Wild Collection Research Articles

Role of Underutilized Crop Value Chains in Rural Food and Income Security in Sri Lanka

Agricultural value chain is fundamental to the survival of human society, the growth or maintenance of regional and national economies, and the wealth and welfare of individual producers. Few staple food crops holding the lion's loin of food and income security of the rural farming communities where the role of unrecognized and underutilized crops was invisible. Previous researches and many past applications were focused on individual elements of the value chain rather than the holistic view. Complex interacting drivers in production, processing, marketing, consumption, environment and the people were neglected and this limitation hiders the recognition of underutilized crops. Our paper takes a critical stock take of underutilized crop value chains in Sri Lanka and focused to identify its role in rural food and income security with special concern to the availability of those crops at respective village markets and at their own household premises. Study aimed to map the underutilized crop value chain and describe its upstream and downstream nodes, agents, functions, and products. For the purpose of this study, mixed methods approach was employed which focuses on research questions that call for real-life contextual understandings on value chain agents, multi-level perspectives, both vertical and horizontal linkages and cultural interpretations. We employed qualitative research exploring the meaning and understanding of constructs; utilizing multiple methods (rapid market chain analysis). Value chain architecture explains the structure, agents, and strength of the relationships. Downstream composed of two main nodes, farmers, wild collectors and traders or village level collectors link with the upstream. Primary processors, secondary processors, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers were the key upstream agents. Chain structure heavily depends on the type of crop. Downstream activities depends on location, water availability, season and market demand which decides the crop mix. Informal collecting centres were common and village level collectors link farmers and wild collectors with upstream. Upstream activities were more concern on value addition and creation and the agents were multifunctional. Food basket analysis highlighted that underutilized crops were more attracted to urban consumers than the rural. Meal analysis revealed that considerable amount of underutilized crops consumed at household level were own production or wild collection. Complex and indirect income generation process was unrecognized yet.

Natural diversity of seed α-tocopherol ratio in wild soybean (Glycine soja) germplasm collection.

Alpha-tocopherol is one of four tocopherol isoforms and has the highest vitamin E activity in humans. Most cultivated soybean seeds contain γ-tocopherol as the predominant form, and the ratio of α-tocopherol content to total tocopherol content (α-tocopherol ratio) is <10%. Three soybean accessions from Eastern Europe have α-tocopherol ratios of >20%. This higher content is likely due to mutations in the promoter region of the γ-tocopherol methytransferase-3 (γ-TMT3) gene. We surveyed a wild soybean germplasm collection and detected 16 accessions with stable seed α-tocopherol ratios of >20% under different growth conditions. The α-tocopherol ratios were greatly reduced when the plants were grown under cool temperatures during seed maturation, but increased to varying degrees at higher temperatures. Sequence analysis of the γ-TMT3 promoter of 11 of the accessions identified four haplotypes, one of which corresponded to that of cultivars with higher contents. These wild accessions can thus serve as novel donors for breeding cultivars with high α-tocopherol ratios and for better understanding the genetic basis of α-tocopherol synthesis in soybean.

Promoting medicinal plants cultivation as a tool for biodiversity conservation and livelihood enhancement in Indian Himalaya

The present paper discusses the development of a participatory approach to promote medicinal and aromatic plant (MAP) cultivation as a tool for biodiversity conservation and livelihood enhancement in Champawat district of Uttarakhand state in India. People perception analysis revealed that farmers were dependent solely on the wild collection of MAPs before the initiation of the National Agriculture Innovation Project. However, they later engaged in cultivation practices. During the course of study, the propagation protocols of 11 selected MAPs of that area were developed and a cost-benefit analysis was performed. A series of meetings and exposure visits were organized and a memorandum of understanding was simultaneously signed between farmers and traders for promoting a buy-back system of MAPs. One hundred thirty-two farmers adopted MAP cultivation in 14 hectares of land. This approach provides opportunities for farmers to build skills, knowledge, and self confidence, and conserve MAP diversity in their natural habitat.

