Strengthening the informal seed system through community seedbanks

A set of factsheets about our Seeds for Needs Initiative in Ethiopia. Bioversity International's 'Seeds for Needs' initiative works with farmers to research how agricultural biodiversity can help minimize the risks associated with climate change. The concept is simple – if farmers have better information and access to a wide range of varieties, they are more able to choose what best suits their conditions and cope with unpredictable weather. Seeds for Needs is trying to encourage this by exposing farmers to more crop varieties and increase their first-hand knowledge about different traits and options available and strengthening their seed systems and seed-saving capacity so that they always have access to planting material that fits their changing needs. This factsheet is part of a series of

Key access and utilization descriptors for taro genetic resources

This list consists of an initial set of characterization and evaluation descriptors for taro utilization. This key set of strategic descriptors, together with passport data, will become the basis for the global accession-level information system being developed by the Bioversity-led project, Global Information on Germplasm Accessions (GIGA). It will facilitate access to and utilization of taro accessions held in genebanks, and does not preclude the addition of further descriptors, should data subsequently become available

Descriptores del conocimiento que los agricultores tienen de las plantas

Esta lista de descriptores ha sido desarrollada por Bioversity International con el fin de ofrecer un formato estándar que permita recopilar, almacenar, recuperar e intercambiar información sobre el conocimiento tradicional que los agricultores tienen de las plantas. La lista pretende captar las características clave, los usos y los valores de las plantas cultivadas y silvestres, en la forma en que los describen los agricultores y demás miembros de las comunidades agrícolas. Muchos de estos descriptores no están incluidos en las listas convencionales de descriptores. En esta lista también se incluyen las plantas silvestres y arvenses, que a menudo desempeñan un papel importante en las comunidades agrícolas, por su utilidad socioeconómica y ecológica. Esta lista es el primer intento de combinar un sistema de documentación utilizado tradicionalmente en ambientes controlados (bancos de germoplasma, institutos defitomejoramiento) con un enfoque que involucra a las personas y lo que ellas conocen sobre el campo. La lista es producto de muchos años de revisión del trabajo de campo realizado por científicos y profesionales, pero esperamos que se convierta en una herramienta que integre la biología y el conocimiento tradicional. Si bien está orientada a la comunidad de recursos fitogenéticos, para ampliar la gama de conocimientos que se documentan durante la colecta de plantas, cualquier comunidad u organización la puede usar, dado su formato práctico, incluyente y conciso, y de fácil aplicación

Screening for resistance to Fusarium wilt

Fusarium wilt of banana, caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc), has widely been considered as one of the most devastating diseases in agricultural history, until resistant Cavendish banana cultivars replaced susceptible ones in Central America. New outbreaks of the disease on hitherto resistant cultivars in Asia and more recently in Africa and Australia, caused by the Tropical race 4 (TR4) strain of the pathogen, have raised concerns that the disease is, once again, threatening banana production in the world. No chemical or cultural control measures exist for Foc. Once the pathogen is introduced into a production field, it can stay in the soil for many decades, thus spelling the end of production of susceptible cultivars in that field. The use of resistant cultivars is the only viable option. Of particular concern is the threat to food security in Africa, where the East African Highland bananas (EAHB) and plantains form the staple diet and only source of income to millions of Africans

Unravelling the genetic basis of banana traits using next generation sequencing technologies

The availability of the banana reference genome sequence (D’Hont et al., 2012) and Next Generation Sequencing technologies have boosted research that helps to better understand the banana (Musa spp.) genetic diversity held in the Bioversity International Musa Germplasm Transit Centre (ITC). New insights into the genetics of the crop, associated with phenotyping, enable the exploration of banana genetic resources for a range of important end-users’ traits, to support further uses to enhance food and nutritional security. We are taking advantage of the latest Next Generation Sequencing technologies to i) produce high-density genetic markers for a large number of samples at low cost, and ii) to sequence, assemble and annotate key genomes, thus generating an unprecedented volume of information for researchers and breeders. Using the deluge of genomics data creates both a challenge and an opportunity. It places a unique challenge upon bio-informaticians to deal with the volume, speed and variety of data generated and to provide adequate storage, analyses and graphic visualization. At the same time, it provides a unique opportunity to unlock the potential of the genetic diversity stored in genebanks

Molecular techniques to map farmer and breeder preferences

Bioversity International's 'Seeds for Needs' initiative works with farmers to research how agricultural biodiversity can help minimize the risks associated with climate change. The concept is simple – if farmers have better information and access to a wide range of varieties, they are more able to choose what best suits their conditions and cope with unpredictable weather. Seeds for Needs is trying to encourage this by exposing farmers to more crop varieties and increase their first-hand knowledge about different traits and options available and strengthening their seed systems and seed-saving capacity so that they always have access to planting material that fits their changing needs. This factsheet is part of a series of 6

Safeguarding banana diversity at the Bioversity International Musa Germplasm Transit Centre

The Bioversity International Musa Germplasm Transit Centre (ITC) is home to the world’s largest collection of banana diversity. Its mission? To contribute to the secure long-term conservation of the entire banana genepool and hold the collection in trust for the benefit of current and future generations under the auspices of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. Founded in 1985, the ITC is managed by Bioversity International and hosted at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. The collection contains more than 1,500 accessions of edible and wild species of banana, and the collection continues to grow as new specimens are collected in the crop’s centres of diversity in South-east Asia, and East and West Africa

Descriptors for farmers' knowledge of plants

This list of descriptors has been developed by Bioversity International to provide a standard format for the gathering, storage, retrieval and exchange of farmers’ knowledge of plants. The list aims to capture key characteristics, uses and values of cultivated and wild plants as described by farmers and other people in farming communities. Many of these descriptors are not included in conventional descriptor lists. Wild and weedy plants are also covered by this list since they often play a significant role in farming communities, being useful from a socio-economic and ecological standpoint. The list is a first attempt to combine a documentation system traditionally used in controlled environments (genebanks, breeding institutes) with an approach that involves people and their knowledge ‘in the field’. We hope that this list, which is the result of many years of review of fieldwork by scientists and field practitioners, will become an important tool for integrating biology and traditional knowledge. Although the list is primarily targeted at the plant genetic resources community, to increase the range of knowledge recorded during plant collection, its widespread use by others, including communities and organizations, is encouraged. It is intended to be user-friendly and practical, whilst balancing inclusiveness and concision

Bioversity International Financial Statements for the Years Ended December 31, 2008 and 2007: Auditor's Report

Independent auditor's report for Bioversity's financial statements as of December 31, 2008 and 2007 and statements of activity, statements of assets, and cash flows. Audit carried out by Deloitte & Touche, Rome, Italy