Proceedings of the IPGRI International Workshop on Oregano 8-12 May 1996
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Proceedings of the IPGRI International Workshop on Oregano 8-12 May 1996 CIHEAM, Valenzano, Bari, Italy S. Padulosi, editor ii OREGANO The International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) is an autonomous international scientific organization operating under the aegis of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The international status of IPGRI is conferred under an Establishment Agreement which, by January 1997, had been signed by the Governments of Australia, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, China, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Greece, Guinea, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Slovak Republic, Sudan, Switzerland, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda and Ukraine. IPGRI's mandate is to advance the conservation and use of plant genetic resources for the benefit of present and future generations. IPGRI works in partnership with other organizations, undertaking research, training and the provision of scientific and technical advice and information, and has a particularly strong programme link with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Financial support for the research agenda of IPGRI is provided by the Governments of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the USA, and by the Asian Development Bank, CTA, European Union, IDRC, IFAD, Interamerican Development Bank, UNDP and the World Bank. The geographical designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IPGRI, the CGIAR or IPK concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Similarly, the views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of these participating organizations. The Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) is operated as an independent foundation under public law. The foundation statute assigns to IPK the task of conducting basic research in the area of plant genetics and research on cultivated plants. Citation: Padulosi, S., editor. 1997. Oregano. Promoting the conservation and use of underutilized and neglected crops. 14. Proceedings of the IPGRI International Workshop on Oregano, 8-12 May 1996, CIHEAM, Valenzano (Bari), Italy. Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Gatersleben/International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Rome, Italy. Cover: Photograph courtesy of Claudio Leto, University of Palermo, Italy ISBN 92-9043-317-5 IPGRI IPK Via delle Sette Chiese 142 Corrensstrasse 3 00145 Rome 06466 Gatersleben Italy Germany © International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, 1997 CONTENTS iii Contents Preface v Acknowledgements vii I. Taxonomy, Evolution, Distribution and Origin 1 Taxonomy, diversity and distribution of Origanum species Stella Kokkini 2 II. Conservation 13 Conservation of oregano species in national and international collections: an assessment Patrizia Spada and Pietro Perrino 14 Conservation of Origanum spp. in botanic gardens Etelka Leadley 24 Origanum dictamnus L. and Origanum vulgare L. subsp. hirtum (Link) Ietswaart: Traditional uses and production in Greece Melpomeni Skoula and Sotiris Kamenopoulos 26 III. Biology, Agronomy and Crop Processing 33 Crop domestication and variability within accessions of Origanum genus Giuseppe De Mastro 34 Breeding of Origanum species Chlodwig Franz and Joannes Novak 49 Flower biology in Origanum majorana L. Irene Morone Fortunato and Claudia Ruta 57 Agricultural practices for oregano Vittorio Marzi 61 Bio-agronomical behaviour in Sicilian Origanum ecotypes Claudio Leto and Adele Salamone 68 IV. Cultivation and Use in Europe and Northern Africa 74 Some scientific and practical aspects of production and utilization of oregano in central Europe Jenõ Bernáth 75 Selection work on Origanum vulgare in France B. Pasquier 93 Origanum majorana L. – some experiences from Eastern Germany Karl Hammer and Wolfram Junghanns 99 iv OREGANO Cultivation, selection and conservation of oregano species in Israel Eli Putievsky, Nativ Dudai and Uzi Ravid 102 Experiences with oregano (Origanum spp.) in Slovenia Dea Baricevic 110 Status of cultivation and use of oregano in Turkey Ayse Kitiki 121 Oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) in Albania Lufter Xhuveli and Qani Lipe 132 Short communications 137 V. Marketing and Commercial Production 140 The world market of oregano Gilbert W. Olivier 141 Recent initiatives in the development of medicinal and aromatic plant (MAP) cultivation in Italy Alessandro Bezzi 146 Cultivating oregano in Italy: The case of 'Bioagricola A. Bosco', a Sicilian firm Domenico Chiapparo 150 VI. International Cooperation 152 VII. List of Participants 157 VIII. Useful Bibliography 161 IX. List of Experts 167 X. List of Associations 171 PREFACE v 4VIJEGI Oregano has always played an important role in our daily lives. According to estimates, more than 300 000 tons of oregano are consumed every year in the United States alone. Its flavour is almost irreplaceable in several food preparations (what would pizza be without the typical smell of oregano!). Oregano is used in traditional medicine to treat health disorders and has many other uses (natural insecticide, in land reclamation, etc.). Oregano is still an underutilized species, in the sense that its genetic resources are not properly exploited, as the market concentrates only on a narrow part of its diversity. The reasons for this include the fact that little work has been done so far on its domestication or on crop improvement. Oregano species are neglected by conservationists: the amount of genetic diversity that is being collected and maintained in genebanks or in Botanic Garden collections around the world is very limited. This situation is in striking contrast with the degree of popularity of the crop and at the same time represents a great risk for the preservation of its genetic diversity. Oregano is under serious threat of genetic erosion. This is most dramatic for those species of limited distribution like Origanum dictamnus which is over-harvested from the wild in Crete, Greece and risks disappearing altogether from this island. The exploitation from natural habitats of oregano is, however, more evident in countries like Morocco, Turkey or Albania, traditionally the largest oregano exporters in the world. In these countries, oregano is collected massively to meet the high market demand and very little is done to regulate these harvests. There is an urgent need to raise awareness on this unsustainable harvesting and studies are needed to investigate what should be done on the one hand to allow local people to continue their exploitation of these resources, and on the other to ensure the self- regeneration of these plants in their natural habitats. A way to contribute to the fulfilment of these objectives is to enhance the collaboration among players involved at various levels with the conservation and use of oregano. IPGRI has taken up this challenge and in 1994 promoted the establishment of a collaborative network on oregano, the "Oregano Genetic Resources Network" whose objectives are (1) the rescuing and assessment of oregano genetic diversity, (2) the promotion of collaborative efforts in the Mediterranean region, (3) the rescuing of local knowledge along with germplasm, (4) the creation of a database for selected Origanum species, and (5) the promotion of a greater awareness at the public and decision-making level of the need to safeguard oregano genetic diversity. The Oregano Network initiative represents an effort of the Italian-supported project on Underutilized Mediterranean Species (UMS), whose overall goal is the better conservation and use of those species with recognised market potentials, indigenous to the Mediterranean region, which have yet to receive proper attention from genebanks and researchers alike. Crop networks bring together germplasm collectors, curators, researchers, breeders and users into groups focused on individual crop genepools. Experience has shown that the network concept is successful in promoting collaboration, ensuring wider use and better conservation of underexploited collections, including oregano, and providing good support to crop-improvement programmes. A key factor in networking is that the working-together approach yields greater benefits than any strategy. Yet the success of this formula lies in the fact that networks promote direct contacts between scientists from different countries who agree on doing something vi OREGANO together. It is our hope that this meeting will be instrumental in setting in motion an effective collaborative effort on oregano at an international level. This Workshop – Oregano: safeguarding the diversity and promoting better uses of an important Underutilized Mediterranean crop – represents the first attempt at an international level to review the state of the art on the conservation, taxonomy, origin, ecogeographical distribution, uses, genetic resources, biology, agronomy, crop improvement and potentials of Origanum species. With this meeting, the organizers [IPGRI; the Centre International