Variation of select flavonols and chlorogenic acid content of elderberry collected throughout the Eastern United States

American elderberries are commonly collected from wild plants for use as food and medicinal products. The degree of phytochemical variation among wild populations has not been established and might affect the overall quality of elderberry dietary supplements. The three major flavonols identified in elderberries are rutin, quercetin and isoquercetin. Variation in the flavonols and chlorogenic acid was determined for 107 collections of elderberries from throughout the eastern United States using an optimized high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection method. The mean content was 71.9mg per 100g fresh weight with variation ranging from 7.0 to 209.7mgper100g fresh weight within the collected population. Elderberries collected from southeastern regions had significantly higher contents in comparison with those in more northern regions. The variability of the individual flavonol and chlorogenic acid profiles of the berries was complex and likely influenced by multiple factors. Several outliers were identified based on unique phytochemical profiles in comparison with average populations. This is the first study to determine the inherent variability of American elderberries from wild collections and can be used to identify potential new cultivars that may produce fruits of unique or high-quality phytochemical content for the food and dietary supplement industries.

Essential Oil Composition of Achillea millefolium agg. Populations Collected from Saline Habitats in Serbia

:Essential oil yield and composition of three populations of yarrow (Achillea millefolium aggregate) occurring on saline habitats of Serbia was analyzed in relation to its soil site characteristics. The total of 99 compounds of essential oils was determined within three estimated chemotypes: the chamazulene + trans-caryophyllene+β-pinene (in population assigned as P1), the lavandulyl acetate+chamazulene + trans-caryophyllene (in P2) and the trans-chrysanthenyl acetate+trans-caryophyllene+germacrene D (in P3). The highest yield of 1.01 % and the lowest of 0.32 % were determined for populations P1 and P3, respectively. The highest total salt content, corresponding with the highest values of ECe and sodium, chloride and sulfate ion concentration was determined for soil of P1 population, which was assessed as solonchak soil, in difference to much lower value of sodium ions, total salts, ECe and pH, all increasing with the soil depth, as determined for samples of P2 and P3 yarrow populations - typical for the solonetz type of salt affected soils. Differences in yield and chemical composition of essential oils were discussed in term of impact of both population's genetic variability and specific environmental conditions. The essential oil quality in all researched yarrow populations accomplishes standards of EU Pharmacopeia 6.0 and thus, sustainable wild collection of yarrow from halophytic habitats could be recommended.

The Discovery of Resistant Sources of Spring Barley, Hordeum vulgare ssp. spontaneum, and Unique Greenbug Biotypes.

The genetic sources for host-plant resistance to the greenbug (Schizaphis graminum Rondani) in barley (Hordeum vulgare ssp. spontaneum) are limited in that only two single dominant genes Rsg1 and Rsg2 are available for the complex of greenbug biotypes. We evaluated four new barley lines from the Wild Barley Diversity Collection (WBDC) that previously showed potential for greenbug resistance. Three of those entries, WBDC 53, WBDC 117, WBDC 336, exhibited very dominant sources of resistance to older known biotypes B, C, E, F, H, I, and TX1, which also add to the host-plant differentials used to separate these greenbug biotypes. We also re-evaluated the earlier known set of greenbug biotypes that have been in culture for several years against the known host-plant differentials, and included seven newer greenbug isolates collected from Wyoming to the full complement of small grain differentials. This resulted in the discovery of five new greenbug biotypes, WY10 MC, WY81, WY10 B, WY12 MC, and WY86. Wyoming isolates WY4 A and WY4 B were identical in their phenotypic profile, and should be combined as a single unique greenbug biotype. These barley trials resulted in finding new sources of host-plant resistance, although more research needs to be conducted on what type of resistance was found, and how it can be used. We also document that the Wheatland, Wyoming area serves as a very conducive environment for the development of new greenbug biotypes.

The effects of temperature and scarification on seed germination of three Dalea species

Schellenberg, M. P. and Biligetu, B. 2015. The effects of temperature and scarification on seed germination of three Dalea species. Can. J. Plant Sci. 95: 1117–1120. Ecological varieties of North American native plants are used for reclamation or rangeland seeding in Canada. The objectives of the study were to determine the optimum temperature for seed germination and to evaluate the effect of seed scarification on germination of ecological varieties of purple prairie clover [Dalea purpureum (Vent) Rydb.], white prairie clover [Dalea candida (Michx.) Willd.], and a wild collection of hairy prairie clover [Dalea villosa (Nutt.) Spreng var. villosa]. Germination was studied in growth chambers with constant temperatures of 5, 10, 20, and 30°C for 28 d using a randomized complete block design (RCBD). An additional germination experiment was conducted at 20°C after seed scarification. Based on days to initiate first germination and final germination, the optimum temperature for germination was 20°C for the three species. Final germination was the highest for purple prairie clover (51%), intermediate for white prairie clover (27%), and lowest for hairy prairie clover (5%). Seed scarification increased final germination by around 20% for all three species.

