rare fruit crops preservation and on farm conservation

Rare fruit crops preservation and

on farm conservation

Nahla abdEl-Fattah awd

Senior Researcher

Fruit breeding Department

Horticulture Research Institute

IntroductionThere are 5 million to 100 million species on earth.

Only about 1.9 million species have been catalogued so far.

There are 34 recognized “Hotspots” in the world.

44.4% of Global Plant species are present in Hotspots.

As much as 20% of the world’s biodiversity may be lost during the next 30 years (and 50-66% by the end of the century):

- 50000 out of 250000 plant species

67%Secure orapparently

secure

1%Other

16%Vulnerable

8%Imperiled

7%Critically imperiled

1% Probably extinct

Current Classification of Species

Genetic Bottlenecks• If populations recover from times with small numbers other

problems can persist• Genetic bottlenecks• Think of a traffic bottleneck many cars approach and stop, only a

few get through.• Same with genes – genetic diversity is dramatically reduced• When populations are reduced to small numbers interbreeding

occurs and genetic diversity plummets

Why Biodiversity is important?

Provides food, fruit, fuel, timber, medicine

1.Commercial value :

Oil, Fertilizers etc. extracted from species of plants .

2.Biological value:

Pollination Soil formation Nutrient enrichment

-

1- Genetic diversity: genetic variability or diversity within a species, i.e. between the individuals of a species

Example ; 5,000 recorded varieties of mango

Types of Biodiversity

2.Species diversity- diversity between different species

Example ; Citrus jambhiri Citrus lemon

3. Ecosystem diversity – diversity within a region

Grassland Shola forest

Ecosystem Disruption

Habitatloss

Habitatdegradation

Introducingnonnativespecies

Commercialhunting

andpoaching

Sale ofexotic pets

anddecorative

plants

Predatorand

pest control

Pollution

Climatechange

Basic Causes

• Population growth• Rising resource use• No environmental

accounting• Poverty

Consequences of biodiversity loss:· loss of genetic diversity and the opportunity to use it

for crops, medicines, etc.· droughts and floods· soil erosion and land slides· desertification, mineralization and water logging of

productive lands· polluted water, loss of water· crop loss due to decrease of pollinators, seed

dispersers and biological control· coastal erosion (storm and tsunami damage)

Impact of Loss Of Biodiversity

How can we reduce biodiversity loss?• 2 main approaches – ecosystem or species directed1. Preventing premature extinction of species2. Preserving & restoring ecosystems which provide habitats

and resources for the world’s species

The Species Approach The Ecosystem Approach

Goal

Protect species frompremature extinction

Strategies

• Identify endangered species

• Protect their critical habitats

Tactics

• Legally protect endangered species

• Manage habitat

• Propagate endangered species in captivity

• Reintroduce species into suitable habitats

Goal

Protect populations ofspecies in their naturalhabitats

Strategy

Preserve sufficient areasof habitats in differentbiomes and aquaticsystems

Tactics

• Protect habitat areas through government action

• Eliminate or reduce populations of alien species from protected areas

• Manage protected areas to sustain native species

• Restore degraded ecosystems

Preserving Endangered Species• Preservation approaches:

• habitat restoration

• pristine restoration

• removal of introduced species

Conserving Whole EcosystemsIsolated patches of habitat lose species much more rapidly than large

areas:

• Mega-reserves are large areas of land that contain a core of one or more undisturbed habitats.

• focus on preserving intact ecosystems

Which species are most vulnerable? - Vulnerability of species affected by …

Numbers – low numbers = automatic risk

• MVP = minimum viable population the smallest number of individuals necessary to ensure the survival of a population in a region for a specified timer period

• Time range typically 10-100 years• Most indications are that a few thousand individuals is the

MVP if time span is > 10 years

• Reproductive potential – if low = vulnerable• Reproductive behaviors – how complex, picky, …

Examples for rare fruit crops in Egypt

Succary orange

Roumy Ahmer - FayomiBez El-Anzza

Annona reticulata

Statistical document of Pear in Egypt

year Total area

198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000

77308914757352904761499828582462230811241277638

On farm conservation

Definition

On-farm conservation is the sustainable maintenance of landraces and obsolete cultivars (lines,populations) by growing them in conformity with environmental conditions; additionally, using growing technologies close to the conditions under which these materials had originated and evolved.

