Overview of the implementation of the Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in Lebanon”

Optimizing the Use of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture for Adaptation to Climate Change(TCP/SNO/3401)”.

Prepared By Ali Chehade

Regional Workshop

Overview of the implementation of the Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and

Agriculture in Lebanon”

10 November 2014

PRIORITY ACTIVITY 1: Surveying and inventorying plant genetic resources for food and agriculture

Universities

LARI CNRSICARDA

PGRFA species surveyed/inventoried

Wheat landracesBarley Landraces

FigLocal olive varieties

Citrusloquats

PomegranateJuniperus

Medicinal PlantCaper

Prickly Pears Grapevine

Number of accessions surveyed/inventoried

998037

44483066

742

4352

MoA

PRIORITY ACTIVITY 2: Supporting on-farm management and improvement of plant genetic resources for food and

agriculture • Social and economic support for the families of producers in the olive-growing marginal regions in Lebanon (MoA, LARI and CIHEAM BARI)

• Mainstreaming Biodiversity Management into Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Production Processes (LARI, UNDP)

• Agriculture and Rural Development Programme (MoA, LARI/CIHEAM IAM Bari and Montpellier)

• Morphological and molecular characterization of farmer varieties for different species (wheat, barley, olives,…/LARI)

• Production and delivery of seed and certified plants for different crops by using in vitro techniques (LARI projects) Activities: Assesment of farmers' knowledge; Characterization and

Evaluation of local varieties, Plantlet multiplications and distribution of certified plants

PRIORITY ACTIVITY 4: Promoting in situ conservation and management of crop wild

relatives and wild food plants Many projects related to in-situ conservation and sustainable use of

agro biodiversity were implemented in Lebanon during the past decade The in situ conservation sites are classified and protected to a varying degree at the national level, and

include 7 nature reserves protected forests protected natural sites/landscapes Hima 4 Ramsar sites, 5 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 15 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) 1 Specially Protected Area (SPA) 2 Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean

Importance (SPAMI).

project related to in-situ conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity has been carried out during 2009-2013:

Mainstreaming Biodiversity Management into Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) Production Processes in Lebanon” (2009-2013) which aims to integrate conservation objectives into gathering, processing and marketing of globally significant medicinal and aromatic plants.

PRIORITY ACTIVITY 4: Promoting in situ conservation and management of crop wild

relatives and wild food plants

PRIORITY ACTIVITY 5: Supporting targeted collecting of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture

Name of collecting mission Institutions

Morphological and molecular characterization of wheat and

barley landraces in Lebanon

LARI

Collecting landraces of wheat in Lebanon

LARI

Assessment of the Genetic Diversity of Lebanese Barley

Germplasm for Drought Tolerance and Malting Quality

LU/CNRS/ICARDA/LARI

Characterization of the main local varieties of olive trees

LARI/CIHEAM BARI

PRIORITY ACTIVITY 6: Sustaining and expanding ex situ conservation of germplasm

National seed Bank of LARI: 1380 seed collections representing 950 different wild species (edible, medicinal, aromatic, endemic), among them 87 species are wild relatives of the cultivated crops covered by the Annex 1 of the ITPGRFA + 101 accessions of wheat and barley landraces

LARI hosted field gene bank for olive, grapes, stone fruits, fig and citrus.

AUB Seed Bank: duplication of 9 000 accessions from ICARDA’s GB

PRIORITY ACTIVITY 7: Regenerating and multiplying ex situ accessions

Stake Holder Name of crop/crop group

Total number of accessions in the

national gene-bank(s)

Number of accessions

regenerated and/or

multiplied

Number of accessions in

need of regeneration

LBN020 Wheat 99 45 54

LBN020 Barley 80 55 25

LBN020 Wild species 1245 - Stored under long term conditions

LBN020 Prunus root stock 3 3 Mother Plants

LBN020 Caper 1 1 Mother Plants

LBN020 Potato 1 1 In – Vitro Plantlets

LBN020 Stawberry 3 3 Mother plants

LBN020 Olive 8 8 Field gene Bank

Micropropagation of different

species

PRIORITY ACTIVITY 8: Expanding the characterization, evaluation and further development of

specific collection sub-sets to facilitate use

Fusiforme

Effilée Parallèle

Shape of Spike0.1

11

3

1

2

28

32

22

17

16

15

14

13

12

4

5

8

9

6

7

36

31

34

46

45

44

43

39

40

20

21

29

27

26

25

23

24

37

38

Wheat

Long IntermediateShort

Spike Length

Dense Intermediate Lax

Spike Density

Shorter Equal Longer

Awn Length

Awn color

Purple Yellow

Shape of lemma tip for sterile spiklets

Pointed Rounded

Barley

Baladi Souri Abou Chawkeh

Kalb El-Tair

JlotDal

Teliani

Ayrouni

L’olio Del LIBANO

Crops

Loquats

PomegranateCitrus

Fig

Morphological characterizations

Breeding activities limited to wheat and barley

Clonal selection for some fruit species,

Domestication of some wild edible plants

PRIORITY ACTIVITY 9: Supporting plant breeding, genetic enhancement and base-broadening

efforts

PRIORITY ACTIVITY 10: Promoting diversification of crop production and broadening crop diversity for

sustainable agriculture

StakeHolderName of the new

crop Name of taxonName of the main cultivation area(s)

LARI Caper (trial) Capparis spinosaSemi arid areas (Hermel, Irsal)

LARI/FAO Quinoa (trial)Chenopodium

quinoa Semi arid areas

LARI Rasberry(trial) Rubus idaeus Semi arid areas

New crops or wild species introduced into cultivation

during the next years

PRIORITY ACTIVITY 11: Promoting development and commercialization of farmers’ varieties/landraces

and underutilized species

StakeHolder

Policy/legal framework (including strategies)

reference Year of publication

MoA/FAO National Seed policy 2012

MoA/LARI/FAO

National Strategy for conservation and

management of PGRFA in Lebanon 2014

Policy and strategies were developped to promote the development

of farmers’ varieties

PRIORITY ACTIVITY 12: Supporting seed production and distribution

Name of crop

Name of cultivar

Year of release

Type Important characteristics

Wheat Tal Amara 3 2013 Improved variety Characterized by high quality of seeds and used

for the manufacture of Bourghol and pasta

Wheat Berdawni 2013 Improved variety Resistance to rust and lodging and used for the manufacture of Bourghol

and pasta

Wheat Lahen 3 2013 Improved variety High productivity, resistance to rust and

used for the manufacture of Bourghol and pasta

Wheat Ghzayel 2013 Improved variety High productivity, resistance to rust of

wheat

PRIORITY ACTIVITY 13: Building and strengthening national programmes

Name of entityYear of establishment

Frequency of meetings

Other participating partners

MOA 1955Quarterly durindg

a year

Farmers, Private sector, NGOs,

Universities and NGOs

LARI 1957Quarterly durindg

a year

Farmers, Private sector, NGOs,

Universities and NGOs

National entity functioning as governance structure responsible

for coordinating PGRFA activities

PRIORITY ACTIVITY 14: Promoting and strengthening networks for plant genetic resources for food and agriculture

Websites of different Institutions related to PGRFA

Strength through unity