Contribution of Wild Collected Underutilised Crops in Rural Food and Income Security in Sri Lanka

This study focused on investigation of role of wild collected underutilised crops (UC) in rural food and income security with special concern to the availability of those crops at respective village markets. It analysed the availability of wild collected products in the selling stocks of traditional sellers in respective village markets. Wellawaya Divisional Secretariat Division in Moneragala district in Uva Province of Sri Lanka was seleted for the study. Rapid market chain analysis was the principal tool equipped for this investigation. Data collection was conducted by using primary data collection methods mostly under uncontrolled environments. Number of key informant interviews with upstream agents, focus group discussions with collectors and informal discussions with few sellers were done. In addition, a few telephone interviews were conducted with key agricultural actors in the area. Galsiyabala, Palu, Weera, Polpala, Binkohoba, Kithual products and curry leaves (Karapincha) were the key wild collections available in the markets. However, the contribution from the forest varied from around (40% to 100%). In general, males engage in wild collection by making significant damages to those trees due to falling of trees and cutting main branches. Reasonable proactive strategies are not yet adapted to ensure sustainable utilisation of wild resources rather than penalties by courts when collectors are captured by Forest Department officers. People practice this as a souces of part-time seasonal income. Though income is seasonal, they receive higher values by selling some traditional medicinal products under informal fixed prices. The price of all other products is determined by traders where collectors have minimum bargaining power in this context. Keywords: Underutilised crops, Wild collections, Rural households, Food security, Income security

Genetic and environmental effects on seed weight in subspecies of big sagebrush: applications for restoration

The sagebrush steppe is a patchwork of species and subspecies occupying distinct environmental niches across the intermountain regions of western North America. These ecosystems face degradation from disturbances and exotic weeds. Using sagebrush seed that is matched to its appropriate niche is a critical component to successful restoration, improving habitat for the threatened greater sage‐grouse and other species. The need for restoration is greatest in basin habitats composed of two subspecies: diploid basin big sagebrush (A. tridentata subsp. tridentata) and tetraploid Wyoming big sagebrush (subsp. wyomingensis). In this study we assess seed weights across five subspecies‐cytotype groups of big sagebrush and examine the genetic and environmental components. Our goal is to determine if seed weight can be used as a diagnostic test for subspecies and seed certification. Seed weight was measured from 55 wild collections and from progeny derived from these collections and grown in two common gardens. A linear mixed‐effect model showed 91% of the variation in seed weight is explained by genetic, genetic × environment and environmental effects (conditional R2 = 0.91). Moreover, genetic effects alone, subspecies‐cytotype groups, explained 39% of the variation (marginal R2 = 0.39). Of the five subspecies‐cytotype groups, most had overlapping weights using conservative 99% confidence intervals. However, diploid tridentata and wyomingensis had non‐overlapping 99% confidence intervals. To demonstrate the application of seed weighing to assess the subspecies purity of commercial seed lots, we compared confidence intervals of tridentata and wyomingensis developed from the experimental data to seed weights of commercial lots. The results showed that only 17% of the commercial seed lots certified as wyomingensis had mean seed weights that fell within the confidence intervals for this subspecies. The remaining lighter seed lots (83%) matched weights of tridentata. While restoring sagebrush ecosystems is a multifaceted problem, a fundamental component to restoration is ensuring the appropriate seed is used. We found seed weight is principally affected by genetic factors, with limited environmental effects. Seed weighing is an effective application to assess subspecies purity of wyomingensis and tridentata seed and could be used as a certification step for evaluating commercial collections used in restoration.

