Germplasm Conservation And Seed Bank PDF

Chapter 3: Germplasm Conservation and Seed Bank ❑ Germplasm Plant or animal material (such as seeds, pollen, root stock, or sperm) collected and stored for future use in breeding, conservation, or research purpose may take the form of seed collections stored in s...

Chapter 3: Germplasm Conservation and Seed Bank ❑ Germplasm Plant or animal material (such as seeds, pollen, root stock, or sperm) collected and stored for future use in breeding, conservation, or research purpose may take the form of seed collections stored in seed banks, trees growing in nurseries animal breeding lines maintained in animal breeding programs or gene banks, etc. a valuable natural resource that provides knowledge about the genetic composition of a species crucial for conserving plant diversity  Germplasm Conservation ▪ Germplasm; live information source for all the genes present in the respective plant and/or animal conserved for long periods and regenerated whenever it is required in the future ▪ Germplasm collections; range from collections of wild species to elite, domesticated breeding lines that have undergone extensive human selection ▪ Germplasm conservation; Germplasm Conservation - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics Techniques of Germplasm Conservation (slideshare.net) to conserve the genetic traits of endangered and commercially valuable species  Cont.., aimed to ensure the proper preservation and storage of germplasm belonging to economically important plants plants and animal genetic diversity is preserved creates a pool of different genes that acts as resource house (gene bank/library) for new or unidentified species may be ex situ, seed banks or other genetic repositories or in situ, on farms or in natural parks and reserves 3  genetic resource conservation ex-situ 1. conventional – orthodox seeds – seed gene bank 2. in-vitro – recalcitrant seeds/tissue (organ culture)/pollen/cell suspension/DNA – tissue culture/cryopreservation/DNA libraries 3. field gene bank – plant conservation – botanical garden/arboreta/greenhouse in-situ 1. natural habitat – habitat ecosystem – bioreserves/heritage sites/ wildlife sanctuaries 2. on farm – population – farm fields/tribal areas  Seed Bank a place where seeds are stored to preserve genetic diversity for the future is a form of insurance, a way of maximizing the number of plant species we can save from this fate usually flood, bomb and radiation-proof vaults holding jars of seeds from different plant species seeds are typically kept at low humidity and in cold conditions - around -200c this helps to preserve the seeds, ensuring they can still grow when they are needed later 5 Advantages of seed bank possible to conserve the diversity of plant species, especially those cultivated by humans replenish needed seeds if they are lost from crops due to natural or man-made disasters, such as pollution offer enough genetic variety to be able to develop other varieties » to create pest-resistant, drought-tolerant crops or to feed a growing world population protect rare and valuable species that are not usually found anywhere in nature allow the genetic material to be preserved and subsequently reintroduced on a large scale into the environment 6  Cont.., become an insurance for the future of agriculture and our food globally, it's estimated that 40% of plant species are vulnerable to extinction plants are under threat from many factors, including; – habitat loss – climate change – pollution – pests and diseases 7 Ethiopia seed bank's novel approach to preserving diversity under threat | Food security | The Guardian  Use of Genetic Information for Conservation Genetic Information - – all the information present in a cell, an organism possesses to survive – important because it stores, processes and transmits biological data from generation to generation – information in an organism’s genes provides a biological blueprint for its appearance, function and survival – and largely defines its similarities and differences with other organisms – we may conserve the wrong population or waste valuable resources on a population that isn't endangered (due to missing genetic information) 9  Biology of the species/accession An accession – group of related plant material from a single species which is collected at one time from a specific location – Distinct and uniquely identifiable sample of seeds representing a cultivar, breeding line or a population Accession number – a unique identifier that is assigned by the curator when an accession is entered into a gene bank – each accession is an attempt to capture the diversity present in a given population of plants – accessions that are maintained under conditions of short-or medium-term storage for the purpose of study, distribution, or use 10  Cont.., Germplasm; – set of propagules that carries the desired genetic resource (i.e. genes, genetic combinations or gene frequencies) An accession – genetically unique plant sample from a particular geographic location – a genetic material, which has a unique accession number – can be a cultivar, population, breeding line or a landrace – a gene bank obtains a variety from two different places at different times, they get two different accession numbers, which means they are two different accessions 11 agricultural crops seed bank 12  In situ, ex situ and Cerca situm conservation – concern of species extinction led to the development of the international convention on biological diversity ❑ 3 major objectives of this convention are - – conservation of biological diversity – sustainable use of the components of biological diversity (genetic resources) – fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources) 13  Conservation Sustainable Utilization CBD Access & Benefit Sharing Pillars of Convention on Biological Diversity 14  In Situ Conservation Methods – conservation of species in their natural habitats – most appropriate way of conserving biodiversity – conserving the areas where populations of species exist naturally – protected areas form a central element of any national strategy to conserve biodiversity – protecting an endangered plant or animal species in its natural habitat; either by protecting or cleaning up the habitat itself, or by defending