Global Strategy for the Ex situ Conservation and Utilization of Maize Germplasm Photo courtesy of Ing. Mario Fuentes, Maize Genebank Manager, Guatemala. Maize ear drying of highland landraces. September 2007 1 Table of contents DISCLAIMER................................................................................................................................................................................ 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENT........................................................................................................................................................................ 3 1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................................................ 4 2. BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................................................................ 5 3. NETWORKS................................................................................................................................................................................. 5 4. OVERVIEW OF ‘MAJOR’ COLLECTIONS ........................................................................................................................................ 6 4.1 GERMPLASM COLLECTIONS....................................................................................................................................6 4.2 GENETIC STOCK COLLECTIONS ..............................................................................................................................8 5. THE IMPORTANCE - AND THE UNIQUENESS – OF THE INDIVIDUAL COLLECTIONS.......................................................................... 8 6. CONSERVATION STATUS...........................................................................................................................................................10 6.1 STORAGE FACILITIES, SEED EXCHANGE AND DATABASE MANAGEMENT ......................................................................10 6.2 SAMPLE SIZES ....................................................................................................................................................10 6.3 REGENERATION STATUS.......................................................................................................................................10 6.4 DUPLICATION STATUS..........................................................................................................................................10 6.5 DATA AVAILABLE ................................................................................................................................................10 7. COLLECTIONS THAT FAIL TO MEET ACCEPTED GUIDELINES CONCERNING CONSERVATION STANDARDS .................................... 11 7.1 DEVELOPMENT OF CORE SUBSETS.........................................................................................................................11 7.2 MOLECULAR DATA ..............................................................................................................................................12 7.3 DISTRIBUTION OF DNA SAMPLES ..........................................................................................................................12 7.4 GERMPLASM MANAGEMENT AND BREEDING............................................................................................................12 7.5 MAIZE RACES IN THE REGIONS ..............................................................................................................................12 7.6 REGENERATION VS. RE-COLLECTION .....................................................................................................................13 8. DISTRIBUTION STATUS..............................................................................................................................................................13 8.1 AVAILABILITY OF SEEDSTOCKS .............................................................................................................................13 8.2 ACCESSIBILITY ...................................................................................................................................................13 8.3 PHYTOSANITARY REQUIREMENTS ..........................................................................................................................13 8.4 PAST EXPERIENCE...............................................................................................................................................14 9. ANALYSIS OF WHICH COLLECTION HOLDERS ARE UNABLE TO READILY MAKE MATERIAL AVAILABLE INTERNATIONALLY...........14 10. SYNTHESIS OF CONSERVATION AND DISTRIBUTION .................................................................................................................14 11. MAJOR COLLECTIONS NOT MEETING STANDARDS...................................................................................................................15 11.1 EXTENT TO WHICH THE DIVERSITY WITHIN THE COLLECTION IS, OR IS NOT, ALREADY REPRESENTED WITHIN A COLLECTION THAT MEETS THE STANDARDS FOR CONSERVATION AND DISTRIBUTION.............................................................................15 11.2 IMPORTANCE OF ANY DIVERSITY NOT ALREADY REPRESENTED ................................................................................15 11.3 SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS FOR COLLECTIONS TO BE ABLE TO MEET THE STANDARDS FOR CONSERVATION AND DISTRIBUTION ...........................................................................................................................................................15 12. IDENTIFY ANY OTHER COLLECTION THAT WAS NOT INCLUDED AMONG THE ORIGINAL SET OF ‘MAJOR’ COLLECTIONS BUT THAT NEVERTHELESS HAS IMPORTANT GENETIC DIVERSITY....................................................................................................................15 13. POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS FOR COLLECTIONS THAT MEET STANDARDS................................................................................16 13.1 SPECIFIC ACTIONS THAT COULD BE UNDERTAKEN IN THE SHORT TERM TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF CONSERVATION COLLECTIVELY ..............................................................................................................................16 13.2 A PROCESS TO BE FOLLOWED FOR IDENTIFYING OTHER POTENTIAL AREAS OF NEED OR IMPROVED EFFICIENCY.............16 13.3 WAYS IN WHICH COOPERATION PER SE MIGHT BE ENHANCED, E.G. THROUGH A STRENGTHENING A SPECIFIC CROP OR OTHER NETWORK......................................................................................................................................................16 14. PLAN OF ACTION...............................................................................................................................................................18 14.1 GLOBAL ACCESSIONS MANAGEMENT: IDENTIFIERS, ESSENTIAL METADATA, AND STANDARDIZATION........................18 14.2 GLOBAL AND REGIONAL COOPERATIVE NETWORKS AND AVAILABILITY OF SEED ACCESSIONS...................................19 14.3 GLOBAL AND REGIONAL EX-SITU CONSERVATION NETWORK: REGENERATION AND SAFETY BACKUP .........................19 14.4 COLLABORATION ON MAIZE GERMPLASM CONSERVATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING OF MAIZE GERMPLASM SPECIALISTS ..............................................................................................................................................................................20 14.4 GERMPLASM CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT NEED TO BE INTEGRATED TO IMPROVE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY.20 14.5 IMPROVED ACCESS TO CONSERVED GERMPLASM .................................................................................................22 14.6 CONSERVATION OF WILD RELATIVES OF MAIZE: TEOSINTE AND TRIPSACUM ............................................................22 15. CONCLUSIONS AND CONSEQUENCES...................................................................................................................................... 22 15.1 ACCESS TO IMPROVED MATERIAL AND CROP IMPROVEMENT....................................................................................22 2 15.2 SAFETY DUPLICATION ........................................................................................................................................23 15.3 FILLING GAPS IN COLLECTIONS ...........................................................................................................................23 15.4 TRAINING IN MAIZE GENETIC RESOURCES..............................................................................................................23 15.5 MAIZE WILD RELATIVES......................................................................................................................................24 15.6 GLOBAL MAIZE GENETIC RESOURCES REGISTRY....................................................................................................24 LITERATURE CITED................................................................................................................................................................. 25 APPENDICES .................................................................................................................................................................................26 APPENDIX 1: SURVEY OF THE MAIZE COLLECTION INFORMATION IN MAIZE CROP STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT .....................26