Identification of an ERECTA gene and its drought adaptation associations with wild and cultivated common bean

In this research, we cloned and accessed nucleotide diversity in the common bean ERECTA gene which has been implicated in drought tolerance and stomatal patterning. The homologous gene segment was isolated with degenerate primer and was found to be located on Chromosome 1. The gene had at least one paralog on Chromosome 9 and duplicate copies in soybean for each homolog. ERECTA-like genes were also discovered but the function of these was of less interest due to low similarity with the ERECTA gene from Arabidopsis. The diversity of the 5’ end of the large Chr. 1 PvERECTA gene was evaluated in a collection of 145 wild and cultivated common beans that were also characterized by geographic source and drought tolerance, respectively. Our wild population sampled a range of wet to dry habitats, while our cultivated samples were representative of landrace diversity and the patterns of nucleotide variation differed between groups. The 5’ region exhibited lower levels of diversity in the cultivated collection, which was indicative of population bottlenecks associated with the domestication process, compared to the wild collection where diversity was associated with ecological differences. We discuss associations of nucleotide diversity at PvERECTA with drought tolerance prediction for the genotypes.

Exploring the Practice of Traditional Wild Plant Collection in Lebanon

The traditional harvesting of wild edible plants among Lebanese rural communities has contributed to the continued use of such plants in local recipes. The country, however, is witnessing rapid changes in lifestyles and eating habits that would seem to predict a decline in traditional forms of wild plant collection. Consequences could include the loss of dietary diversity, reduced food security and natural habitats. This study aimed to assess the perceived status of wild plant collection traditions in Lebanon via semi-structured interviews with key informants. The study revealed that although wild edible plants are no longer harvested to cope with wartime famines and crop failures, the plants are still highly valued as healthy foods, while the harvesting itself is enjoyed as a social activity. Unfortunately, losses in traditional knowledge transmission coupled with changes in land use that limit access to semi-natural areas are threatening the tradition. This is further aggravated by pollution, habitat destruction and over-collection of wild edible plants for commercial purposes. Strategies for the sustainable use of wild edible plant resources should build on this regional tradition and generate appreciation for it as an outdoor activity, as a culinary resource and as means to reinforce social and cultural values.

English

Ebolavirus and Marburgvirus belong to the Filovirus family and are responsible for hemorrhagic fevers in Africa. The first documented Filovirus outbreak in Africa occurred in Central Africa and was attributed to Ebolavirus species. In the last four decades, Filoviral hemorrhagic fevers (FHFs) outbreaks caused by Ebola and Marburg viruses have been on the increase in Africa. The 2013-2015 outbreak has been the largest outbreak in human and has had the most devastating human and economic impact. Epidemics usually originate from a primary single introduction of the virus into simian or human population followed by an interspecies spill over. Multiple, short and isolated transmissions to humans have been also observed. Since the 1976 Yambuko (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Nzara (Sudan) epidemics, several investigations of different animal species have been undertaken but failed to identify the natural reservoirs of Ebolavirus. Further studies identified bats as probable reservoirs of Ebolavirus in Gabon, and major natural reservoirs of Marburgvirus in Uganda, supposed central forested areas of Africa as the epicenter where these viruses originated from, before dissemination. Chimpanzees, gorillas and duikers have been identified as highly sensitive hosts of Ebolavirus within wildlife. However, the relative importance of potential vertebrate hosts in the FHFs emergence into human population remains unclear. Different transmission routes involving bats have been proposed. Filoviruses have a zoonotic origin; amplified and maintained in nature between potential reservoirs in a jungle cycle. Ebolavirus mostly escapes these natural foci, when other sensitive secondary simian are infected and transmit the virus to human population via hunting, bat&rsquo;s saliva infected wild fruit collection or land monitoring, while Marburgvirus emergence was linked to monkey&rsquo;s tissues handling or human entry into bat sheltering habitats. This review discusses the dissemination of filoviruses circulating within their possible chiropteran reservoir species. Vertebrate hosts suspected in the maintenance/transmission cycles are reviewed and their bioecological features discussed. Despite the importance of the findings about reservoirs&rsquo; discovery, several other questions such as plurispecific associations, migration routes, breeding cycles need to be addressed and are pointed out in this review, in order to generate risk maps for filoviruses&rsquo; (re)emergence in West Africa. Key words: Ebolavirus, Marburgvirus, Chiropteran, emergence, bioecology, West Africa.