This dynamic conservation enables the development and evolutionary continuation of materials under the influence of the regional environment and the technologies used.

Main aim - keeping specific and rare plant species, which grow on this area. - Consumption and cash income are not priority of using this

resource.

Types of protection• Types of protection- Small or large tunnels, with a wooden,

bamboo or steel construction- Open air farm

•

Growing conditions

Landraces and obsolete cultivars should be grown under conditions similar to the original ones. It is important to avoid selection pressures resulting in genetic drift. Farmers running on-farm conservation should grow landraces in smaller fields and carefully use mechanization which does not affect selection (e.g. does not prefer rounded or larger seeds).

Restoration of fruit tree diversity through preservation of old homestead orchards has thus far been limited to small-scale grassroots effort. The success of these efforts has been limited because

- The lack of people skilled in grafting, and the difficulties associated with identifying homestead trees.

- While well-known varieties like Balady orange can effectively be field-identified with the presence of fruit, many old trees no longer produce fruit annually, some varieties are nearly identical vegetatively, and other varieties lack written descriptions to aid in identification.

- Genetic analysis using simple sequence repeats is a potential solution that has already been used in a limited way to successfully identify cultivars.

.

Strategies for protection: • Collection, storage, and propagation of rare plants.• Reintroduce of rare and endangered plants to native habitat• Monitoring of rare plant populations throughout Egypt.• Conservation research of rare species native to Egypt. • Training of students and volunteers to be involved in all aspects of the

program.• Membership in a national network of institutions working to preserve

biological diversity .• Creating educational materials and activities.

Field collecting from homestead orchards • A multi step process is required for collecting cuttings or “scions” from

homestead orchards for propagation in a conservation orchard. These include identifying target trees during fruiting season, collecting scion wood during the dormant season, and grafting them onto rootstock in the spring. Keeping track of work through detailed field notes is essential, and should at a minimum include the following:

1. Collection site: the name of the location of the collection site, including map if available.

2. Elevation of collection site.

3. Physical characteristics of the site, including slope, aspect,

soil type, current management practices if any, and access to

water.

4. Estimated age of the original trees by oral history or by

inference.

5. Field descriptions of varieties: traits that distinguish species and

varieties; tree morphology and fruit characteristics such as size,

shape, texture, color, and flavor.

6. Additional, site-specific field notes from interviews and

observations.

Conservation Measures

Improvement of the heredity of trees and proper adoption of breeding techniques.-- Implementation of educational programmes to promote the knowledge of conservation and preservation of wildlife (including flora) should be done through literatures, scientific exhibitions, audio‑visual aids and conferences stressing upon environmental conservation

28Maintenance of the integrity of the habitat and improvement of habitat in productivity and quality for the desired species to grow and reproduce well.

Increasing scientific, political, and legal concern about the loss of biodiversity and protecting species from extinction. This concern is manifested in a number of legislative efforts to protect species, many of which have focused on protecting plant species.

Five general recommendations for improving the protection of rare plants throughout the country: • (1) encourage interdisciplinary communication and cooperation, • (2) increase funding for rare plant research and conservation

efforts • (3) strengthen existing legal protection and enforcement

mechanisms • (4) maintain a dual focus of habitat protection and single-species

approaches to conservation, and• (5) increase awareness of rare plant issues , it is necessary to

educate the public about the general importance of plants and encourage voluntary cooperation with conservation efforts.

• Moreover,One of the biggest problem is of course financing problem, in Park there are not enough professional equipment (e.g. GPS) and modern geographic information system, old database).