Plant VarietyProtection (PVP); b) nationalsovereign rights; c) conservationand use regulations, d) MaterialTransfer Agreement (MTA) forgermplasm exchange; e) MutuallyAgreed Terms (MAT) and PriorInformed Consent (PIC) for benefitsharing [Dr Bhag Mal, Coordinator,IPGRI Office for South Asia, PusaCampus, New Delhi 110 012, India].

Parks and ConservationAreas Programmes

The Nature Conservation Section (NCS)of the Forestry Services Division (FSD)organized a two-day workshop atThimphu from 30-31 August 1999 todiscuss its on-going programmes invarious parks and conservation areas.The Park Managers, ConservationOfficers and some of the selectedWardens attended the workshop. Theparticipants were sensitized on thefunctioning of the other sections underFSD such as Forest ResourcesDevelopment Section (FRDS), SocialForestry and Afforestation Section(SFAS), Forestry DevelopmentCorporation (FDC) and the TerritorialDivision.

The participants discussed at length theneed for a coordinated conservationmanagement and expressed the needfor Park Managers to play the role ofextensionists in the communities fallingwithin and around the protected areas.The significance of linking protectedareas with other management systemswas discussed intensively. It wasstressed that every park would followthe same model since each one hasIntegrated Conservation DevelopmentProgramme (ICDP) component as themajor activity [Source: NCSHeadquarters, Forestry Service Division,Department of Agriculture, Thimphu,


Personnel

i) Strengthen PGR research teams

ii) Strengthen scientific managementand training

iii) Promote scientific exchange at thenational and international levels

iv) Improve the living standard ofresearchers

Financial aspect

i) Government steadily andcontinuously provide support toPGR areas as a basic publicundertaking

ii) Make efforts to obtain financialsupport through multi-channelsincluding the enterprises

iii) Strengthen international coopera-tion

Policies and management

i) Constitute genetic resources’commissions in agriculture, forestryand medicinal plants, and thenational committee of PGR tocoordinate the activities involvinggermplasm

ii) Formulate the rules and regulationsof germplasm management(germplasm introduction, informationexchange, registration, distribution,conservation, benefit sharing etc.)

iii) Strengthen the protection ofintellectual property rights

Bhutan. Druk Forestry News, IssueNo.26, October 1999].

CHINA

National Workshop onPGR Conservation andUtilization

To sustainably develop Chineseagriculture and research in the field ofPGR, a national workshop onConservation and Utilization Strategiesof PGR' was held in Beijing from 25-27October 1999, which was jointlyorganized by the Institute of CropGermplasm Resources (ICGR)/ChineseAcademy of Agricultural Sciences(CAAS) and the Sub-association of PlantGenetic Resources of ChineseAssociation of Agricultural SciencesSocieties, with the support of theInternational Plant Genetic ResourcesInstitute (IPGRI). More than 80 scientists,administrators and other concernedofficers participated in the meeting.Through the information exchange anddiscussion, the participants worked outthe strategies and measures for thedevelopment of PGR in the future. Majorrecommendations of the workshop areas follows:

Collecting and conservation

i) Ensure efficient operation of thenational genebanks includinggermplasm nurseries, whichinvolves water and electricitysupplies, germplasm multiplicationand storage into genebanks, viabilitymonitoring, regeneration, andmanagement, etc.

ii) Collect germplasm from the regionswhere collecting has not been done(e.g. the Changbai Mountains andthe islands in Chinese sea), and inspecial ecological environments andfor specific materials (e.g. wild,semi-wild relatives of crops)

iii) Strengthen preservation ofintroduced and enhanced materials.Establish national medium-termgenebanks and regeneration basesin different ecological zones

iv) Ensure quarantine measures forsafe movement of germplasm forexchange

Utilization

i) Strengthen germplasm characteri-zation, evaluation and screeningwith focus on: a) basic agronomiccharacters; b) target traits of interestby breeders and in production; c)germplasm suitable to arid/semi-aridand remote regions; d) elite, special,and rare germplasm; e) quality andprocessing traits; and f) molecularcharacterization

ii) Carry out germplasm enhancementto meet the requirements ofbreeding and production

iii) Develop core collections of majorcrops (mainly rice, wheat, maize,soybean, barley, sorghum, foxtailmillet, rapeseed and sesame)

iv) Improve the germplasm distributionsystem

Basic and strategic research

i) Conduct basic research on geneticdiversity; origin, evolution andclassification

ii) Preserve genetic integrity ofgermplasm

iii) Develop and adopt newtechnologies for extendinggermplasm longevity andgermplasm conservation

iv) Develop cost-effective technologiesfor germplasm regeneration

v) Undertake feasibility studies on insitu conservation (Contd. on page 13)

Participants of National PGR Workshop in Beijing, China


Training Workshop onTechnical Writing, SeminarPresentation and PublicAwareness

A training workshop on “TechnicalWriting, Seminar Presentation and PublicAwareness” was held at SEARCA, LosBaños, the Philippines from 30 August -4 September 1999. The workshop wasa collaborative activity of IPGRI,COGENT and the Southeast AsianMinisters of Education OrganizationRegional Centre for Graduate Study andResearch in Agriculture (SEAMEO -SEARCA), and was funded by the AsianDevelopment Bank (ADB) andInternational Fund for AgriculturalDevelopment (IFAD). Eighteen coconutresearchers from 13 countries attendedthe workshop.

The objectives of the workshop were toenhance the participants’ ability in writinggood technical reports and projectproposals, presenting seminars, anddeveloping and implementing publicawareness campaigns to generatesupport for coconut research. The maintopics covered in the course wereeffective report writing and seminarpresentation; project proposalformulation; and public awarenessstrategy. The participants also receivedvaluable information from Dr DuncanMcIntosh and Ms Sylvia Inciong,resource persons from the InternationalRice Research Institute (IRRI) and MrPaul Stapleton, IPGRI, Rome.

The participants visited IRRI, thePhilippine Council for Agriculture,Forestry and Natural ResourcesResearch and Development (PCARRD),and the Institute of Biotechnology andMicrobiology, University of thePhilippines at Los Baños.

Coconut Data AnalysisTraining Course

The “Coconut Data Analysis TrainingCourse” was conducted from 6 - 10September 1999 at the Southeast AsianRegional Centre for Graduate Study andResearch in Agriculture (SEARCA), Los

Baños, the Philippines. The course is acollaborative activity of IPGRI, COGENTand SEARCA, and funded by ADB andIFAD. Nineteen participants from 14countries attended the course withproject leaders of the ADB and IFADfunded projects. The objectives of thecourse were to train coconut researcherson methods of data analysis and tofamiliarize them with new developmentsin software for data analysis anddatabase interchange.

The topics covered were basic statisticalconcepts; frequency distribution andgraphic representation; samplingmethods; analysis of experimentaldesigns; genetic diversity analysis; otherstatistical analysis; and demonstration ofsoftware. The resource persons were DrPrem Mathur (IPGRI-APO, New Delhi),Dr Connie Reaño (UPLB Institute ofPlant Breeding) and Ms Susan Riveraof the Zamboanga Research Centre,Philippine Coconut Authority.

IFAD-funded ProjectSecond Annual Meeting

The second annual meeting of the IFAD-funded project entitled “Sustainable useof coconut genetic resources forenhancing the income and nutrition ofsmallholders in Asia and the Pacific” washeld from 13 - 15 September 1999 inHo Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The meetingwas attended by the project leaders,donors, and representatives from IPGRIand partner institutions. It was hostedby the Oil Plant Institute (OPI) andfunded by IFAD and IPGRI. The keynotespeech and the opening address weredelivered by Mr Le Quoc Khanh, DeputyMinister, Ministry of Industry, Vietnam.In his speech, Mr Le Quoc Khanh saidthat Vietnam appreciated its involvementin the IFAD-funded project because it isuseful and practical to uplift the incomeof coconut farmers.

The meeting reviewed the 1998/1999accomplishments and 1999/2000workplans of the 17 projects in 14countries. Reports were presented onfarmer participatory research to promotemulti-purpose uses of the coconut,

identify suitable varieties for these uses,and to apply these findings in strategiesfor coconut germplasm conservation.Reports presented included the projectson increasing incomes through coconut-based farming systems, palm sugarproduction, tender nuts, and other uses.