Old Practices Chart New Waters

This issue of CAFE looks at ways that old practices are reconsidered and reinvented to chart new courses through 21st-century dilemmas of subsistence, sustainability, and self-determination. In our first article, Veronica Davidov takes a qualitative approach and includes the discourse of cyberspace among her subjects. In Beyond Formal Environmentalism: Eco-Nationalism and the “Ringing Cedars” of Russia, Davidov provides insight into the eco-spiritual, “Anastasia” movement in contemporary Russia that in many ways parallels back-to-the-land, permaculture movements in the West. However, Davidov sees the movement as a distinct reaction to the failings of the postsocialist state, in which a disenchanted public creates an alternative, spiritual, and “heroic history” of itself that draws on “deep ecology, a nationalism that is consciously decoupled from the state,” new versions of old agricultural practices, and “now-extinct forms of nature governance” such as lineage-based land estates. While not quite equivalent to more formal concepts of environmentalism, Davidov tells us, this conservative, “eco-nationalist” movement has a critical place in understanding the changing field of ecology and politics in postsocialist Russian. In our second article, Michelle S. Roberts tells us, “everyday farmers in upland Laos negotiate and strategize a sea of constraints to try to feed their families,” with crop preferences and farming patterns influenced by work culture and ethnic background, among other constraints. In Understanding Farmer Decision Making in Northern Lao PDR, Roberts uses ranking, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews to examine farmer decision-making environments. Whether farmers adopt state-sanctioned cash cropping or remain with traditional products reflects Laos’ historically embedded system of patronage and socioethnic hierarchy. Similarly, among boys and men of the Jenu Kuruba of South India, how and why traditional knowledge systems are lost or retained is the topic of Schooling and Local Knowledge for Collecting Wild Honey in South India: Balancing Multifaceted Educations? Kathryn Demps, Jennifer Dougherty, Jenukalla MG, Francisco Zorondo-Rodríguez, Victoria Reyes-García, and Claude García relate levels of schooling to local knowledge around wild honey collection, a central domain of male local ecological knowledge. They assess honey collection knowledge using a multidimensional questionnaire and interpret results using smoothing spline curves. In this setting, a nuanced trade-off between acquiring a formal, westernized education and local ecological knowledge of wild honey collection appears to exist for males in this population. Susan Andreatta also reflects on past practice in the context of contemporary needs in Through the Generations: Victory Gardens for Tomorrow's Tables. Harkening back to the war-time era of “victory gardens” as patriotic acts, Andreatta explores ways for connecting people to growing local food at their home or in community environments and to sharing the harvest. She examines a community garden project at UNC Greensboro as a means of reconnecting with farming traditions of the American past. Two book reviews round out the journal. Andrea L. Rissing reviews Jack Glazier's Been Coming Through Some Hard Times: Race, History, and Memory in Western Kentucky. She notes that at its heart, the book is about race relations and community memory, though the town's agricultural economy provides a subtle but important backdrop. Mexican initiatives that aim to reroot maize as the centerpiece of a culturally and ecologically diverse local agricultural system are the topic of Corn Meets Maize: Food Movements and Markets in Mexico by Lauren E. Baker. Reviewed by Brandi Janssen, the book nicely captures the way that global ideas and processes inform local systems. Like agricultural practice, CAFE also struggles with issues of sustainability. As a publication of the American Anthropological Association, we face the contemporary dilemmas of many academic journals. Both submissions and journal costs are increasing, and we have had to ask authors to embrace a practice of small is beautiful. We thank this group of researchers for revising and tightening their manuscripts to fit our page constraints. Readers should feel free to contact authors for additional information, graphics, and references.

Schooling and Local Knowledge for Collecting Wild Honey in South India: Balancing Multifaceted Educations?

AbstractFor indigenous populations, schooling and local knowledge systems may be at odds. Understanding indigenous learning systems can help mitigate conflicts between acquisition of local ecological knowledge and academic knowledge. Among boys and men of the Jenu Kuruba of South India, we compare levels of schooling and local knowledge related to wild honey collection, a central domain of male local ecological knowledge. For boys, school attendance, but not performance, negatively correlates with local knowledge related to honey collecting. Men's local knowledge for this activity negatively correlates with years of schooling, but their practical skills either neutrally or slightly positively associate with schooling. Different learning patterns between domains of knowledge can explain variation in trends of local knowledge loss. Findings suggest that schooling mostly affects knowledge of activities that are not classroom‐adaptable that people perform during school hours.

Elucidating steroid alkaloid biosynthesis in Veratrum californicum: production of verazine in Sf9 cells.

