Plant Genetic resources: Advancing conservation and use through Biotechnology

1. Plant Genetic resources: Advancing conservation and use through Biotechnology Jyoti Kumari ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources New Delhi 110012

2. Plant Genetic Resources • Plant genetic resources • Genotypes of particular species, collected from different sources and geographical origins, for use in plant breeding to develop new cultivars • Germplasm of a crop may be defined as • The sum total of hereditary material i.e. all the alleles of various genes, present in a crop species and its wild relatives Plant Genetic Resources

3. Plant Genetic Resources Importance • Basic raw material for genetic improvement including designer species • Reservoir of useful genes • Critical component for food, nutrition, environmental and household security Global vs. Indian scenario India: facts • One of the 12 world mega biodiversity centers and 17 mega diverse nations • One of the 8 centers of origin of crop plants • Three of the 34 Hot Spots of Biodiversity-Himalayas, Indo-Burma, Western Ghats

4. Role of Genetic Resources in Increasing Food Production

6. Plant Genetic Resources Management System NBPGR (The Nodal Institute) • Second largest base collection in NGB (~0. 4 m accessions of over 1300 crop species) COLLABORATORS NETWORK NBPGR and its 10 Regional Stations 59 National Active Germplasm Sites (NAGS) comprising ICAR Institutes, Project Directorates, NRCs, AICRPs, SAUs International Collaborators Other National Stakeholders

7. PGR management activities

8. GENETIC DIVERSITY COLLECTED Genetic Variability Trait Specific Wild Relatives

9. CHARACTERIZATION AND EVALUATION Field days Germplasm characterized/evaluated: 1,90,000 Biochemical evaluation: 10,000 Multi-location/Collaborative evaluation- 10 crops Minimal Descriptor list published 43 field crops and 148 Hort. crops Catalogue published 87 catalogues in 45 crops Core sets Sesame, brinjal, okra, mungbean, wheat and chickpea ~3,000 Promising genetic stocks Samples given to researchers for utilization: 3, 75,000

10. Phenotyping and Agricultural Phenomics • To screen for traits related to biotic stress and abiotic stresses • The facility is being created to cater to the researchers of NARS • It will add value to the genetic resources and hence increase their utilization particularly to address the issues emerging from climate change

12. PGR USED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF VARIETIES Agricultural Crops : 3300 Horticultural Crops : 1407

13. Method Core collections Main Collection 1000s accs • A core collection is a subsample of a larger germplasm collectionthat contains, with a minimum of repetitiveness, the maximumpossible genetic diversity of a species • Provide an effective approach to improved the access to a diverse genepool particularly to that comprise large genebank collections Core Collection 5% - 10%

14. Exploration: An alternative approach - FIGS • Focused • Identification of • Germplasm • Strategy Underlying concept Distribution of genetic variation is a function of the relationship between genotype, environment and conscious or un-conscious selection - evolutionary processes.

15. Pre-breeding • Pre-breeding is the step before practical breeding. • Its aim is “To introduce new desirable traits/genes into an adapted genetic background. This will broaden the genetic base in a breeding material in pace with environmental changes.” • A vital contribution of pre-breeding is increasing the total genetic diversity in crops and finding specific genes and traits. • It is vital link between conservation of PGR in gene bank collections and utilisation of these resources in agriculture and horticulture.

17. Application of Biotech Tools • Exploration & Collection: Tissue culture, Molecular markers • Conservation: Molecular markers, • Tissue culture and cryo-preservation • Genomic resources: Gene clonong, genetic engineering, molecular markers • Quarantine: Molecular markers for pathogen detection • Utilization of germplasm- marker techniques, embryo rescue (prebreeding), cloning

18. PGR Management through Molecular Markers • Isozyme markers • RFLP • RAPD • ISSR • AFLP • Microsatellite markers • Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNPs) • Sequence based markers

19. Use of Molecular Markers in PGR Management • Diversity analysis of Germplasm • Phylogenetic relationship • Development of core collection • Gene flow study • DNA Fingerprinting • Germplasm identification • Genetic purity/ Genetic stability • Identification of duplicates • Gene discovery • Association mapping • Allele mining • Trait specific germplasm • Identification and Validation

20. DNA FINGERPRINTING • DNA fingerprinting protocols have been developed using STMS, AFLP, ISSR, RAPD and SRAP techniques in 34 crops and 2215 cultivars have been fingerprinted. • Specific molecular markers for seed purity testing of commercial hybrids of cotton, pearl millet and sorghum and identification of citrus rootstocks developed 20

21. Gene prospecting and Allele mining Search for Gene is a Continuous Process • Genetic resources are basic to gene discovery and their use in crop improvement including transgenic development • TILLING & ECOTILLING

22. Indian Rice Germplasm as Source of Important Genes (Identified through SNPs)

23. National Genomic Resource Repository • It will comprise of genomic DNA including DNA of rare and endangered species, genomic & cDNA libraries, BAC libraries, gene constructs and promoters etc. • A single-window system for sharing genomic resources • Efficient utilization of genomic resources • A mechanism to check biopiracy

25. Conclusion

26. "Every time we lose a species we break a life chain which has evolved over 3.5 billion years," -- Jeffrey McNeely, IUCN Chief Scientist.

27. Thank you