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| Bean borloto cultivar. |
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| Seed diversity for etenity |
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| Different chayote cultivars. |
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| Wheat field |
Plant
Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA) is very important to both
human, animals, insect’s pests and pathogens for survival and to maintain
ecological balances. Each organism requires these resources to play their roles
and parts in making services well to every environmental system. Crop genetic
diversity especially the domesticated one play vital role in human nutritional
supplement and other socio-economic dimensional role.
Outlines of this topic: Importance
of crop diversity
1
Contributes to nutritional supplement and climate change mitigation measures
2
Cultural and religious significant
3
Study and education purposes,
4
Breeding materials
Crop
genetic diversity contains various constituents of nutrient and active chemical
compounds which are useful for body health and curable medicines for diseases.
It can be useful like herbal medicines if we study and extract certain valuable
compounds. Crops genetic resources can be use as plant based diets rich in
minerals, proteins, vitamins, fibers, iron and etc. So, therefore, it is a
source of valuable nutrients which we all should grow and cherished.
The
world is witnessing ever increasing global temperature resulting global warming
and climate change. Crop which is locally adapted to grow and cultivable is not
anymore growing and instead unwanted crops cultivars and weeds dominates those
areas of fertile lands. Drying of water
source, flood, landslides, rising sea level, soil salinity, desertification and
drought are not uncommon to see and this really burdens our farmers and general
public which ultimately posing threat to food security. That is why we really need
to grow all types of crops irrespective of yield, production and nutrient content
value. Because if one crops fails to grow means other will replace and acts as
coping mechanism under such circumstances. Farmers and growers not necessary requires
to cultivate in large areas of all crops because its difficult due to labor and
cost intensive, land fragmentation, and resources constraint. They just need to
save seeds by growing all crops in small patch of land besides growing staple
crops in larger area. This methods and
techniques of cultivation will help conserve and save seeds which they can use
during time of extreme requirements.
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| Some example of Drunaghu |
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| Seed germination test in field methods |
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| Seed germination test using paper towel methods |
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| Seed samples of vigna and legume family |
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| Chili cultivars |
In
India, an especially rural farmer they at one point of time stopped growing
crop diversity and went for mono cropping- one case is cotton cultivation. Farmers cultivate huge area of cotton because
of ready market. They bought insecticides, pesticides from the company through
loan and it worked for certain years because of good yield and production. With
the passage of time, cotton plant started infested with pests and diseases –
with no time spreads to all cotton plants. Farmers got really worried for being
unable to repay loans and burden of having no other seeds to cultivate and family
food crises results suicidal case by taking insecticides and pesticides as last
remedy. These cases depict importance of crop diversity and seeds conservation.
This is why very important to cultivate diverse crops and save seeds for future
and for eternity.
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| Interns conducting petri-dish methods of germination test |
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| Cucumber plant, example of field gene bank |
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| Beautiful Pumkin plant with flower blossoming |
In
Bhutan, we have nine traditional crop varieties which we called (Drunaghu), such
as Paddy, Maize, Buckwheat, Finger millet, Amaranth, Vigna, Wheat, Barley and
Mustard. This nine traditional crop varieties were require during ritual like
Rimdro, (ritual performing for avoiding misfortunes) and Zhudry Phuensum Tshopa, ( Offering of various
items before starting important session) ( ZPT) . I had seen especially vigna species were
served during ZPT ceremony.Therefore, cereal crops diversity contribute to
culture and religious purposes which has been a practice from our fore-father
times.
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| Paper towel method of germination test |
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| Maize plant weeding with happy man |
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| Mustard green really juicy |
Crop
diversity or crop genetic resources also serve as educational and research
purpose to your younger generation in case they wants to carry out some research of any topics. Such
diversity can also make people understand value of crop conservation and their
role to environment and ecosystem. Say supposes if students wants to do small assignment
on conducting germination test of rice under different media and methods for
biology subject. They can refer those seeds and conduct prior to objectives
they set. This kind of avenues serves as educational purposes to all students.
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| Banana plant |
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| Hybred papaya plant |
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| Foxtail millet |
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| Foxtail millet head really beautiful and giant |
Plant
breeders can take stock seeds as their materials and can breeds with other
materials to produce high yielding varieties. Even if they wanted to conduct
characterization and evaluation of different crops- those conserved and saved
diversity of seeds can serve purpose of breeding material.
Methods of crop diversity
conservation
There
are many approaches or methods of conserving seeds and they were in the
following ways:
·
Insi-tu conservation/Onfarm conservation
·
Excitu- conservation
·
In-vitro and in-vivo techniques
·
Crop –cryo-preservation
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| Maize field and vegetable garden |
The
In-situ conservation of crops means conserving seeds through cultivating in the
field of their adaptation in particular area. For example, farmer’s cultivation
of rice in their patch of land. This method contributes to seed saving and
conservation of materials which they can use all year round.
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| Lab lab bean blooming |
The
ex-situ conservation means conservation of seeds outside their natural habitat
or actual growing fields through seeds banking and other means of conservation.
In-vitro
techniques is conserving seeds/planting materials inside tubes in controlled
environment under aseptic condition though tissue culture techniques and usage
of different media and plant hormones. But this condition can take only parts
of shoots or body especially callus as explants in case of plants. This way can
also conserve seeds through multiplication and sub-culture for sustainable
utilization
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| Example of tissue culture techniques |
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| Example of seed banking in vertical deep freezer |
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| Seed banking in horizontal deep freezer |
In-vivo
techniques means conserving whole body of plant or animals in particular environment
under ambient condition. In plant and crops, one can cultivate in one patch of
land like garden. Researchers often called as field gene bank where planting
materials were cultivate in one field for conservation and sustainable
utilization.
Crop-cryo preservation techniques is methods where ex-plants or potential plant parts were kept under -196 degree Celsius in liquid nitrogen for conservation and sustainable utilization. There are several modes of techniques involved in Cryo-preservation i.e vitrification, encapsulation and usage of cryo-protect ant. Meanwhile, diversity of any materials is vital in order to meet uncertain conditions of environmental, ecological and ever increasing anthropological behaviors.