Steroid alkaloids have been shown to elicit a wide range of pharmacological effects that include anticancer and antifungal activities. Understanding the biosynthesis of these molecules is essential to bioengineering for sustainable production. Herein, we investigate the biosynthetic pathway to cyclopamine, a steroid alkaloid that shows promising antineoplastic activities. Supply of cyclopamine is limited, as the current source is solely derived from wild collection of the plant Veratrum californicum. To elucidate the early stages of the pathway to cyclopamine, we interrogated a V.californicum RNA-seq dataset using the cyclopamine accumulation profile as a predefined model for gene expression with the pattern-matching algorithm Haystack. Refactoring candidate genes in Sf9 insect cells led to discovery of four enzymes that catalyze the first six steps in steroid alkaloid biosynthesis to produce verazine, a predicted precursor to cyclopamine. Three of the enzymes are cytochromes P450 while the fourth is a γ-aminobutyrate transaminase; together they produce verazine from cholesterol.

Optimizing the productivity of a coral nursery focused on staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis

The rapid decline of the staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis throughout the Carib- bean prompted the development of coral gardening as a management strategy to restore wild stocks. Given that coral gardening relies on propagating corals collected from wild donor colonies, it is imperative to optimize growth within a nursery to reduce dependence on wild collections. This study determined the maximum amount of coral that may be clipped from a colony during propagation without causing mortality or decreased growth. We applied 3 experimental treat- ments to 12 nursery-reared staghorn corals, in which 25, 50, or 75% of the colony's total biomass was removed and fragmented to create additional, smaller fragments. Four additional colonies served as unfragmented controls. Treatment had no effect on colony productivity, defined as the ratio of new tissue growth to initial colony size, over 87 d. Similarly, treatment had no effect on the rate at which colonies developed new branches. Results indicate that 75% of the biomass of staghorn colonies may be removed without affecting their growth. We anticipate that our obser- vations will have practical applications for maximizing propagation of staghorn coral within nurs- eries throughout the wider Caribbean while minimizing the impact of this management measure on remnant wild populations.

Mining wild barley for powdery mildew resistance

Powdery mildew, caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei (Bgh), is a worldwide disease problem on barley (Hordeum vulgare) with potentially severe impact on yield. Historically, resistance genes have been identified chiefly from cultivated lines and landraces; however, wild barley (H. vulgare subsp. spontaneum) accessions have proven to be extraordinarily rich sources of powdery mildew resistance. This study describes the characterization of a collection of 316 wild barley accessions, known as the Wild Barley Diversity Collection (WBDC), for resistance to powdery mildew and the genetic location of powdery mildew resistance loci. The WBDC was phenotyped for reaction to 40 different Bgh isolates at the seedling stage and genotyped with 10 508 molecular markers. Accessions resistant to all 40 isolates of Bgh were not found; however, three accessions (WBDC 053, 085 and 089) exhibited resistance to 38 of the isolates. Gene postulation analyses revealed that many accessions, while resistant, contained none of the 12 genes present in the Pallas near‐isogenic lines Mla1, Mla3, Mla6, Mla7, Mla9, Mla12, Mla13, Mlk1, MlLa, Mlg, Mlat and Ml(Ru2), suggesting that the accessions carry novel genes or gene combinations. A genome‐wide association study of powdery mildew resistance in the WBDC identified 21 significant marker‐trait associations that resolved into 15 quantitative trait loci. Seven of these loci have not been previously associated with powdery mildew resistance. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the WBDC is a rich source of powdery mildew resistance, and provide genetic tools for incorporating the resistance into barley breeding programmes.

Morphological characterisation of Australian ex situ wild rice accessions and potential for identifying novel sources of tolerance to phosphorus deficiency