ADB-funded ProjectSecond Annual Meeting

The second annual meeting for Phase 2of the ADB-funded project entitled“Coconut genetic resourcesstrengthening in Asia and the Pacific”was held on16-18 September 1999 inHo Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The meetingwas attended by the project leaders,donors, and representatives from IPGRIand partner institutions. It was hostedby the Oil Plant Institute and funded byADB and IPGRI. The keynote speechand official opening was made by Mr LeQuoc Khanh, Deputy Minister, Ministryof Industry, who highlighted severalachievements such as the establishmentof a permanent forum and network,germplasm collection and exchange,training courses and workshops for thetransfer of technologies.

The participants reviewed the 1998/1999accomplishments and 1999/2000proposed workplans of the 20 countriesinvolved in coconut projects. Progressreports of the human resourcedevelopment component werepresented, together with reports on thebiotechnology and embryo cultureresearch. Three host countries(Indonesia, India, and Papua NewGuinea) presented reports on theactivities of the International CoconutGenebanks (ICGs).

COGENT’s 8 th SteeringCommittee Meeting

COGENT’s 8th Steering CommitteeMeeting was held from 20 - 22September 1999 in Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam. The meeting was attended bythe SC members and representativesfrom partner institutions, namely,Mr François Rognon, Director, Bureaufor the Development of Research on

COGENT Update


(Contd. from page 11)

Tropical Perennial Oil Crops(BUROTROP); and Mr André Rouziere,Head of the Coconut Programme, Centrede Coopération Internationale enRecherché Agronomique pour leDéveloppment (CIRAD). It wasinaugurated by Professor Duong TanPhuoc, Assistant Minister, Ministry ofIndustry, Vietnam. In his welcome speech,

Professor Duong expressed the hope thatthe meeting would be successful and thatgood decisions made will enhance theincome and living standards of coconutsmall holders in the region.

The meeting reviewed the progress ofongoing and proposed projects, andactivities of COGENT, the progress of

the five COGENT regional sub-networksand the support provided by IPGRI andcollaborating partner institutions. It alsodiscussed the draft COGENT StrategicPlan for 2000-2004 and formulatedCOGENT’s Work and Action Plan for2000 [Dr Pons Batugal, COGENTCoordinator, IPGRI-APO, Serdong,Malaysia].

iv) Create and promote publicawareness through scientificpopularization bases anddemonstration gardens related toPGR, internet websites,popularization materials includingthe media

Information

i) Establish a genebank informationmanagement

ii) Establish Chinese GermplasmInformation Network

[Professor Zhou Ming-De, Coordinator,IPGRI Office for East Asia, Beijing,China].

Collection and Evaluationof Germplasm of Adzukibean (Vigna angularis)Since the establishment of Institute ofCrop Germplasm Resources, CAAS in1978, the institute has collaborated with25 provincial institutes in collectingadzuki bean. Following are the majorachievements:

Collection: Until the end of 1996, 4053adzuki bean accessions have beencollected in China. Of these, 3993 werelandraces, 69 breeding lines/varieties, 35introduced lines and 60 wild types. Theproduction area of adzuki bean in Chinais divided into 5 ecological regions, viz.,northeast, north, central, south andnorthwest China.

Evaluation: The morphological evaluationof adzuki bean showed rich diversity inseed coat colour and shape, seedweight, plant height, branches andinflorescence. Seed coats have differentcolours, viz., red, white, yellow, green,brown, black and piebald with multi-colour. Most of the collections had red

or white seed coat. The average of 100-grain weight was 9.6 g (range 1.8-20.1g), and average plant height 78.33 cm(range 9.0-180.0 cm). There are twokinds of branches: determinate andindeterminate. Three kinds ofinflorescence were observed in thecollected materials: definite, indefiniteand intermediate.

Nutritional quality: Adzuki bean has highprotein content. The average proteincontent of seed was 22.72% (range16.33 to 26.82%). There were 243accessions with protein content higherthan 25%. The average starch contentof seed was 53.4% (range 39.38-58.89%) and 453 accessions had starchcontent higher than 55%. The averagefat content of seed was 0.59% (range0.04-2.65%).

Resistance to diseases and pests: 2000accessions were evaluated for resistanceto diseases, such as, leaf spot(Cercospora canescens Eil. et Mat.), rust(Uromyces appendiculatus (Pers.) Uns),and to aphids (Aphis craccivora Koch).Accessions with medium resistance toleaf spot (2), high resistance to rust (12)and medium resistance to aphid (24)were selected [Hu Jiapeng, Institute ofCrops Germplasm Resources, ChineseAcademy of Agricultural Sciences(CAAS). Beijing 100081, China].

INDIA

National InformationSystem on AgriculturalEducation

The Data Management System Groupin the Division of Computer Applicationat the Indian Agricultural StatisticsResearch Institute (IASRI), New Delhihas developed a National InformationSystem on Agricultural Education(NISAGE). The software NISAGE is

developed under FoxPro and the systemis designed for systematic planning anddevelopment of human resources andfor maintaining up-to-date information ondifferent aspects of workingenvironments of the State AgriculturalUniversities (SAUs) and the ICARinstitutes with Deemed University status.The data from 29 SAU’s and 4 DeemedUniversities providing agriculturaleducation under the ICAR system, havebeen collected through six schedulesdesigned to back data from theuniversities. Broadly, this containsinformation on academics and generalinformation about universities, theirinfrastructure/feasibility, budget, humanresources, information about the facultyand the research and developmenthighlights. The system is related to thehuman resource of the NationalAgricultural Research System, whichshall be useful for human resourceplanning and optimization of limitedfinancial resources [Abstracted fromICAR News, July-September 1999,article by Dr S.D. Sharma, Director,IASRI, Library Avenue, New Delhi 110012].

ICAR-IRRI CollaborativeWorkplan Agreement

The Indian Council of AgriculturalResearch (ICAR) and International RiceResearch Institute (IRRI), Philippinessigned a workplan for 2 years (1999-2000) for collaboration in the area of riceresearch on 14 June 1999 in New Delhi.Dr M. Hussain, DDG, IRRI and Mr B.K.Chauhan, Secretary, ICAR signed theagreement. The major collaborativeresearch will be on the improvement anddevelopment of rainfed rice, hybrid ricetechnology, biotechnology, germplasmcollection and exchange and rice-basedcropping systems. The two organizations

will also collaborate in crop resources


management, socio-economic studies,human resource development and joint

publications on rice research [Abstractedfrom ICAR Reporter, July-September1999].

Activities at NBPGR

National AgriculturalTechnology Project on plantbiodiversity

Under the aegis of Indian Council of

Agricultural Research (ICAR), NationalBureau of Plant Genetic Resources(NBPGR) is the nodal organization for

all PGR activities in India. In order tocoordinate and attain higher targets inthese activities in the National

Agricultural Research Systems (NARS),NBPGR has undertaken a project on“Sustainable Management of Plant

Biodiversity” under the World Bankfunded National Agricultural TechnologyProject (NATP), which is a mission-mode

project of ICAR. The project wasdeveloped after a series of intensivediscussions and interactions with the

various stakeholders/partners/represen-tatives from over 100 cooperatingcentres identified in different agro-

ecological regions/zones. The projecthas been sanctioned for a period of fiveyears (1999-2004) with a budget outlay

of Rs 199.5 million (approx. 4.5 millionUS$). The NATP on Plant Biodiversitywas launched on July 16, 1999 with

release of a publication entitled “JaiVigyan National Science and Technology

Mission on Conservation of Agro-Biodiversity (Plant Genetic Resources)”.

