Importance of Crop Genetic Diversity conservation and sustainable utilization

Bean borloto cultivar.

Seed diversity for etenity

Different chayote cultivars.

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.

Some example of Drunaghu

Seed germination test in field methods

Seed germination test using paper towel methods

Seed samples of vigna  and legume family

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.

 

Interns conducting petri-dish methods of germination test

Cucumber plant, example of field gene bank

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.

 

Paper towel method of germination test 

Maize plant weeding with happy man

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.

Banana plant

Hybred papaya plant

Foxtail millet

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

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.

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

Example of tissue culture techniques

Example of seed banking in vertical deep freezer

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.