Vegetables Network
| Brassica Working Group |
Vegetables Network
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Report of a Vegetables Network.
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Background information
The formation of a Working Group on Brassica was decided in 1989 and the
Group first met in 1991. The Group has developed and updated workplans at successive meetings.
The last meeting (see: Report of the meeting) of the Brassica Working Group was held jointly with
the third meeting of the EU funded project GEN RES 109-112 in Vila Real, Portugal, in February 2002.
The European Database for Brassica (Bras-EDB)
From the very beginning, the Group recognized the central importance of a database in the development of its activities, as a management tool to prevent genetic erosion and make existing germplasm accessible. The initial steps to develop a European database of cultivated Brassica accessions was taken by the Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute (IHAR), Poznan, Poland and a wild species database was developed by C. Gomez-Campo (Spain) and M. Gustafsson (Sweden). The management of the
European Database for Brassica (Bras-EDB) was transferred
in 1991 to the Centre for Genetic Resources, the Netherlands. The database focuses on passport data of
collections of the Genus Brassica maintained in European countries.
Safety-duplication
The objective of safety-duplication of the
accessions is a matter of concern for the Group. CGN, the Netherlands and Horticulture
Research International (HRI), Wellesbourne, UK have maintained
responsibility for International Brassica Base Collections since the
1980s and are reciprocally safety-duplicating the accessions conserved.
The concept of a "black box" arrangement, whereby the genebank of
origin holds the responsibility for the quality of the stored material and
its regeneration when required, is considered the most cost-effective method
of safety-duplication.
It is recommended that:
The safety-duplication of Brassica collections in Europe has been highly improved during the GENRES CT99 109-112 project period (2000-2003). The majority of the genebanks have now safety duplicated their Brassica collections in another place.
Regeneration guidelines
Procedures for regeneration are a matter of concern for Brassica curators. Studies carried out within the Group have shown that unexpected changes of gene frequencies occur following the normal regeneration practices. Although there is still limited scientific background to establish objective criteria to adopt for the regeneration of each Brassica species, the Working Group agreed that the following minimum guidelines should be followed for the regeneration of Brassica accessions:
Link with EU project
The GENRES CT99 109-112 project “Brassica Collections for Broadening Agricultural Use,
including Characterizing and Utilising genetic variation in Brassica carinata for its
exploitation as an oilseed crop” was carried out from 2000 to 2003, under the EC regulation 1467/94.
The major aims were to conserve, document, characterize, evaluate and rationalize European collections
of B. oleracea, B. rapa, B. napus and B. carinata accessions.
In situ conservation of wild Brassica
The implementation of a strategy for in situ conservation of wild species of the Brassica oleracea cytodeme has been suggested by the Working Group as a complementary way of preserving the diversity of these Mediterranean relatives of cultivated Brassica. Priority was assigned to the Sicilian center of diversity, where the level of variability is very high and the populations of B. macrocarpa, B. rupestris and B. villosa are often threatened by human activities like quarrying, fires, overgrazing, construction and competition by alien species. The Working Group feels that protection
in genetic reserves should be driven by the local authorities (state,
region, etc.). The role of the Working Group is seen as a contribution to
highlighting the usefulness of the wild germplasm for breeding purposes. For more information or comments: |
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PART I - DRAFT