The NATP project aims to coordinate,organize, and conduct comprehensivesurveys, collecting, and inventorization

of diversity of PGR from the wholecountry, with focus on landraces,primitive cultivars, less known food

crops, backyard crops, stress tolerantlines and wild relatives of fruit plants,multipurpose trees, vegetables,

medicinal and aromatic plants, aquaticplants, and forage legumes and grasses.Germplasm collecting would be carried

out involving intensive explorations withpartners (ICAR institutes, other nationalscientific bodies, NGOs, farmers’

organizations, teaching institutions, localbodies). All these activities would includeneed-based on-job training as well as

human resource developmentcomponents. The diversity so collectedwill be subjected to Geographic

Information Systems (GIS) network todevelop reflectance signal to facilitatefurther gap filling through Reflectance

Library Networking. A comprehensivedatabase on distribution, density, uses,and ethnic information on PGR will also

be compiled and documented.

Banana germplasmconservation

Under the biennial Workplan on BananaResearch and Development betweenInternational Network for the

Improvement of Banana and Plantain

(INIBAP), a programme of the IPGRI,NBPGR, New Delhi and National

Research Centre on Banana (NRCB),Trichy; INIBAP and NBPGR have beencollaborating to strengthen the National

Repository for Conservation and SafeMovement of Banana Germplasm. Theinfrastructure developed at NBPGR for

in vitro conservation andcryopreservation of germplasm werefound suitable for hosting a complete

duplicate collection of INIBAP’s category1 germplasm (virus tested) maintainedat its International Transit Centre (ITC),

Leuven, Belgium. The germplasm is tobe maintained as an active collection forICAR’s banana R&D programmes,

especially breeding. INIBAP’s role wasto supply virus indexed germplasm, whileNBPGR’s role included maintenance of

these valuable germplasm and to caterto the needs of Indian scientists.

Germplasm received from INIBAP have

been maintained under normal and slowgrowth conditions as in vitro cultures atculture room temperature of 25

oC ± 2

oC.

These are routinely checked for infectionand under slow growth conditions andare sub-cultured every 10-12 months.

Plants are also multiplied for supply tovarious research workers in the country,on request. These are supplied either

as in vitro cultures or as hardened plantsdepending on the request of the indentor.A total of 109 banana accessions have

been received at NBPGR from INIBAPunder the MoU. The germplasm hasbeen supplied to NRC on Banana, Trichy

for field evaluation and characterizationas envisaged in the Workplan. Thecultures of banana received under the

MoU, are being maintained separatelyfrom NBPGR’s indigenous collection.Adequate precautions are being taken

while subculturing and handling the ITCmaterial to avoid any contamination,especially virus infection.

Short course on PGR policyand emerging IPR issues

A short course on ‘Orientation for PGR

Policy and Emerging IPR Issues’ wasorganized by NBPGR, New Delhi from25 October - 3 November 1999. Twenty

two participants from different NARSIn vitro conservation of banana germplam at NBPGR, New Delhi, India


partner institutions, including the ICARInstitutes, State Agricultural Universitiesand NGOs attended this course. The

programme covered lectures by experts,mainly on emerging IPR issues relatedto biodiversity and genetic resources

including patents, Convention onBiological Diversity (CBD), World TradeOrganization (WTO) and their

mechanisms, FAO Global mechanism,International Undertaking on GeneticResources for Food and Agriculture

(GRFA), Global Plan of Action (GPA),UPOV, SPS Agreements, Biosafety, etc.The six panel discussions further helped

the trainees to update information onPGR management including communitygenebanks and the involvement of

NGOs. Faculty was widely drawn, frompublic sector institutions, concernedgovernment agencies, professionals,

including lawyers and executives fromconsultancy organizations and fromWorld Intellectual Property Rights

Organization (WIPO), IPGRI, ICAR andthe NBPGR.

Dr Bhag Mal, Coordinator, IPGRI Office

for South Asia represented IPGRI and

gave a comprehensive account of the

IPGRI's activities in regional context. Dr

Mangala Rai, Deputy Director General

(Crop Sciences), urged the participants

to use the information gained by them

towards speedy conservation of

agrobiodiversity for its sustainable use

and also to foster enhanced intellectual

property protection through judicial useof measures, such as prior informedconsent and codes of conduct as

appropriate, till the legal and regulatorymechanisms are put in place. Dr Raialso released the background literature

(4 volumes) and gave away certificatesto successful participants

[Dr P.L. Gautam, Director, NBPGR, PusaCampus, New Delhi 110 012].

Activities in Medicinal andAromatic Plants by NRC(MAP)

Brain storming groupdiscussion on MAP

In-house brain storming discussion on‘Future Research Requirements on

Medicinal and Aromatic Plants’ wasorganized by the National ResearchCentre for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

(NRC-MAP) at Gujarat AgriculturalUniversity, Anand during May 31-June1, 1999. It was inaugurated by Dr S.P.

Ghosh, Deputy Director General(Horticulture), ICAR and was attendedby 39 scientists representing ICAR, State

Agricultural Universities (SAUs), NGOsand Private Sector Enterprises. Theimportant issues were discussed in three

separate technical sessions. In SessionI, Quinquennial Review Team (QRT)Recommendations relating to All India

Coordinated Research Project onMedicinal and Aromatic Plants, AICRP(M&AP) were discussed. Besides fixing

time targets for cataloguing of medicinaland aromatic plants, modalities of

publication of a book/bulletin based onthe three decades of work in AICRP(M&AP), were also discussed.

In the second technical session, futureaction plan of AICRP( M&AP) wasrefined and 13 crops were identified as

mandatory crops for different centres.Emphasis was given on identification ofnew areas and developing criteria for

collection and selection. Basic work,such as development of male sterilelines, package of practices for

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)hybrids and creation of variability inGlycyrrhiza, were discussed. Crop-wise

technical programme of AICRP (M&AP)for 1999-2000 was developed. In thethird technical session, a work plan for

collection and conservation ofbiodiversity of 56 species of medicinaland aromatic plants was discussed and

finalized.

Field genebank of endangeredmedicinal plants

A field genebank of endangered

medicinal plants of tropical andsubtropical region has been establishedat the NRC(MAP) with the main

objectives to conserve endangeredmedicinal plants species for futuregenerations. Species to be maintained/

conserved in this genebank are Acoruscalamus, Artemisia pallens, Celastruspaniculatus, Commiphora wightii,Chlorophytum borivilianum, Gloriosasuperba, Pterocarpus santalinus,

Rauvolfia serpentina and Saraca ashoka.

New propagation techniques forGuggal

Commiphora wightii (Guggal) is one of

the endangered medicinal plants ofdesert ecosystem. A very easy andeffective ‘air-layering’ technique has

been developed and demonstrated byAnand centre of the AICRP (M&AP) atGujarat Agricultural University (GAU).

Scientists of NRC (MAP) also developeda simple hard wood cutting technique.Pencil thick 20-30 cm long stem cuttings

were dipped in IBA 100 ppm solutionsfor 12-14 hours before planting in raised

Participants of short course on PGR policy and emerging IPR issuesorganised at NBPGR, New Delhi, India


beds. The rooting and new flush ofleaves was observed after 7-10 days ofplanting [ Dr S.Maiti, Director,NRC(MAP), Anand, Gujarat, India ].

Resistance to Grey Mildewin Cotton

The grey mildew disease of cotton, which

is also known as ‘Areolate mildew’ in USAand South America and is caused by thefungus Ramularia areola Atk. (syn.

Ramularia gossypii (Speg.) Ciferri) hasassumed serious proportion in cotton-growing countries of the world. A total of

1592 Gossypium arboreum germplasmlines were screened for grey mildewresistance wherein seven lines, namely,

‘Bangladesh’, ‘G-135-49’, belonging toGossypium arboreum race bengalenseand the ‘30805’, ‘30814’, 30826’, 30838’

and ‘30856’ belonging to G. arboreumrace cernuum were found immune to thedisease. Immunity of these seven lines

has been tested for nine consecutive cropseasons (1990 to 1998) under artificialconditions of inoculation in glass house

and in the field. The lines were foundimmune to grey mildew pathogen isolatescollected from various cotton-growingstates/areas of India, viz., Nagpur and

Akola (Maharashtra), Surat (Gujarat),Dharwad (Karnataka), Coimbatore (TamilNadu) and Lam Farm, Guntur (Andhra

Pradesh). The designated lines havebeen found immune to all the grey mildewisolates collected from different places in

India and can be used in resistancebreeding programme [Dr Punit Mohan,Scientist (Economic Botany), Dr P.M.

