Suchergebnisse

© 2017 The New York Botanical Garden Crop genetic resources have been extensively collected in Europe in the last century, creating large, publicly available ex situ collections. While this huge genetic diversity is often underutilized, in recent decades, several initiatives have emerged at the local level to collect germplasm cultivated on farm. Uncoordinated actors often carry out these collecting missions without considering previously collected data. To explore whether new collecting missions are likely to be worthwhile, we studied the crop genetic resources conservation network in Catalonia by analyzing the passport data and geographical distribution of germplasm stored in seed banks. Moreover, to determine whether this germplasm was representative of the diversity cultivated on farm, we performed new collecting missions in four randomly selected areas in the European Union's Natura 2000 network and compared the results with the ex situ databases. Seed banks currently hold a large germplasm collection (2931 accessions), although most materials are conserved in private collections without regulated systems for seed regeneration and are not present as duplicates in the National Inventory. One important shortcoming of the ex situ network is that the germplasm conserved ex situ shows a low geographical coverage, representing only 35.3% of the municipalities in Catalonia. Our new missions allowed us to collect 234 accessions, mostly tomatoes (17.5%) and beans (16.2%). The ecological indicators' richness (both at species (S) and variety (V) levels), total abundance (A), and the Shannon-Weaver diversity index calculated at species (H2, considering the different accessions of each variety as a single population) and variety levels (H3, considering the intra-varietal genetic diversity) were higher in the newly collected germplasm than in the ex situ collections, suggesting that seed banks do not accurately represent the genetic diversity still cultivated on farm. Moreover, some important landraces from each area were absent or underrepresented in the ex situ collections. Thus, it is necessary to continue to devote efforts to collecting germplasm; better organization between actors and targeting specific species/varieties can increase the efficiency of new collecting missions. As a conclusion, we propose different criteria to guide new missions and to improve the network's conservation activities. ; Postprint (updated version)

© 2017 The New York Botanical Garden Crop genetic resources have been extensively collected in Europe in the last century, creating large, publicly available ex situ collections. While this huge genetic diversity is often underutilized, in recent decades, several initiatives have emerged at the local level to collect germplasm cultivated on farm. Uncoordinated actors often carry out these collecting missions without considering previously collected data. To explore whether new collecting missions are likely to be worthwhile, we studied the crop genetic resources conservation network in Catalonia by analyzing the passport data and geographical distribution of germplasm stored in seed banks. Moreover, to determine whether this germplasm was representative of the diversity cultivated on farm, we performed new collecting missions in four randomly selected areas in the European Union's Natura 2000 network and compared the results with the ex situ databases. Seed banks currently hold a large germplasm collection (2931 accessions), although most materials are conserved in private collections without regulated systems for seed regeneration and are not present as duplicates in the National Inventory. One important shortcoming of the ex situ network is that the germplasm conserved ex situ shows a low geographical coverage, representing only 35.3% of the municipalities in Catalonia. Our new missions allowed us to collect 234 accessions, mostly tomatoes (17.5%) and beans (16.2%). The ecological indicators' richness (both at species (S) and variety (V) levels), total abundance (A), and the Shannon-Weaver diversity index calculated at species (H2, considering the different accessions of each variety as a single population) and variety levels (H3, considering the intra-varietal genetic diversity) were higher in the newly collected germplasm than in the ex situ collections, suggesting that seed banks do not accurately represent the genetic diversity still cultivated on farm. Moreover, some important landraces from each area were absent or underrepresented in the ex situ collections. Thus, it is necessary to continue to devote efforts to collecting germplasm; better organization between actors and targeting specific species/varieties can increase the efficiency of new collecting missions. As a conclusion, we propose different criteria to guide new missions and to improve the network's conservation activities. ; Postprint (updated version)

[EN] The term "landrace" has generally been defined as a cultivated, genetically heterogeneous variety that has evolved in a certain ecogeographical area and is therefore adapted to the edaphic and climatic conditions and to its traditional management and uses. Despite being considered by many to be inalterable, landraces have been and are in a constant state of evolution as a result of natural and artificial selection. Many landraces have disappeared from cultivation but are preserved in gene banks. Using modern selection and breeding technology tools to shape these preserved landraces together with the ones that are still cultivated is a further step in their evolution in order to preserve their agricultural significance. Adapting historical landraces to present agricultural conditions using cutting-edge breeding technology represents a challenging opportunity to use them in a modern sustainable agriculture, as an immediate return on the investment is highly unlikely. Consequently, we propose a more inclusive definition of landraces, namely that they consist of cultivated varieties that have evolved and may continue evolving, using conventional or modern breeding techniques, in traditional or new agricultural environments within a defined ecogeographical area and under the influence of the local human culture. This includes adaptation of landraces to new management systems and the unconscious or conscious selection made by farmers or breeders using available technology. In this respect, a mixed selection system might be established in which farmers and other social agents develop evolved landraces from the variability generated by public entities. ; This work has been partially funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreements no. 634651 (TRADITOM) and no. 677379 (G2PSOL). ; Casañas Artigas, F.; Simo, J.; Casals, J.; Prohens Tomás, J. (2017). Toward an Evolved Concept of Landrace. Frontiers in Plant Science. 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2017.00145 ; S ; 145 ...

This paper provides an overview of the last 40 years of use, and in many cases abuse, of the natural resources in Catalonia, a country that is representative of European countries in general, and especially those in the Mediterranean region. It analyses the use of natural resources made by mining, agriculture, livestock, logging, fishing, nature tourism, and energy production and consumption. This use results in an ecological footprint, i.e., the productive land and sea surface required to generate the consumed resources and absorb the resulting waste, which is about seven times the amount available, a very high number but very similar to other European countries. This overexploitation of natural resources has a huge impact on land and its different forms of cover, air, and water. For the last 25 years, forests and urban areas have each gained almost 3% more of the territory at the expense of agricultural land; those municipalities bordering the sea have increased their number of inhabitants and activity, and although they only occupy 6.7% of the total surface area, they account for 43.3% of the population; air quality has stabilized since the turn of the century, and there has been some improvement in the state of aquatic ecosystems, but still only 36% are in good condition, while the remainder have suffered morphological changes and different forms of nonpoint source pollution; meanwhile the biodiversity of flora and fauna remains still under threat. Environmental policies do not go far enough so there is a need for revision of the legislation related to environmental impact and the protection of natural areas, flora, and fauna. The promotion of environmental research must be accompanied by environmental education to foster a society which is more knowledgeable, has more control and influence over the decisions that deeply affect it. Indeed, nature conservation goes hand in hand with other social and economic challenges that require a more sustainable vision. Today's problems with nature derive from the current economic model, which is environmentally unsustainable in that it does not take into account environmental impacts. Lastly, we propose a series of reasonable and feasible priority measures and actions related to each use made of the country's natural resources, to the impacts they have had, and to their management, in the hope that these can contribute to improving the conservation and management of the environment and biodiversity and move towards sustainability. ; Postprint (published version)