Directions, Opportunity & Plans - (農業試驗所特刊第128號)The Conservation and Utilization of Tropica

Directions

PCARRD crafted the Integrated S&T Agenda for 2006–2010 that will set the direction of S

& T activities and investment patterns in the next four years. The PCARRD S&T Agenda includes enhancing conservation and improvement of PGR among the priority R&D agenda to address the following thematic areas: natural resource management and sustainable development, poverty alleviation, frontier and cutting edge science, and food security.

Specific R&D areas include germplasm collecting, conservation and maintenance; varietal improvement; and development of new varieties through molecular studies and genetic engineering. These R&D areas will focus on the specific crops and products (Table 2). These crops include the following: Export fruit crops – mango, banana, papaya, pineapple, pili, durian, jackfruit, pomelo; Vegetables; Root crops – yam, sweet potato, cassava; Industrial crops – coffee, abaca, rubber; Coconut and oil palm; Ornamental plants; and Sugarcane.

Opportunities & Plans

Genebanks, the enabling policies and laws, the farmers’ action on conserving and using diversity and the farm production technologies that they adopt, as well as the consumers’ choices for diversity in their food provide opportunities for securing food in the future. The strategies for PGR conservation and utilization will depend on the choice of the country and responsible institution. Major considerations for decision-making are usually resources, limitations, and capabilities. Funds for genebank maintenance are very limited. Each institution has to prioritize projects, define roles and deliverables.

The decision on what crops to collect and conserve, and how to conserve them takes into consideration the national importance of the crops in terms of comparative advantage and importance of collection; vulnerability or threat of genetic erosion to ex-situ collection, and the need for utilization and crop improvement. To cite an opportunity for such decision-making process, was a collaborative undertaking through RECSEA-PGR, wherein prioritization was done in 2005 involving 13 crops; the crops were ranked using the following as indicators of importance:

the country is a primary or secondary center of diversity for the crop, food security (it is a staple crop), agricultural development (it is a source of livelihood), income generation (it is an export or industrial crop). That process resulted in the following prioritization: rice, mango, coconut, banana, sweet potato, cassava, yam, potato, citrus, Brassica, beans, peas, and breadfruit.

In the case of field genebanks, a long-term option for some collections is to keep all materials and not focus on traditional varieties or those collected from the field. This means including traditional varieties, breeding lines, wild relatives, and obsolete varieties.

In database development and management, whatever database will be established and used should be able to synchronize or be consistent with regional and global databases.

To address the aforementioned needs, problems and issues facing PGR conservation and utilization and take advantage of favorable opportunities, some activities will be more vigorously pursued with concerted effort of key players, stakeholders and resource users. Following are future activities cited by Catibog (2006), the Philippine Country Report to the ICPGR, DENR (2005), and those raised by PGR experts and stakeholders in recent fora:

To enhance PGR management and capability building, a strong national PGR program will be developed that would harmonize the efforts of stakeholders from public and private sectors, and a coordinated networking system will be established and promoted. Cold storage facilities will be rehabilitated and upgraded. Education and formal training of PGR workers will be expanded and improved. Information exchange regarding PGR between the agriculture and natural resources sectors will be enhanced. Standard descriptors and appropriate characterization paraphernalia, such as refractometers and color charts, will be provided to germplasm-holding institutions. Consultations with stakeholders, non-degree trainings/workshops on PGR conservation, and IEC campaign promoting PGR activities as well as the importance and value of PGR conservation to increase public awareness will be continuing activities.

Packaging of focused project proposals for funding through the Global Crop Diversity Trust and other donors will be done. Product development would add value to PGR conservation through utilization. PGR research will focus on regeneration of accessions of low viability;

development and utilization of standard documentation system for germplasm collections;

promotion of the utilization of outstanding genotypes from genebanks; germplasm utilization through biotechnology; identification and utilization of potential wild and endangered species;

further evaluation of the germplasm collections with respect to pest and disease reactions, biotic and abiotic stresses, and product quality; re-introduction of propagated endemic and rare plants;

landscape approach to investigate interactions of natural, socio-economic and cultural

components of the ecosystem (spanning upland an lowland terrestrial ecosystems) to provide holistic analysis on effects to PGR diversity; development/promotion of informal systems of PGR conservation involving individual farmers, households and select groups to complement formal institutional conservation efforts; and farmer-participatory research.

The following table is R&D agenda: enhancing conservation and improvement of PGR.

Table 2. Priority R&D agenda, crops and products relevant to PGR conservation and utilization (2006-2010).

Crop Product R&D Area Thematic Area

Exportable Fruit Crops

Mango Fresh fruits Germplasm collection, conservation and maintenance

Pineapple Fresh fruits Germplasm conservation and maintenance

Natural resources