Mukewar, Senior Scientist (Pathology), DrM.S. Kairon, Director, Central Institute forCotton Research, Shakar Nagar PO.,

Nagpur 440 010, Maharashtra State,India].

JAPAN

7th MAFF InternationalWorkshop on GeneticResources

The 7th MAFF International Workshop on'Genetic Resources of Wild Legumesand in situ Conservation Research' was

organized at the National Institute ofAgrobiological Resources in Tsukubafrom 13 to 15 October 1999. Over 70

scientists and students from 16 countriesparticipated. Two keynote papers were

presented on the workshop theme 'WildLegumes'. Professor Yoshiya Shimamotofrom Hokkaido University, Japan

presented research results from hisgroup on the soybean genepool andsuggested that the soybean might have

been domesticated from several wildsoybean populations in both China andJapan, while Professor Paul Gepts from

the University of California, Davis, USAfocussed on the value of wild legumesin understanding domestication

processes and patterns of geneticdiversity with examples on both theAmerican cultivated Phaseolusgenepools and the African cultivatedVigna genepools. Both presentationsincluded many examples of the results

of molecular studies. Subsequentpresentations on the theme of wildlegumes addressed taxonomy and

evolution (Yoshinabu Egawa, Japan) andecogeographic surveys (Nigel Maxted,U.K.), diversity studies of Phaseolus(Daniel Debouck, CIAT, Colombia), wildsoybeans, Glycine soja (Jun Abe,Japan), Vicia subgenus Vicia (Elena

Potokina, Russia) and the Vignaangularis complex (Duncan Vaughan,Japan). Evaluation and use of wild

legumes included papers on evaluationof Phaseolus spp. for amylase inhibitors(Masao Ishimoto, Japan), Vigna genome

mapping (Desiree Hautea, Philippines),analysis of allelopathy in wild legumes(Yoshiharu Fujii, Japan) and use of wild

legumes in breeding (Peerasak Srinives,Thailand). The presentations anddiscussions helped to provide a

perspective of wild genetic resourcesbeing pivotal in plant genetic resourcesresearch and use rather than an adjunct

to the large collections of cultigens ingenebanks.

The second theme 'In situ ConservationResearch' covered both on-farm andnatural habitat conservation. Dr DevraJarvis from IPGRI discussed the initialresults coming from a multi-countrycollaborative project. Dr Nigel Maxtedfocussed his presentation on themethodology for rational choice of naturalhabitats for in situ conservation using

Vicia spp. of the Mediterranean regionas an example. Subsequentpresentations covered specificcollaborative projects on buckwheat inNepal (H. P. Bimb, Nepal), rice inVietnam (Shuichi Fukuoka, Japan) andtomato in Chile (Takanori Sato, Japan).Daniel Debouck from CIAT presentedperspectives from Latin America on insitu conservation using examples fromseveral New World crops. The in situconservation research theme wassummarised by Dr Hiroko Morishima, apioneer in the field of wild geneticresources and in situ conservation ofrice. She emphasized for a balance inresearch approaches in these twothematic areas. On the final day, anexcursion to the countryside aroundTsukuba provided an opportunity to theparticipants to see wild soybeans(Glycine soja) and wild adzuki bean(Vigna angularis var. nipponensis) inJapan and taste the seasonal cultivatedgenetic resources such as persimmonand sweet potato. The proceedings ofthis workshop will be published by MAFF,Japan [ Dr Duncan Vaughan, NIAR,Tsukuba, Japan].

SRI LANKAPlant Genetic ResourcesActivities at PGRCThe Plant Genetic Resources Centre(PGRC), Sri Lanka maintains nearly9000 germplasm accessions of over 100species. It has brought out severalcatalogues based on collections held inthe genebank. One catalogue exclusivelydeals with passport data givinginformation for each accession on fivedescriptors, namely, scientific name,accession number, accession name,origin and organization.

The characterization catalogue on brinjal(60 accessions) is based on study of 40descriptors, tomato (93 accessions) for37 descriptors, okra (108 accessions) for28 descriptors, green gram (83accessions) for 28 descriptors, andwinged bean (153 accessions) for 24descriptors. The passport data on thesehave not been included as this has beenpublished/catalogued separately [DrA.H.M. Jayasuriya, Senior DeputyDirector, PGRC, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka].


Meetings/TrainingsMALAYSIA: Workshop onMillennium Assessment ofGlobal Ecosystems,Renaissance Hotel, KualaLumpur, 20-21 September 1999

This workshop was jointly organized bythe Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia;Academy of Sciences, Malaysia; Ministryof Science, Technology and theEnvironment (MOSTE), Malaysia andWorld Resources Institute (WRI),Washington DC. Fifty two participantsrepresenting national institutes andinternational institutes/organizations suchas Wetland International for Asia Pacific,WRI and World Wide Fund (WWF),attended the workshop. The workshopcomprised of oral presentations andworking group discussions revolvingaround the Millennium Assessmentconcept and the Pilot Assessment ofGlobal Ecosystems as represented bypresentations from the World ResourcesInstitute, National Policy on BiologicalDiversity, and Approach to NationalConservation. Proposed and on-goingassessment processes and overview ofproposed Millennium Assessment(acronym recommended was IMAGE -Integrated Millennium Assessment ofGlobal Ecosystems). The workshopstressed that additional focus be givento the cultural ecosystem with theexisting focus on forest, inland-water,and marine agro-ecosystem. Stress wasalso laid on identifying information needs.The workshop agreed that Malaysia’sneeds be fulfilled using IMAGE as acomplementary process to nationalpolicies, programmes and actions. It wasalso agreed that MOSTE must play apivotal role in realizing the assessmentwithin the context of setting up of aBiodiversity Council with a full-fledgedSecretariat. MOSTE should be the focalpoint where such an IMAGE processtakes place.

CHINA: International Conferenceon Biodiversity Conservationand Sustainable Development,Kunming, 15-19 October 1999

The International Conference onBiodiversity Conservation andSustainable Development (ICBCSD) wasorganized by Yunnan International

Cultural Exchange Centre and Centrefor Biodiversity and IndigenousKnowledge and was sponsored byBureau of Yunnan Horticultural Expo,Yunnan Provincial Science andTechnology Committee andConservation and Development Forum(CDF). It was held in Kunming, from15-19 October 1999, and was attendedby 80 participants from 17 countries andinternational organizations, such asWWF, UNESCO and IPGRI. ProfessorH.F. Chin, IPGRI-APO and ProfessorZhou Ming-De, IPGRI Office for EastAsia attended the conference and gavepresentations. The theme of theconference was 'Man and Nature'. Theconference called on conservationspecialists, development workers andpolicy planners worldwide and offeredthe participants an opportunity to seekunderstanding of the mutualindependence of conservation of natureand development of the economy in asustainable manner. The topic forplenary session was plant conservation,policy and people. Besides plenarysession, there were following sixsessions: Session I: Indigenousknowledge and its role in environmentalprotection and resources management;Session II: Culture based biodiversityconservation: the contribution oftraditional culture beliefs to theconservation of nature; Session III:Biodiversity inventory, monitoring andinformation system management;

Session IV: Interdisciplinary methodsand approaches in biodiversityconservation; Session V: Policy issuesin biodiversity conservation andsustainable development; and SessionVI: Policies to support communities andlocal institutions in watershedmanagement. Professor Zhou Ming-Degave a presentation in Session III on‘On-farm conservation of tartarybuckwheat in China’ and in Session IV,Professor Chin gave a presentation onpublic awareness and the importance ofbiodiversity conservation. Both thepresentations were well received. Theconference took note of IPGRI’s newstrategy, Diversity for Development. Insitu conservation on-farm was noted asan important issue of biodiversityconservation. People’s culture andeconomic development are importantfactors for implementing in situconservation on-farm. [Professor Zhou,Ming-De, IPGRI Office for East Asia,Beijing, 100081, China. Email: [email protected]].

