Italy: First Steps to Be Taken
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The National Crop Wild Relative Strategy for Italy: First Steps To Be Taken PGR Secure The National Crop Wild Relative Strategy for Italy: First Steps To Be Taken * Panella L. 1, Landucci S. 12, Torricelli R. 1, Gigante D. 13, Donnini D. 1, Venanzoni R.13 and V. Negri1 1 Department of Agricultural, Nutritional and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy 2 Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlárská 2, Brno 61137 (present address) 3 Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, via Elce di Sotto 8, 06123 Perugia, Italy (present address) * Largely based on Landucci et al. (2014). A prioritized inventory of crop wild relatives and harvested plants of Italy. Crop Science. doi: 10.2135/cropsci2013.05.0355. Index 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................. 4 1.1 DEFINITION OF A CROP WILD RELATIVE ....................................................................................................... 4 1.2 CROP WILD RELATIVE CONSERVATION AND INTERNATIONAL TREATIES .............................................. 4 1.3 ITALIAN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLANT CONSERVATION STRATEGIES .............................................. 5 1.4 GENETIC RESOURCES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN BASIN AND OF ITALY .................................................. 6 1.5 ITALIAN PROTECTED AREAS AND SPECIES ...................................................................................................... 6 2. ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT FOR DRAFTING THE FIRST STEPS TOWARDS AN ITALIAN CWR CONSERVATION STRATEGY ................................................................................................................ 7 2. 1THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WORKING DATABASE OF THE ITALIAN VASCULAR PLANTS .................. 8 2.2 THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHECKLIST OF ITALIAN CWR/WHP ................................................................... 9 2.3 THE CHECKLIST PRIORITIZATION .................................................................................................................... 9 2.4 THE GAP ANALYSIS CASE STUDY ..................................................................................................................... 10 2.4.1 IN SITU GAP ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................................................................ 11 2.4.2 EX SITU VERSUS IN SITU GAP ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................................... 12 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................................ 12 3.1 THE WORKING DATABASE OF THE ITALIAN VASCULAR PLANTS............................................................. 12 3.2 THE CWR/WHP LIST ....................................................................................................................................... 12 3.3 THE CWR/WHP PRIORITY LIST .................................................................................................................... 13 3.4 THE GAP ANALYSIS RESULTS ........................................................................................................................... 13 4. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A CWR CONSERVATION STRATEGY IN ITALY ......................................................................................................................................... 14 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................................... 15 APPENDIX 1. LIST OF ITALIAN CWR/WHP TAXA WITH THE HIGHEST CONSERVATION PRIORITY ................................................................................................................................................................ 19 The National Crop Wild Relative Strategy for Italy: First Steps To Be Taken 1. Introduction 1.1 Definition of a Crop Wild Relative Crop plants are any plant species cultivated as food, medicinal, ornamental, forestry, fodder and forage species. The level of relatedness between a certain Crop Wild Relative (CWR) and a cultivated taxon influences its actual and potential use in breeding. Harlan and de Wet (1971) proposed the “gene pool concept” based on the possible breeding relationships among taxa. They identified a primary gene pool (GP1), which includes the crop and all the closely related taxa, able to freely interbreed with the crop and give rise to fully fertile progenies and which is subdivided in GP1A (cultivated form) and GP1B (wild or weedy forms of the crop), a GP2, which includes taxa more remotely related to the crop, but still capable of crossing with it and producing some fertile hybrids, and a GP3, which includes taxa remotely related to the crop and naturally incapable of interbreeding with the crop. Commonly taxa belonging to GP1 and GP2 should be considered priority CWR, along with those that have been previously used as gene donors from the tertiary gene pool (Maxted and Kell, 2009). However, since the breeding relationships with a crop have not yet been defined for the majority of the wild species complexes, Maxted et al. (2006) pragmatically proposed the concept of “taxon group”, where the degree of relatedness among crops and all taxa belonging to the same species; TG2 includes taxa belonging to the same series of sections the crop; TG3 includes taxa belonging to the same subgenus as the crop; TG4 includes taxa belonging to the same genus as the crop; TG5 includes taxa belonging to the same tribe as the crop, but to a different genus. Only taxa included in TGs 1 to 4 should be considered CWR sensu lato. CWR species are important genetic resources. These resources have potential in future food security by providing genetic variability and material for plant breeding and therefore enhancing agricultural production for the growing world population. These new varieties may turn out to be instrumental in allowing the crops to survive in the new environmental conditions resulting from climate change. 1.2 Crop Wild Relative conservation and international treaties Since CWR are valuable wild species, which are usually not yet included in conservation programs and are often growing in threatened habitats, they require urgent conservation action. The need to conserve CWR species has been identified by policymakers. CWR are now included in several international treaties, such as the European Strategy for Plant Conservation (Planta Europa, 2008), the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (CBD, 2010a), CBD Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 (CBD, 2010b), and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (FAO, 2001). However, practical conservation actions are still largely lacking. The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) includes 16 global targets set for 2020. Most relevant to this CWR strategy are following: (Target 7) ‘at least 75 per cent of known threatened PGR Secure The National Crop Wild Relative Strategy for Italy: First Steps To Be Taken plant species conserved in situ’; (Target 8) ‘at least 75 per cent of threatened plant species in ex situ collections, preferably in the country of origin, and at least 20 percent available for recovery and restoration programmes’; (Target 9) ‘70 per cent of the genetic diversity of crops including their wild relatives and other socio-economically valuable plant species conserved, while respecting, preserving and maintaining associated indigenous and local knowledge’ (CBD, 2010a). The European Strategy for Plant Conservation 2008-2014 (ESPC) similarly recognized the importance of CWR conservation as follows: (Target 7.1) ‘60 per cent of species of European conservation priority plant and fungal species, including crop wild relatives, conserved in situ by 2014 through the implementation of national strategies for conserving priority species’; (Target 7.2) ‘develop database of plant micro-reserves, genetic reserves for crop wild relatives, and where relevant other small in situ protected areas’; (Target 9.1) ‘establishment of 25 European crop wild relative genetic reserves covering the major hotspots of species and genetic diversity’ (Planta Europa, 2008). The CWR strategy document aims to establish the Italian CWR checklist and priority list and make suggestions/provide solutions for CWR in situ and ex situ conservation in Italy. Data collected at present cannot answer the ESPC target of proposing genetic reserve sites for CWR in situ conservation. 1.3 Italian implementation of the plant conservation strategies The Italian Guidelines for the Conservation and Characterization of Plant, Animal and Microbial Italian Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture were recently published under the aegis of the Ministry of Policies for Agriculture, Food and Forestry Resources (and also submitted in summary to the International Treaty for the implementation of Article 6) (see http://www.reterurale.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/9580). All Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) (i.e. CWR included) are mentioned, but Landraces (LR) are the main focus, because in Italy wild taxa, like CWR, are under the aegis of the Ministry of the Environment and Safeguard of the Territory and the Sea. Conservation activities of wild plant taxa are pragmatically