Australian wild rice (Oryza sp.) diverged in isolation from the progenitors of cultivated rice millions of years ago and is likely to harbour novel alleles of value to rice breeding programs. Since the separation from Gondwana 100 MYA, Australia has been characterised as a primarily dry continent with nutrient-impoverished soils. This has led to speculation that alleles conferring tolerance to nutritional deficiency and other abiotic stresses such as drought or heat may be present within Australian wild rice germplasm. Previous genetic studies suggested that representative ex situ accessions of O. meridionalis and O. rufipogon are distinct from Asian wild rice but the variation in morphological or nutrient stress traits within the Australian wild rice germplasm collections has not been investigated. We therefore characterised 14 key morphological traits at flowering and maturity in five O. meridionalis ex situ genetic resource accessions in comparison with representatives of O. rufipogon, O. australiensis, O. officinalis and the O. sativa mega-variety IR64. The results were consistent with genetic analyses that indicate O. meridionalis and O. rufipogon are closely related. Variation in tolerance to phosphorus deficiency, a major nutritional constraint to global rice production, was identified among Australian wild rice accessions, although at the phenotypic level this did not appear to exceed levels of tolerance present in the O. sativa mega-variety IR64. More detailed genetic analysis may establish whether this has been achieved through convergence of distinct loci and alleles or whether recombination between the distinct lineages may generate novel transgressive levels of tolerance. We conclude that subsequent collections of Australian wild rice should be guided by underlying geological, topographical and other long-term environmental features which indicate locations known to be P deficient or exert selection pressure for adaptations to other abiotic stresses including salinity or drought stress.

“Invisible” wildlife trades: Southeast Asia’s undocumented illegal trade in wild ornamental plants

Conservation and environmental management often rely heavily on official statistics, but there are often concerns over accuracy and reliability, particularly true when dealing with sensitive issues such as illegal harvest and trade. A growing number of cases highlight commercial trades in wild flora and fauna that have been undocumented in official data. Here we present the first in-depth study of the trade of wild-collected ornamental plants in continental Southeast Asia, focusing on the four largest wildlife markets in Thailand. Botanical surveys revealed a massive, previously undocumented commercial trade in wild, protected ornamental plants involving Thailand, Lao PDR and Myanmar, focusing primarily on the Orchidaceae. The results indicate that illegal trade threatens not only charismatic Southeast Asian mammals, reptiles and amphibians, but also hundreds of tropical plant species. Trade surveys identified 347 orchid species in 93 genera, including many listed as threatened. The observed cross-border trade moves plants at a rate orders of magnitude larger than government-reported statistics, and directly conflicts with official policy statement. Harvester interviews strongly indicated that wild collection was negatively affecting the majority of species they traded. Despite three decades of broad restrictions on the international trade of all wild orchids, these results highlight a major conservation challenge that has been almost completely overlooked. There is urgent need to improve botanical trade monitoring, to operationalize existing conservation commitments, and as part of a broader, multifaceted response to illegal trade. We call for increased attention to botanical trade and conservation in Southeast Asia, and argue that efforts to tackle illegal wildlife trade must ensure they include flora.

English

Traditional medicine has continued to be the most affordable and easily accessible source of treatment in the primary healthcare system of Ethiopia. However, the medicinal plants used for such treatments are becoming increasingly rare and vulnerable to extinction because of improper utilization and conservation practices. Hence, this reseach was initiated with the aim to assess the use, management and conservation practices of medicinal plants in some selected districts of Jimma Zone, south west Ethiopia. Ethnobotanical methods such as focus group discussions, key informant interview, semistructured interview and field walks were used to collect ethnobotanical data on use and management practices of medicinal plants in the study area. Data collected were classified into the use of the plants and management practice. Data of the semistructured interview was analyzed using SPSS version 16 software. The result revealed that a total of 67 plant species were identified in the study area, of which 30 are nutraceuticals, 30 are collected at wild habitat and 37 are cultivated. Source of medicinal plants include: cultivation in home gardens, live fences, crop fields and wild collection from the nearby environment. The cultivation practice include home gardens, mixed in field crops, live fences and agro-forestry. About 87% of respondents explained that they get medicinal plants easily in the study area and 10% explained that it is difficult. About 76% of respondents explained that medicinal plants are not sold in the market and 23% responded marketability of medicinal plants. About 33% of informants explained that medicinal plants are under threat and 67% explained that they are not threatened. Focus group discussion and key informant interview revealed that people conserve medicinal plant in live fences, home gardens, and they cultivate some species because of their nutraceutical value. They interpreted that there is no specific conservation activities targeted to medicinal planted by extension program. This indicates the necessary strategy and conservation of medicinal plants in the study area. Postharvest handling is not commonly known for many medicinal plants because they are collected and used immediately. Therefore, local people use their knowledge nowadays in this region. The resources require an urgent attention in research and policy which should include training on knowledge of medicinal plants use and management in cultivating, production, postharvest handling, promoting their use and sustainable utilization. Key words: Conservation, medicinal plants, Jimma, Kersa.