INDIA: International Symposiumon Citriculture, NationalResearch Centre on Citrus,Nagpur, 23-27 November 1999

The International Symposium onCitriculture was jointly organized by theIndian Society of Citriculture, the IndianCouncil of Agricultural Research (ICAR),New Delhi and the National ResearchCentre on Citrus (NRCC), Nagpur from

International Symposium on Citriculture at NRC (Citrus), Nagpur, India


23-27 November 1999. Dr S.P. Ghosh,Deputy Director General (Horticulture),ICAR and the President of Indian Societyof Citriculture welcomed the participants.Dr R.S. Paroda, Secretary, Departmentof Agricultural Research and Education(DARE), Government of India andDirector General, ICAR inaugurated thesymposium and Dr R. Goren, Professorof Horticulture, Hebrew University,Jerusalem, Israel presided over thefunction. Over 250 delegates including13 foreign delegates from USA, France,Japan, Israel, Brazil, Nepal, Bhutan andIPGRI participated in the symposium. DrBhag Mal, Coordinator for South Asia,New Delhi, represented IPGRI and co-chaired the Technical Session I "CropImprovement". A few importantpublications, namely: i) Citrus WorldBibliography, ii) Post-harvest Technologyand Processing of Citrus Fruits in India,iii) Citrus Flowering and iv) Export ofNagpur Mandarin, were also releasedon the occasion.

There were five technical sessions: i)Citrus Improvement, ii) CitrusBiotechnology, iii) Integrated ProductionSystem, iv) Integrated Pest and DiseaseManagement and v) Post-harvestTechnology. In all, 20 lead papers, 42contributory papers and 164 posterpapers were presented. Thedeliberations of the symposium resultedin useful general and specificrecommendations. The generalrecommendations included: i)development of citrus germplasmdatabase, ii) nursery certificationsupported by multiplication of healthyvirus free planting materials, iii) multi-locational testing of specific hardyrootstocks, and iv) promoting exchangeof germplasm at global level. The specificrecommendations were:

Session-I: Citrus Improvement - i)strengthening efforts for germplasmcollecting, cataloguing and conservingthrough in situ and ex situ approachesincluding establishment of fieldgenebanks, ii) use of cryogenictechnology to put a check on loss ofgenetic diversity, iii) understanding thehost plant resistance of insect pests anddeveloping strategies for evaluation of

germplasm based on relative reaction.

Session-II: Citrus Biotechnology - i)production of citrus transgenics usingCTV coat protein gene, ii) use of DNAfinger printing in identification of diseasefree seedlings, iii) standardization ofmicropropagation and micrograftingtechniques for commercial application.

Session-III: Integrated ProductionSystem - i) rejuvenation of old decliningorchards, ii) screening Poncirus trifoliatarelatives for high density planting, iii)biological weed control using fungalpathogens, iv) use of molecular markersfor early detection of nutrient deficiency,v) increased use of organic citrusproduction.

Session-IV: Integrated Pest and DiseaseManagement - i) molecular cloning ofcoat protein gene for mapping viruses,ii) use of IGR’s hormones and spray oilsfor effective pest management, iii)prioritized research on bark eatingcaterpillar and stem borer, iv) IPMapproach for citrus blackfly and fruitsucking moth management.

Session-V: Post-harvest Technology - i)pre-harvest sprays of fungicides andphytohormones, ii) use of edible coatingsand biodegradable films for removal ofbitterness and preparation of blendsusing sweet orange juice with grapesand papaya juice [Dr Shyam Singh,Director, National Research Centre(Citrus), Nagpur, India].

Forthcoming Meetings

INDONESIA: Sago-2000: TheInternational Sago Seminar.Bogor Agricultural University(IPB), Bogor, 22-23 March 2000

The theme of the seminar is sustainableutilization of sago palm as an alternativeof food and raw materials for agro-industry in the third millennium. Topicsto be covered include productivity andagronomic practices, processing,utilization and conservation,biotechnology, fermentation technologyand status reports of the sago growingcountries. For further information, writeto: Sago-2000 Secretariat, Departmentof Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Bogor

Agricultural University (IPB), Bogor 16143,Indonesia; Fax: +62-251-328799;Email: [email protected]. net.id

NEPAL: InternationalSymposium on ParticipatoryPlant Breeding in Asia: AnExchange of Experiences,Pokhara, Nepal, 1-5 May 2000

The Symposium is being organized bythe System-Wide Programme onParticipatory Research and GenderAnalysis for Technology Development(PRGA Programme) of the CGIAR withseveral cosponsors such as InternationalDevelopment Research Centre (IDRC),DFID, LI-BIRD, IPGRI and South AsiaNetwork for Food, Ecology and Culture(SANEC). The symposium will bringtogether partners interested inparticipatory plant breeding, seedsystems, the use and conservation ofplant genetic diversity and the applicationof participatory research methods inSouth and Southeast Asia. Thestakeholders will include agriculturalresearchers, plant breeders, farmers,social scientists, curators, agronomistsand development department officialsfrom national agricultural systems,NGOs, and representatives fromUniversities, the CGIAR and donoragencies. For details, contact Mr BarunGurung, International Centre for TropicalAgriculture, C/o. Resources Nepal, GPOBox 2448, Kathmandu, Nepal; Email:[email protected]; fax: +977-1-537013or Dr Louise Sperling, Senior Scientist,International Centre for TropicalAgriculture, C/o. Frankenstraats, 2582SL, The Hague, The Netherlands; Email:[email protected]

MALAYSIA: InternationalSymposium on Oil Palm GeneticResources and Utilization, KLHilton, Kuala Lumpur, 8-10 June2000

The symposium is being organized bythe Palm-Oil Research Institute ofMalaysia (PORIM) in collaboration withthe International Plant GeneticResources Institute (IPGRI), InternationalSociety for Oil-Palm Breeders (ISOPB),and the Bureau for the DevelopmentResearch on Tropical Perennial Oil


Interesting Books & PublicationsBhatia, Anjali., M. N. Hazarika and R.Singha. 1999. Spices and Fruits forMicro-enterprises: A Study of thePotential of Ginger and Pineapple inWest Garo Hills, Meghalaya, India.International Centre for IntegratedMountain Development (ICIMOD),Kathmandu, Nepal. 93 p. [ISSN 1561-8692].

The report is based on the studyconducted by the Mountain Enterpriseand Infrastructure Division of ICIMODand examines the feasibility ofdeveloping micro-enterprises based onprocessing of ginger and pineapple cropsin the West Garo hills, Meghalaya inNortheastern India. An intensive surveywas conducted to interact with farmers,traders and credit institutions. Whileginger drying was considered as a viableoption, pineapple processing requireslarge-scale investment and hence, notfeasible for community level enterprises.Integration of improved farming methodsand market regulation with value additionwere identified as imperatives for thesuccess of micro-enterprisedevelopment.

Chadha, K.L. and S.D. Shikhamany.1999. The Grape: ImprovementProduction and Post-harvestManagement. Malhotra PublishingHouse, B-6 DSIDC Packaging Complex,Kirtinagar, New Delhi 110 015, India.580 p. [ISBN: 81-85048-40-1].

The book covers all aspects of grapecultivation, improvement and production.The contents in 18 chapters providesynthesis of information on grapegrowing regions and their ecologicalrequirements, varieties grown andvarietal improvement, propagation androot-stocks, vineyard establishment,pruning, growth and productivity,nutrition, management, qualityimprovement, diseases/pests and theirmanagement, and harvesting and post-harvest management. The book is a veryuseful addition on tropical viticulture.

Chweya, J.A. and P.B. Eyzaguirre,(eds.) 1999. The Biodiversity ofTraditional Leafy Vegetables.International Plant Genetic ResourcesInstitute, Rome, Italy. 181 p. [ISBN 92-9043-404-X].

The book is the outcome of researchcarried out by IPGRI and the nationalprogrammes/development organizations,scientists from Botswana, Cameroon,Kenya, Senegal and Zimbabwe. Theproject was funded by the DirectorateGeneral for International Cooperation(GDIS) of the Netherlands, and aimedat increasing knowledge about the plantgenetic resources of the vegetables andproviding it in a form that can be directlyused by local communities, NGOs anddevelopment agencies. The project linksconservation and development to povertyalleviation, and also provides nutritionalanalysis of traditional vegetables. Itprovides information on local knowledgelinked with use of traditional diversity inleafy vegetables recorded throughparticipatory approach between scientistsand local communities. For each of thefive countries, project rationale, methodsused, details on survey and priority leafyvegetables are given along withconclusions and recommendationsstressing on the management of geneticdiversity of African leafy vegetables.