the species from predators  Advantage of In Situ Conservation Methods – cheap and convenient way of conserving biological diversity – preserve a large number of organisms simultaneously, known or unknown to us – provides opportunity to the living organisms to adjust to differed’ environmental conditions and to evolve in to a better life form – the ecosystem is promoted to sustain itself and we have more of a supportive role by controlling a few factors  Disadvantage of In Situ Conservation Methods – requires large space of earth (growing demand for space) In-situ conservation; – PAs conservation (parks, sanctuaries & biosphere reserves) – on-farm conservation, and – homegarden conservation wildlife and livestock conservation is mostly based on in-situ conservation  In-situ Conservation: Conservation in Protected Areas a) PAs – protected areas – geographical space recognized, dedicated and managed through legal and other effective means – achieve long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem service and cultural value – biological diversity along with natural and cultural resources are protected, maintained and managed through legal and administrative measures – hunting, firewood collection, timber harvesting etc. are prohibited – wild plants and animals can grow & multiply freely without any disturbance national parks – an area dedicated for the conservation of wildlife along with its environment sanctuaries – areas where only wild animals (fauna) are present – harvesting of timbers, collection of forest products, cultivation of lands etc. are permitted as long as these do not interfere with the project community reserves – protected area introduced in wildlife protection amendment to provide legal support to community or privately owned reserves which cannot be designated as national park or wildlife sanctuary  Simien mountains national park Bale mountains national park some national parks of Ethiopia Awash national park  Senkele Swayne’s Hartebeest sanctuary Yabelo wildlife sanctuary Babille elephant sanctuary Biosphere reserves – natural reserves are multipurpose protected areas with boundaries bounded by legislation – preserve genetic diversity in representative ecosystems by; – protecting wild animals – traditional life style of inhabitant and – domesticated plant/ animal genetic resources – scientifically managed allowing only the tourists to visit sacred groves – tract of forest set aside where all the trees and wildlife within are respected and given total protection Biosphere reserves in the southwest of ethiopia (Yayo, Majang, Sheka etc.) Sacred groves  b) On-farm Conservation – in-situ conservation approaches –of domesticated or cultivated species, in the surroundings and developed their distinctive properties It involves - – maintenance of traditional crop cultivars (landraces) or farming systems – farmers within traditional agricultural systems Many farmers still use landraces, which are - – developed by farmers – strongly adapted to the local environment – importance in recent years, though farmers have been using, mostly unconsciously it for centuries  b) On-farm Conservation – the effects of growers-practices are of paramount importance in agrobiodiversity – systematic documentation of farmers’ knowledge of diversity and uses is needed. ❖ sustainable in situ conservation efforts by on-farm require community – participation – control of land rights in local communities – education – extension and – development of environmental awareness any in situ conservation program must also benefit the local communities  c) homegarden – very similar to on-farm conservation, however, the scale is much smaller – contain a wide spectrum of species such as vegetables, fruits, medicinal plants and spices than on-farm plots – similar to on-farm conservation, the dynamic nature of this conservation technique has the same advantages – homegarden, as a single unit, has very little value in terms of conservation – But, a community of them in a given area may contribute significantly to the conservation and direct use of genetic diversity  c) homegarden – most of such diversity could be somewhat unique/rare – people tend to grow unique materials in their gardens and also underutilized species – the system is vulnerable to changes in management practices – testing grounds for farmer-home gardener & a location for testing out some of the wild and semi-wild species – in rural areas, the homegardens may continue to play a role in genetic diversity conservation + development  c) Community gene bank Increasing farmers' access to genetic materials - – diverse crop genetic resources – information about these resources – broaden farmers' options regarding variety choice – fostering diversity conservation access to new and diverse varieties can be improved through - – community gene banks – strengthened seed exchange networks – incorporation of landraces into national extension ❑seed exchange networks - – another way of enhancing the maintenance of local germplasm is through the strengthening or establishment of local seed networks – increase the supply of and facilitate access to locally adapted crop germplasm – overcoming the supply bottlenecks which may lead farmers to adopt readily available modern varieties ❑ linking farmers' seed supply systems to the formal sector - – coordination between informal and formal seed supply systems – foster conservation of landraces at risk of extinction while increasing farmers' access to new varieties – regional and district-level institutions in particular could support on-farm conservation at the local level – linking with community gene banks to ensure that rare varieties are conserved for future use by farmers  Ex situ (Off site ) conservation Methods – preservation of components of biological diversity outside their natural habitats – under partially or wholly controlled conditions in specific areas – a more targeted approach, only selected species are taken – plantation, botanical garden, zoo, field gene bank, seed gene bank – conservation of genetic resources of wild & cultivated species – seed storage in vitro storage, DNA storage, pollen storage, and botanical garden – most suitable for conserving crops and their wild relatives  Definition of terminologies ❑ In vitro