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It is a distressing truism that the human race during the last millennium has caused the exponential loss of plant genetic diversity throughout the world. This has had direct and negative economic, political and social consequences for the human race, which at the same time has failed to exploit fully the positive benefits that might result from conserving and exploiting the world's plant genetic resources. However, a strong movement to halt this loss of plant diversity and enhance its utilisation for the benefit of all humanity has been underway since the 1960's (Frankel and Bennett, 1970; Frankel and Hawkes, 1975). This initiative was taken up by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, 1992) that not only expounds the need to conserve biological diversity but links conservation to exploitation and development for the benefit of all. Article 8 of the Convention clearly states the need to develop more effective and efficient guidelines to conserve biological diversity, while Article 9, along with the FAO International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources, promotes the adoption of a complementary approach to conservation that incorporates both ex situ and in situ techniques.
E-Book Content
The Ex Situ Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources
The Ex Situ Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources by
J.G. Hawkes, N. Maxted and B.V. Ford-Lloyd The University
0/ Birmingham, u.K.
SPRINGER SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, B.V.
A C.I.P. Catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-94-010-5805-6 ISBN 978-94-011-4136-9 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-94-011-4136-9
Printed on acid-free paper
All Rights Reserved © 2000 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 2000 Softcover reprint ofthe hardcover I st edition 2000 No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner.
We dedicate this book to
the late
Sir Otto Frankel
of Canberra, Australia
who did more than anyone else, apart from N.I. Vavilov, to develop the Science of Genetic Resources
and who died on 21st November 1998 in his 98th year.
Contents Preface Acronyms and Abbreviations Figures, Plates, Tables and Appendices Color Plates
xi xiii xv xix
1
The Genetic Resources of Plants and Their Value 1.1 The Biodiversity Challenge 1.2 The Definition of Biodiversity 1.3 Plant Genetic Resources 1.4 The Need to Conserve Botanical Diversity 1.5 The Causes of Plant Genetic Diversity Loss 1.6 The Conservation / Development Paradox 1.7 The Exploitation of Plant Diversity in Crops 1.8 The Practice of Conservation 1.9 The Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Ex Situ Techniques 1.10 Complementary Conservation Strategies
1 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 13 16
2
Evolution of Plants Under Domestication 2.1 Plants: Cultivated and Wild 2.2 Genetic Changes During Domestication 2.3 Alphonse de Candolle's Views on Cultivated Plant Origins 2.4 Darwin's Views on Plant Domestication 2.5 The Ecological Background of Plant Domestication 2.6 N.!. Vavilov's Centres of Crop Origins and Diversity
19 19 19 20 20 21 28
3
The Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Movement 3.1 Ethical and Conservation 3.2 A Brief History of Plant Genetic Conservation and Use 3.3 Critical Issues for Contemporary Plant Genetic Resources
32 32 33 39
4
Preparing To Collect For Ex Situ Conservation 4.1 Conservation Project Commission 4.2 Selection of Target Areas 4.3 Selection of Target Species 4.4 Ecogeograph