Damania, A.B., J. Valkoun, G. Willcoxand C.O. Qualset (eds.). 1998. TheOrigin of Agriculture and CropDomestication. ICARDA, Aleppo, Syria.352 p. [ISBN 92-9127-084-9].

This book deals with the proceedings ofthe symposium ‘Origin of Agriculture andDomestication of Crop Plants in the NearEast’ and later named as the HarlanSymposium. This was organized byICARDA from 10-14 May 1997 and wassponsored by ICARDA, IPGRI, FAO andGenetic Resources ConservationProgramme, Division of Agriculture andNatural Resources, University ofCalifornia (UC/GRCP). Participants frommore than 23 countries attended the

symposium and over 30 papers ondiverse topics were presented. Thesymposium achieved its objectives bybringing together for the first time in WestAsia, archaeologists, archaeobotanists,plant scientists and crop improvementexperts to exchange experiences andideas. It discussed at length the linkagebetween the beginnings of agricultureand present plant breeding efforts, andbrought together archaeology and plantscience to meet the challenges ofincreased food production in the regionand the world. The contents are coveredin six parts; Part I deals with centres oforigin of crop plants and agriculture; PartII on Near-Eastern crop diversity and itsglobal migration; Part III onArchaeobotanical evidence foragricultural transitions; Part IV onDomestication of crop plants; Part V withHistorical aspects and crop evolution andPart VI on Conservation of worldprogenitors.

Evenson, R.E., C.E. Pray and Mark W.Rosegrant. 1999. AgriculturalResearch and Productivity Growth inIndia. Research Report 109.International Forest Policy ResearchInstitute, Washington DC, USA. 88 p.[ISBN: 0-89629-112-X].

This research report, examines the effectsof research and development onproductivity in India and reveals that Indiais still benefiting from the public fundedsystem of agricultural research andextension associated with expansion ofirrigated area and rural infrastructure andimprovement in human capital. Itsdifferent chapters deal with investment inproductivity, research system, technologytransfer, extension and infrastructure andthe development and spread of moderncrop varieties, total factor productivity inthe Indian Crop Sector, sources for thegrowth of total factor productivity inIndian agriculture and assessment ofpolicy implications. The report alsoshows that the public benefits fromprivate research can be substantial.

Crops (BUROTROP). The symposiumwill review the current status of oil palmgenetic resources programme and

develop a strategic plan for the nextmillennium. For more information, writeto Director General, PORIM, 6 Persiaran

Institusi, Bandur Baru Bango, 43000Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia or visitPORIM’s Homepage: http://porim.gov.my.


Gass, T., L. Frese, F. Begemann andE. Lipman, Compilers. 1999.Implementation of the ‘Global Plan ofAction in Europe - Conservation andSustainable Utilization of PlantGenetic Resources for Food andAgriculture. Proceedings of theEuropean Symposium, 30 June - 3July 1998; Braunschweig, Germany.International Plant Genetic ResourcesInstitute, Rome, Italy. 396 p. [ISBN 92-9043-406-6].

The European Symposium on PGRFAprovided a forum for the exchange ofexperiences and ideas and to take stockof the implementation of the GPA at thenational and regional levels. Thedeliberations are covered in two parts;Part I deals with the presentations madeon major topics such as in situconservation of wild relatives; on-farmmanagement and improvement ofPGRFA; Utilization of Plant GeneticResources; Collaboration with otherregions; National Programmes; CapacityBuilding and Training; InformationSystems and the Part II on Posterpresentations of the above activities. ThePlenary Session discussed theimplementation of the GPA and the roleof ECP/GR.

Gurung, H. 1999. Mountains of Asia -A Regional Inventory. InternationalCentre for Integrated MountainDevelopment, GPO Box 5226,Kathmandu, Nepal. 86 p. [ISBN: 92-91159360].

This publication provides an overviewand insight into the principal mountainranges as dynamic entities, presentingimmense variety and richness of plantsand animal species, the cultural diversityand the enormous challenges facedduring development. The publication isa joint venture of the Asia PacificMountain Network (APMN) and theICIMOD. In all, it covers 110 mountainand hill ranges in 37 countries. Themountains of Asia have been dividedregionally into South Asia, West Asia,Central Asia, Northeast Asia andAustralasia. A qualitative account of thesalient features is given. The publicationincludes a comprehensive bibliography.

Gurung, J.D. (ed.). 1999. Searching forWomen’s Voices in the Hindu Kush-

Himalayas. International Centre forIntegrated Mountain Development, GPOBox 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal. 407 p.[ISBN: 92-911508550].

This book attempts to understand theperspectives of women from a diversityof mountain areas extending fromWestern China to Afghanistan. Theintroduction ‘Searching for Women’sVoices in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas(HKH) gives good backgroundinformation. Eleven case studies carriedout by women who shared a culturalbackground with the places they studiedhave been presented. Two of the studies,those from Bhutan and Tibet, are on acountry and regional basis. The otherstudies are carried out in villages in themountains and hills of Afghanistan,Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar andNepal. The publication provides valuablegroundwork for the future of genderstudies in the region.

IPGRI. 1999. Descriptors for Taro(Colocasia esculenta ). InternationalPlant Genetic Resources Institute, Rome,Italy. 56 p. [ISBN 92-9043-402-3].

This publication is a revision of theoriginal IBPGR publication ‘Descriptorsfor Colocasia’ brought out in 1980. Thisdescriptor list includes the revised text/format as agreed upon by taro expertsas part of AusAID/SPC Taro GeneticResources Project-Taro CollectingStrategy Workshop, during 7-11December 1998, at NARI, Lae, PapuaNew Guinea. This descriptor list providesan international format and therebyproduces a universally understood‘language’ for plant genetic resourcesdata. The descriptors include details ofdocumentation of data for passport,management, environment and sitecharacterization and evaluation. Twoannexures dealing with multi-croppassport descriptors and collecting formfor taro are also provided.

Loskutov, Igor G. 1999. Vavilov andHis Institute. A History of the WorldCollection of Plant Genetic Resourcesin Russia. International Plant GeneticResources Institute, Rome, Italy. 188 p.[ISBN 92-9043-412-0].

This book is the outcome of the workundertaken by Igor Loskutov under the

Vavilov-Frankel Fellowship during 1993.It is based on a very meticulous researchinto the records including the uniquearchives of the Vavilov Institute andthrough interviews conducted by theauthor of the key figures who knew N.I.Vavilov. Efforts have been made tosynthesize records in historicalperspective. Starting with activities of theBureau of Applied Botany between 1905-1920, with a brief sketch of N.I. Vavilov’slife and work as Director of the Instituteof Plant Industry, analysis of Vavilov’scollecting accessions and expeditions(1922-1940), his several contributionssuch as the law of homologous series inhereditary variation on the origin ofcultivated plants, centres of origin, plantbreeding activities associated with plantgenetic resources during 1930s and1940s, development of Vavilov’s theoriesafter 1940s and creation of the networkof genebanks in the COMECONcountries. The publication concludes withVIR’s activities after 1990.

Maggioni, L., H. Knüpffer, R. vonBothmer, M. Ambrose, K. Hammerand E. Lipman, Compilers. 1999.Report of a Working Group on Barley.Fifth Meeting, 10-12 July 1997,Alternode/Gatersleben, Germany.International Plant Genetic ResourcesInstitute, Rome, Italy. 121 p. [ISBN 92-9043-40508].

National Programmesare requested tocontribute short

research articles, news/notes or other

important informationrelated topics on PGR

for inclusion in thenext issue of the

Newsletter. Please sendyour contributions to

any of the threeIPGRI-APO Offices.