conservation – conserving parts of plants in flasks or tubes in artificial media – under controlled environments, in sterile conditions – cooling & storing cells, tissues, or organs at very low/ freezing temperatures to save them for future use ❑ Cryopreservation or cryo conservation − 196 °C – biological material - cells, tissues, or organs - are frozen to preserve the material for an extended period of time – ultra-low temperatures is the only long-term preservation method for plant not stored in seed banks seed gene banks – seeds can be dried to low moisture content and stored at low temperature without losing their viability » plants - in the form of in-vitro cuttings stored in glass tubes under controlled conditions » animals - in the form of “frozen zoos” in cytogenetic facilities for storing living semen, eggs or embryos  https://ebi.gov.et/biodiversity/conservation/field-gene-banks/medicinal- field gene banks plants-field-gene-banks/ – large areas are planted with germplasm originating from different parts of a country » coffee field gene bank in Jimma zone » fruit trees and spices field gene bank in Jimma » medicinal plant field gene bank in Wondo Genet and Goba – plant genetic resources are kept as live plants that undergo continuous growth and require continuous maintenance. field gene bank is used - – germplasm is impossible to conserve as seed – seeds are recalcitrant – seed production takes many years – the crop is reproduced vegetatively require more space, especially for large plants such as tree species relatively expensive to maintain however, it provide easy and ready access to conserved material for research as well as for use  Advantages – easy and ready access to the plant genetic resources (characterization, evaluation or utilization) – conserving vegetatively propagated genotypes Disadvantages – expensive to maintain, requiring more labour, more inputs and more space (land) – higher levels of risk from natural disasters and adverse environmental conditions (drought, floods or attacks from pests and diseases)  medicinal plants field gene banks – Ethiopian biodiversity institute – EBI essential oils research center and Ethiopian national traditional medicine preparation and study association (establishment and follow up) subdivided into blocks to accommodate plants with different habits i.e., annual and perennial herbs, shrubs and trees. Wondo Genet field gene bank medicinal plants field gene banks – Ethiopian biodiversity institute – EBI Bale Goba field gene bank established to conserve threatened, rare and endemic medicinal plants complement the in-situ conservation  practical considerations – costly and risky and used when there are no available alternatives – the storage period of other alternatives is very short and not practical – mostly used for the conservation of clonal crops, complementary to other conservation methods (in vitro and cryo banks) – sensitive to germplasm health issues and regular monitoring and testing together with application of disease control measures is essential  Cont.., – the only practical and cost-effective way to conserve germplasm of clonal crops, especially when resources and skills are limiting (even not secured) – can be complementary to in-situ methods as they provide an "insurance policy" against extinction – have a valuable role to play in recovery programs for endangered species – provides excellent research opportunities on the components of biological diversity strategies for ex-situ conservations - – identification of species to be conserved – adoption of different ex-situ methods of conservation – long-term captive breeding and propagation for the species which have lost their habitats permanently – short-term propagation and release of the animals in their natural habitat – animal translocation – animal reintroduction planting a baobab in its new home  Circa situm conservation – involves preserving species within their natural geographical range but outside their original habitat due to human activities – maintain biodiversity by conserving species in their original habitats, even those habitats have been altered – motivation to adopt circa situm conservation by farmers is based on the perceived use value of species – very important role in agricultural areas with high demographic pressure and significant deforestation  Circa situm conservation – smallholders’ agroforestry systems can play a crucial role in conserving tropical tree species and genetic diversity – by integrating trees into farmlands, farmers can help preserve species that were one part of the natural forest in that area – agroforestry systems – homegardens – restoration projects – preserving species within their original geographical range, but often in modified habitat, like agroforestry system or managed landscapes  Circa situm conservation preservation of shade-coffee agroforests – farmers integrate coffee plants with various tree species in their agricultural landscapes – trees provide shade, which benefits the coffee plants and creates a habitat for other flora and fauna. – maintaining these agroforests, farmers help conserve tree species that were one part of the natural forest in the area – not only support biodiversity but also enhance the resilience of the agricultural system, support ecosystem services and – provides additional income sources for farmers through the sale of timber, fruits, and other forest products)  Circa situm Vs In – situ conservation In situ conservation – preserving species within their natural habitats and ecosystems – this involves protecting areas where species naturally occur, like national parks, wildlife reserves, and protected marine areas, to maintain and restore natural ecosystems and their functions  Circa situm Vs In – situ conservation Circa Situm conservation – subtype of in situ conservation but with a twist – focuses on preserving species within their original geographical range but often in modified or agricultural landscapes, like agroforestry systems or managed farmlands – It is about maintaining biodiversity in places where human activities have changed the environment – In situ as the broader category, aiming to preserve species in their natural environment; Circa Situm – doing this in habitats that has been altered by human