In situ/On farm Conservation and Use of Agricultural Biodiversity

(Horticultural Crops and Wild Fruit Species) in Central Asia

Muhabbat Turdieva, Bioversity Internationalm.turdieva@cgiar.org

Central Asia

Total area – 3,990,800 sq.km. Population – 65,6 mln. people

Centre of Agrobiodiversity

The Region by N.I. Vavilov is one of centres of origin and domestication of globally important crops and is a home for more than 8,100 plants:- Cereals- Vegetables- Forages- Fruit trees

On farm:•Replacement of local varieties with uniform commercial ones;•Large mechanization and production system intensification;•Poor seed production and supply systems.

Threats

In situ:•Deforestation-Over-exploitation of forest resources;-Over grazing;-Transformation of forest to agricultural lands;-Construction of roads, urbanization, etc.

Partner CountriesPartner Countries

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,

Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan

National partner institutionsNational partner institutions• Kazakhstan – Academy of Agricultural

Sciences• Kyrgyzstan – Innovation Centre of

Phytotechnologies of Academy of Sciences

• Tajikistan – Research Institute of Horticulture

• Turkmenistan – Academy of Sciences• Uzbekistan – Institute of Genetics and

Plant Experimental Biology

Bioversity International/GEF Regional Project “In situ/On farm Conservation and Use of Agricultural Biodiversity (Horticultural Crops and Wild Fruit Species) in Central Asia” (2006-2013)

Target Fruit Crops

• Apple

• Apricot

• Almond

• Grapevine

• Pear

• Pistachio

• Pomegranate

• Fig

• Walnut

• Mulberry

• Sea-buckthorn & Currant

Distribution and Diversity Level

•Walnut (Juglans regia) – 22

•Pistachio (Pistacia vera) – 44

•Apple (Malus spp.) – 17

Diversity level (in situ) – 132 promising forms

Diversity level (on farm):

•Apple – 239

•Apricot – 103

•Grapevine - 158

•Pear – 59

•Pomegranate –35

Distribution and Diversity Level

Аk pisharАk shirpayvandi Bodomak Yaltirok

Hasaki Childona

Shirin jaupazak

Yupkapuchak

PahpahaКормовой поздний

Karsildok

Local diversity of apricot

ShoftolisimonBodomcha

Local fruit trees diversity in North Uzbekistan

Crop Number of varieties

Salinity tolerant

Heat tolerant

Drought resistant

Salinity and drought resistant

Winter tolerant

Long shelf life of fruits

Resistant to late spring frosts

Apricot 36 13 20 13 7 15 12

Apple 21 7 4 6 6 8 4

Pear 11 4 3 5 3

Pomegranate 6 1 0 1

Grape 9 4 0 4 2

Total 83 29 27 23 13 28 10 12

Richness (number) of Fruit tree varieties in Central Asia (5 countries)

Log (average no. of trees grown at household)

Lo

g (

vari

ety

rich

nes

s)

Kazakhstan – 14 Kyrgyzstan -7

Tajikistan – 11 Turkmenistan – 10

Uzbekistan - 16

Conserved diversity (on farm)58 nurseries (1,500, 000 saplings annually)

72 demonstration plots in farmers’ orchards (430 local varieties)

•Kazakhstan – 14 Kyrgyzstan -7

•Tajikistan -18 Turkmenistan – 11

•Uzbekistan - 22

Conserved diversity (on farm)

•Government Programme on Horticulture and Viticulture Development in Uzbekistan

•Government’s subsidies for establishment of orchards and fruit tree nurseries development in Kazakhstan

Conserved on farm

• National Law “Conservation and sustainable use of crop genetic resources” in Tajikistan

Conserved diversity (in situ)

•Proposals on establishment of new and extension of existing protected areas to cover wild relatives of fruit and nut-bearing crops by in situ conservation actions (Jongar-Alatau State National Nature Park, Surmatash State Reserve)

•Wild fruit and nut-bearing species are included in the List of Valuable Wood Species of National Forest Codes

Crop DL No. Socio-Econ DL No.Apple 168 Household 9Apricot 131 HR 29Grape 145 Environment 17Pear 151 Economic 51Pistachio 115 Social 27Walnut 132 Management 125Almond 126 Total 258Pomegranate 115Currant 106Mulberry 62Peach 126Plum 109Seabuckthorn 85Total 1571

->Half a million records- 2,943 crop morphology

and characterization records

Increased knowledge

• More than 60 Guidelines and Manuals are produced

• Over 100 research papers are published

Farmers’ Rights:

•Register of local varieties of fruit and nut-bearing crops and farmers-custodians of these varieties in all five countries to protect Farmers’ Rights

•Proposal on patenting farmers’ varieties of fruit crops in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan

•Farmers’ varieties of grapevine Shohona and apricot Nishoni have been submitted to the State Committee of Crop Varieties Testing in Tajikistan for certification

Increased knowledge

Model Agreements:

•MTA on planting material and germplasm of local varieties of fruit crops maintained in demonstration plots and nurseries

•Prior Informed Consent (PIC)

•Agreement on Information Access and Exchange

Guidelines: Access and sharing benefits in research projects

Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)

66% of the land area of Kazakhstan, 97% of Tajikistan, and 80% of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and 90% in Kyrgyzstan is degradated

(Central Asia – Atlas of Natural Resources)

Mainstreaming fruit trees diversity

Shifting from livestock to horticulture using local drought and frost resistant apple varieties (Farmer Norkushakov, Uzbekistan)

Some examples of using locally adapted traditional temperate fruit tree varieties to restore degraded lands

Farmer Hasanova applies management practices in her wild pistachio plot and gets sustainable yield of pistachio nuts. This allowed her to build a new house.

Some examples of using locally adapted traditional temperate fruit tree varieties to restore degraded lands

Before

AfterPhoto: Bioversity International/P. Quek

Local varieties of apple adapted to drought and frost are used by farmer Sharsheeva in Kyrgyzstan

Some examples of using locally adapted traditional temperate fruit tree varieties to restore degraded lands

www.bioversityinternational.org

Thank youMuhabbat Turdieva, Bioversity International

m.turdieva@cgiar.org