[See addresses on page 24]


The publication includes the deliberationsof the Working Group on barley. Part Ideals with discussions andrecommendations, providing details onthe European Barley Database (EBDB),the status of national collections,responsibilities for conservation, andpromoting the use of barley geneticresources. Part II deals with the paperspresented and these include statusreport on European Barley Database(EBDB), country status reports on barleycollections held by Australia, Bulgaria,Croatia, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia,France, Germany, Ireland, Israel,Lithuania, Nordic Gene Bank, Poland,Suceava, VIR Slovak, Spain and Turkey.Information on breeding and evaluationaspects promoting the use of barley isalso covered in five papers.

Rao, A.N. and V. Ramanatha Rao(eds.). 1999. Bamboo and RattanGenetic Resources and Use andResearch Reports. IPGRI-APO,Serdang, Malaysia. 203 p. [ISBN 92-9043-413-91].

This publication deals with the Thirdmeeting of the INBAR-IPGRIBiodiversity, Genetic Resources andConservation Working Group held in theIPGRI-APO Regional Office in Serdang,Selangor, Malaysia, 24-27 August 1997.Part I presents the summary of theproceedings highlighting on diversityevaluation of Dendrocalamus strictus inIndia, conservation and geneticimprovement of rattan in Malaysia, awider coverage of bamboos and rattanconservation in Asia, research on rattan

domestication and silviculture andspecific focus on survey on theoccurrence of vesicular arboscularmycorrhizae in rattan of northwest India.Part II deals with research reportsrelating to bamboo and/or rattan speciesin India, China and Thailand, and somespecific topics such as evaluation andconservation, micropropagation and invitro techniques for conservation,bamboo seed technology for variabilitytesting and germplasm conservation,estimation of nuclear DNA content ofvarious bamboo and rattan species. Thepublication will be useful to all concernedto promote the conservation andsustainable use of bamboo and rattan.

Periodicals / Reports

FAO-IPGRI. Plant Genetic ResourcesNewsletter No.119. September 1999.IPGRI, Rome, Italy. 62 p. [ISSN 1020-3362].

This newsletter is published quarterlyand provides information on research onall facets of plant genetic resources. Thearticles of particular interest to APOregion, included in this issue, are theones on ‘Geographical pattern ofdiversity in the Philippines edible yamcollection’ and ‘ In situ conservation ofcardamom (Elettaria cardamom Maton.)germplasm’. Short communicationsinclude interesting articles on collectingof Capsicum annum L. germplasm inRajasthan, India and evaluation oflandraces of cucumber (Cucumis sativusL.) for resistance to downy mildew(Pseudoperonospora cubensis).

MSSRF. 1999. Ninth Annual Report1998-99. M.S. Swaminathan ResearchFoundation, Chennai, 1999. 221 p.

The report presents the progress ofresearch and development work carriedout under different projects assigned todifferent programme areas, namely, oncoastal systems research; biodiversityand biotechnology; ecotechnology andsustainable agriculture; reaching theunreached; education, communication,training and capacity building. Specialprojects dealt with conservation andsustainable use of the Gulf of Mannarbiosphere reserve’s-coastal biodiversity;B.P. Pal national environmentalfellowship - 'Study of the changing profileof Sirumalai Forest Hills, Dindigul District,Tamil Nadu and Development of anecofriendly restoration plan of EasternGhats' and on Project entitled 'Mizoram'sNew Agenda for sustainable EconomicRural Development'.

SGRP. 1999. Annual Report 1998 ofthe CGIAR System Wide GeneticResources Programme. InternationalPlant Genetic Resources Institute, Rome,Italy. 36 p. [ISBN 92-9043-417-1].

The report presents activities of theSGRP in 1998. It highlights the significantprogress towards more effective System-Wide cooperation and greater impact inthe CGIAR’s contributions to the globalgenetic resources efforts; thus dealingwith its contributions to global fora andprogramme; policy review andformulation; information; training; inter-centre collaboration and research.

Scientific ContributionsCollecting French Beanfrom Hills of Western UttarPradesh, IndiaWith the recent trend in high input

agriculture in India, there has been adecline in areas under chickpea. Thesuccessful introduction of French bean

as an alternative pulse crop during winterin the Northern plains has opened newvistas. Both vegetable types and grain

types form an important component oftraditional diet of the hilly regions ofJammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh

and Western Uttar Pradesh. The Institute

of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras HinduUniversity, Varanasi has pioneeredresearch on the introduction of this crop

in the plains in 1980 and presently holdsa sizeable collection of 625 lines fromJammu and Kashmir.

To augment the germplasm resource,an exploration trip to Western UttarPradesh hills was undertaken and 68

accessions of French bean werecollected from the districts of Dehradun,Tehri and Uttar Kashi. These collections

showed variations for plant growth habit,

flower colour, pod length and shape, andseed shape, colour and size.

The 68 accessions were grown at the

Institute of Agriculture Sciences,Varanasi and the results indicatedconsiderable variation for plant height

(25.6 - 127.6 cm), pods per plant (6.8 -37.6), seeds per pod (2.7 - 6.3), testweight (8.9 - 59.7 g) and days to maturity

(108 - 165). Six elite types were selectedand yield tested in three replications withthree checks. Accession No.50 gave


significantly higher yield than the checkvarieties. This line is presently beingtested in the coordinated varietal trial[H.K. Jaiswal, B.S. Parihar and R.K.Singh, Institute of Agricultural Sciences,Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi].

In Vitro Culture of MangoShoot TipMango is a typical recalcitrant species.To date, no successful cryopreservationof mango germplasm has been reported.Earlier research findings indicated thatembryos cannot survive after liquidnitrogen treatment even after using thepretreatment techniques ofencapsulation-dehydration and sucroseor glycerol pretreatment. IPGRI-supported project on cryopreservation ofexcised embryo of mango is continuingat Zhongshan University, China and theemphasis is on establishing a plantregeneration system to exploit andexamine the possibility ofcryopreservation of mango germplasm.

The progress of the in vitro culture ofred mango (Mangifera indica L. var. Zi-hua, Gui-siang) is as follows:

Media and culture

The embryonic axes with 1.0 cm x 1.0cm cotyledon were individually culturedon different agar media as indicated inTable 1. The cotyledon of about 2 × 3cm and 0.5 × 3 cm were cultured on themedium as indicated in Tables 2 and 3in addition to the medium of Table 1 forobservations on rooting. All growthregulators were added to the mediumbefore autoclaving. The pH value of allmedia was 5.8. Culture conditions were27±2°C and 12 h light /12 h dark cycle.

Effects of sterilization methods oncontamination of embryonic axesfrom mature fruits : Bacterialcontamination assessment of theembryonic axes after 10 day-inoculationby different sterilization methods andthat of the young shoot section after 20

day-inoculation indicated that sterilizationmethods had significantly different effecton the extent of contamination. The mosteffective method is: seeds without hardouter seed coat were rinsed in runningtap water for about 1 hour, the thin innerseed coat is removed, immersed in 5%Chlorox for 15 minutes, rinsed with steriledistilled water at least once, sterilizedwith 0.1% HgCl

2 for 12 minutes.

Effects of the component of mediumon growth of embryonic axes : Themedium components appear to have littleeffect on the growth and developmentof the embryonic axes. The mean heightof plantlet of the embryonic axes after10 day-inoculation was about 8.0 cm,no matter on which medium.

Effect of plant growth regulators andsupplemented compounds on therooting of cotyledon : Some white spotsappeared on the surface of the cotyledonsection (2 × 3 cm and 0.5 × 3 cm) oneweek later. These gradually developedroots 7- 20 days after culturing. Changingthe plant growth regulators andconcentrations did not affect the rootingof the cotyledon section. But rooting wasdelayed when the cotyledon was culturedon the medium with 5 mg/l IBA. Roots onthe medium with 1/1 and 1/10 of auxin/cytokinin were stronger than that on theother media. It is interesting to note thatrooting appeared only on the sectionsurface close to the embryonic axes whenit was cut into several sections.

