Introduction

1. Seminar Conservation and Protection of Local Plants 20th October, 2015 Plant Health DirectorateLocal varieties of agricultural plants and their crop wild relatives - their importance and useMario Cardona (Scientist – SPMU)

2. Introduction • “The Study and Sustainable Conservation of Varieties of Local Plants” • The scope of the project is to study with the aim to conserve plant genetic resources for food and agriculture by conserving local plant genetic resources which are under threat. • The local landraces and crop wild relatives of the following sixteen crops were studied in the project: • These include a variety of cereals, fodder, and vegetable crops: tomato, onion, cauliflower, cabbage, kohlrabi, squash, courgette, sulla, wheat, “żożfa”, “ċikkarda”, cotton, caterpillar plant, cumin, chickpea, and orange carthamus.

3. Local Varieties of Agricultural Plants Definition A crop landrace is a traditional, locally adapted crop variety that is the result of the combined selection actions by man and nature. • Selection by man (farmer/grower) -selecting the variety that has the most desirable characteristics • e.g. a variety that produces more fruit or has better disease resistance. • Natural selection is done by local conditions such as climate and soil - the plants that were more suitably adapted to those conditions had a better chance of survival.

4. Importance and uses of crop landraces • Crop landraces are important as a crop in general - cultivated plant species that have socio-economic importance, providing food, livestock fodder, and raw materials for the manufacturing industry. • Genetic resource as a source of genetic material that is used in agricultural research and development. • Crop improvement increases agricultural production in terms of yield and quality thus helping in increasing food security, as the world faces a continual need to increase production. • E.g. Crop varieties that are more adapted to changing environmental and biological challenges such as difficult growing conditions and diseases.

5. Importance and uses of crop landraces • Importance in low input agricultural production systems - are ideal for such production systems since they are adapted to the local environmental and climatic conditions. • Adaptation to the local cultivation practices through selection by the growers - makes them ideal for sustainable agricultural systems which make less negative pressure on the environment. • Crop landraces are also grown for their particular flavour, characteristics related to their production such as harvest time and disease resistance, and cultural or personal reasons. • There is a close link between the local territory as well as community and a product made from a crop landrace - a source of typical product and high quality production. This is a very good niche market opportunity for cultivating the crop landraces. • Crop landraces and the indigenous knowledge about them form part of the local cultural heritage.

6. Local Varieties of Agricultural Plants • Study and conservation of local landraces and varieties of agricultural plants and vegetables • Action 2 “Exploration and documentation of local landraces and varieties of agricultural plants and vegetables” • Action 3 “Collection of knowledge and plant material, technical examination and conservation of plant material”

7. Study and Research Process Identification In this research, thorough literature review was carried out for the identification of local crop landraces of the crops studied by reviewing of all available information and publications including what other countries are doing on this matter. E.g. Global Crop Diversity Trust, Bioversity International. Localisation After that the local crop landraces had been identified, the next step was to do research for their localisation in the local territory.

8. Study and Research Process Surveying • Research for the best methodology for the exploration of the local territory for local crop landraces was carried out. The most relevant method found was to perform ecogeographic surveys, through which information about the crop landraces studied, and their geographic distribution in the local territory is collected. • Information was collected in the form of descriptor sheets which were created for this purpose. • The descriptors are; Inventory Identification, Taxon Identification, Landrace/Population Identification, Site/Location Identification, The Farmer/Maintainer, The Landrace, and Conservation and Monitoring.

9. Study and Research Process Collection of indigenous knowledge • About the specific local varieties, such as origin, properties, advantages of use, and market situation - from the growers, and other persons who are involved in the local agricultural sector, such as traders, retired farmers, relatives of growers. Inventorying • A way of storing information, with the inventory containing the data gathered through literature review; mainly the taxon information, and the data collected during the ecogeographic surveys; information about the population, site, farmer, landrace, conservation and monitoring. Sampling and collection • A strategic activity to improve the ex situ representation in germplasm collections – collection of seeds of the local crop landraces studied in the project was done for their ex situ conservation and cultivation in the preservation garden.

10. Study and Research Process • Technical examination of the collected seeds by performing quality tests - purity and viability • Preliminary morphological characterisation of the crop landraces - description of plant germplasm • Research and collection of information about the regeneration of the conserved germplasm.

11. Examples of local varieties of crops Basal aħmarTadamċattQara’ bagħlitond

12. Crop Wild Relatives Definition • “Crop wild relatives are wild species closely related to common food crops. These wild cousins of crops are vital to food security because they contain greater amounts of genetic diversity, making them more resilient in the face of climate change, pests and diseases and other new threats.” (Kew Royal Botanic Gardens)

13. Importance and Uses of Crop Wild Relatives • Crop wild relatives are important socio-economic resources as they are related to crops and are used in agricultural R &D. • Crop wild relatives are used as genetic resources to improve crops as they have the ability to exchange genes with the crops themselves. • An example of the use of crop wild relatives as genetic resources is the production of varieties of crops which are more adapted to changing environmental and biological challenges such as difficult growing conditions and diseases. • This can be exemplified by the use of crop wild relatives used to breed drought and salinity tolerance in barley.

14. Importance and Uses of Crop Wild Relatives • Crop wild relatives are also important in maintaining the environment as they are components of natural and agricultural ecosystems, essential in maintaining good ecosystem health. • Many of these plants themselves have also food and agricultural importance as they are a source of food harvested directly from the wild and as a forage source for livestock production. • Some of these plants are also considered as a safety net when food is scarce and they may also have cultural roles in local communities.

15. Crop Wild Relatives • Action 4 of the project “Exploration, documentation, collection and ex situ conservation of local crop wild relatives”.

16. Study and Research Process Li Literature review • Important as this was new work for Malta and research about what is done on an international level was carried out. E.g. Crop Wild Relative Specialist Group, Bioversity international. Identification • Identification of the local cop wild relatives of the crops studied was done through literature review. Localisation • After that the local crop wild relatives had been identified, the next step was to do research for their localisation in the local territory through literature review.

17. Study and Research Process Surveying • Exploration of the local territory for local crop wild relatives – by carrying out ecogeographic surveys, through which information about the local crop wild relatives studied, their geographic distribution in the local territory and the ecosystems in which they grow is collected. • Creation of templates with descriptors- taxon, site, and population that were used during the surveys to collect such information.

18. Study and Research Process • Visits to locations cited in the literature where these relatives are present locally; • Confirmation that these plants are present and location on the maps; • Take photos of each plant at various growth stages; • Collect plant parts for ex situ conservation and growing in the preservation garden;

19. Study and Research Process Inventorying • A way of storing information, with the inventory containing the data gathered through literature review; mainly the taxon information, and the data collected during the ecogeographic surveys; information about the population, site, farmer, landrace, conservation and monitoring. Sampling and collection • A strategic activity to improve the ex situ representation in germplasm collections – collection of seeds of the local crop landraces studied in the project was done for their ex situ conservation and cultivation in the preservation garden.

20. Examples of local crop wild relatives Tomato: Solanumvillosum (L.) Mill.; Red fruited nightshade; Għeneb id-Dib Onion: AlliumcommutatumGuss.; Wild leek; Kurratsalvaġġ Cumin:DaucuscarotaL.; Wild carrot; Zunnarijasalvaġġa

21. Thank you for your attention