Effect of preculture duration in RIMon the rate of rooting of the youngshoot section : One or more budsdeveloped from the young shoot sectionbetween the cotyledon and stem, 1-8weeks after culture. A small part of thecotyledon left/attached to the shootsection improved regeneration of the budof the explant, while the young shootsection without cotyledon, darkened anddied. A few roots (2-20 mm long)developed from the basal part of theyoung shoot section when they werepretreated with 5 mg/l IBA for 2- 7 daysand then inoculated on ROM for 3- 7days. Maximum rooting (95%) wasobserved with pretreatment at 5.0 mg/lIBA in dark for 5 days the roots werestrong, with white or yellowish white tip.If preculture duration was longer than 5days in dark, it caused the regeneratedbuds to become yellow and ultimately to

Table 1. Media for culture of embryonic axes

Medium Components

1 MS salts, 3% sucrose, 0.7% agar, 0.1% active charcoal, 300 mg/L CH,500/L Gln

2 MS salts, 3% sucrose, 0.65% agar

3 MS major salts, 3% sucrose, 0.7% agar, 0.1% active charcoal

4 Distilled water, 3% sucrose, 0.65% agar

5 Distilled water, 0.65% agar

6 Tap water, 0.7% agar, 0.1% active charcoal

7 Tap water, 3% table sugar, 0.7% agar, 0.1% active charcoal

Variation in seed size, shape and colour in French bean


Table 4. Effect of preculture duration in RIM on the rate of rooting for youngshoot section

Preculture duration(day) Extent of rooting(%)

Liquid RIM (1 ) 0

Agar RIM ( 1 ) 0

Agar RIM ( 2 ) 20

Agar RIM ( 3 ) 50

Agar RIM ( 4 ) 90

Agar RIM ( 5 ) 95

Agar RIM ( 7 ) 90

Table 3. The supplements to the medium for cotyledon culture

MS strength sucrose(g/l) glucose(g/l) IBA(mg/l) BA(mg/l)

1/4 30 0 1 0

1/4 0 30 2 1

1/4 20 10 5 2

2/4 30 0 2 2

2/4 0 30 5 0

2/4 20 10 1 1

3/4 30 0 5 1

3/4 0 30 1 2

3/4 20 10 2 0

Table 2. The combinations of plant growth regulators for the culture ofcotyledon

Strength ratio(mg/l) 2,4-D/BA 2,4-D/KT IBA/KT NAA/BA

0/0 + + + +

0/1 + + + +

0/10 + + + +

0/50 + - - +

0/100 + - - +

0.1/0 + + + +

0.1/1 + + + +

0.1/10 + + + +

0.1/50 + - - +

0.1/100 + - - +

1/0 + + + +

1/1 + + + +

1/10 + + + +

1/50 + - - +

1/100 + - - +

+ Medium supplemented with the combination of plant growth regulators

- Medium without the combination of plant growth regulators

die. The young shoot section could notbe rooted when treated with IBA for 1day or in the control medium. The shoottips and stem section both developedfrom regenerated buds of the youngshoot section could be rooted after theywere pretreated with the IBA mediumfor 5 days, whereas the shoot tips directlyfrom the plantlet could not root andhence died (Table 4).

Response of the immature embryoaxes and the cotyledon to culture :Within 4 weeks of inoculation, whitecallus and clusters of globular or heart-shaped structures appeared on theimmature cotyledon. The immatureembryonic axes with 0.2-0.3 cmcotyledon had not apparently changed.

From the above results, the followingconclusions were drawn:

1. The contamination of embryonicaxes with bacteria occurring in thefirst year and not in other yearsindicated the possibility of bacterialcontamination being seed borne.

2. Buds could be regenerated from theyoung shoot section where thecotyledon attached and cut from theplantlet developed from 10 daysgermination of excised embryonicaxes. Increase in pretreatmentduration (with 1 - 7 days) enhancedrooting percentage.

3. Roots easily developed directly fromthe surface of cotyledon sectionafter culturing for 7 to 20 days.

4. The plant growth regulators did nothave much effect on the rooting ofthe cotyledon section and mighthave promoted the axes rooting.

5. There are still some specialproblems which need to beovercome during culturing of theexplants: i) the reason for bacterialcontamination; ii) the factors thatcause most of the leaves from therooted shoots not to fully expand;iii) suitable media for shootmultiplication from regeneratedplantlets to obtain enough shoot tipsfor research on cryopreservation[Huang, Xue-Lin; Xiao, Jie-Ning; Li,Xiao- Ju; Liang Jie-Mei; Cheng,Yun-Feng; Fu Jia-Rui , School ofLife Sciences, ZhongshanUniversity, Guangzhou, China].


CCGRCICentre of Crop GermplasmResources and Crop ImprovementCAAS, 30 Bai Shi Qiao RoadBeijing 100081PR China

INBARInternational Network for Bambooand RattanAnynan Building No. 10Asian Games VillageChaoyang DistrictP O Box 9799BeijingChina

NIARNational Institute of AgrobiologicalResourcesKannondai 2-1-2;Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305Japan

SEARCASoutheast Asian RegionalCentre for Graduate Study andResearch in AgricultureLos BañosPhilippines

Dr Pons A. BatugalSenior Scientist,COGENT CoordinatorIPGRI Regional Office for Asia,the Pacific and OceaniaPO Box 236, UPM Post Office,Serdang43400 Selangor Darul EhsanMalaysia

Useful Names & AddressesDr J.M.M. EngelsGroup Director,Genetic Resources Science andTechnologyIPGRI-HQVia delle Sette Chiese 14200145 RomeItaly

Dr Liwayway EngleHead GRSUAVRDCPO Box 42, ShanhuaTaiwan 792 ROC

Dr P.L. GautamDirectorNational Bureau ofPlant Genetic ResourcesPusa CampusNew Delhi 110012India

Dr A.H.M. JayasuriyaSenior Deputy DirectorPlant Genetic Resources CentrePeradeniyaSri Lanka

Dr Dhruv JoshiExecutive DirectorNepal Agricultural Research CouncilKhumaltar, LalitpurPO Box 5459, 1 KathmanduNepal

Prof Naguyen Huu NghiaDirector GeneralVeitnam Agricultural Science InstituteVandien-HanoiVietnam

IPGRI Office for South Asiac/o NBPGR, Pusa Campus,New Delhi 110012, IndiaTelex: 31-77257 NBGR INTel: (91-11) 5731845, 5786112,Fax: (91-11) 5819899Email: [email protected]

IPGRI Regional Office for Asia, thePacific and OceaniaPO Box 236, UPM Post Office43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan,MalaysiaTel: (603) 9423891; Fax: (603) 9487655Email: [email protected]

IPGRI Office for East Asiac/o CAAS, No. 30 Bai Shi Qiao Road,Beijing 100081, P.R. ChinaTelex : 222720 CAAS CN, Tel : (86-10)62183744Fax: (86-10) 62174159Email: [email protected]


The Newsletter is produced byDr Bhag Mal, Coordinator and Dr R. K. Arora, Hon. Research Fellow, IPGRI Office for South Asia, with support from: Dr V.Ramanatha Rao, Senior Scientist (GD/Conservation) and Interim Regional Director, Dr Pons Batugal, COGENT Coordinator,Dr Paul Quek, Documentation/Information Specialist at the IPGRI Regional Office for Asia, the Pacific and Oceania; ProfessorZhou Ming-De, Coordinator and Mr Zhang Zongwen, Associate Coordinator at the IPGRI Office for East Asia, and Dr P. N.Mathur, Associate Coordinator at the IPGRI Office for South Asia. The addresses of these offices are:

Dr R.S. ParodaDirector General ICAR &Secretary DAREIndian Council of Agricultural ResearchKrishi BhawanNew Delhi 110001India

Dr V. Ramanatha RaoSenior Scientist (GD/Conservation)and Interim Regional DirectorIPGRI Office for Asia, the Pacific andOceaniaPO Box 236, UPM Post Office43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul EhsanMalaysia

Dr M.S. SwaminathanChairmanMS Swaminathan ResearchFoundation (MSSRF)Taramani Institutional AreaChennai 600 113India

Mr Karma Tse-ringProgramme CoordinatorNational Biodiversity ProgrammeSerbithangMinistry of AgricultureThimphu, Bhutan

Dr Duncan VaughanCrop Evolutionary Dynamics LabNational Institute of AgrobiologicalResourcesKannondai 2-1-2Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305Japan

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