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Federal Centre of Breeding Research on Cultivated
Plants Global Crop Diversity Trust
Towards a Global Strategy for the Conservation of
Oat Genetic Resources Christoph U.Germeier,
Lothar Frese and Brigitte Laliberte,
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The situation of worlds genetic resources

• International agreements are in place
• Convention on Biological Diversity (1993),
• Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and
  Sustainable Utili-zation of Plant Genetic
  Resources for Food and Agriculture (1996),
• International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources
  for Food and Agriculture (2004).

• None of these provides for a perpetual source of
  funding
• Crop diversity in the field is diminishing,
• wild relatives of crops are disappearing under
  cleared forests and urban sprawl,
• Even some of the world's largest and most
  important international genebanks are facing
  severe budget cuts.

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The Global Crop Diversity Trust - Initiator of
the Process
http//www.croptrust.org
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The Global Crop Diversity Trust - Initiator of
the Process
Objectives
- aims to match the long term nature of
conservation needs with long term secure and
sustainable funding as an element of the funding
strategy of the International Treaty.
- assist the development of a rational and
efficient global system of crop diversity
conservation.
Activities

• (Co-) funding of gene banks and facilities (e.g.
  Svalbard facilities)

• Compilation of 9 regional conservation strategies,

- Compilations of currently 16 Global Crop
Conservation Strategies exclusively for Annex I
Crops.
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Elements of a Global Crop Strategy
User provenance
Material distribution
User types
Information delivery
User requirements
Cooperation
Multilateral cooperation
Participation
Data contribution
Bilateral cooperation
Information management
Structure
Biological Status
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The Status of Oats / Avena spp.
Legal
- Oat is listed in Annex I of the International
Treaty for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture.
- Oat is not within the mandate of one of the
CGIAR centers.
Agronomic
- Oat is a crop typical for and well adapted to
the cooler climates (Nordic countries, Canada),
but thrives well also in Australia.
- Oat is no bread cereal, but has been a staple
food for a long time in Northern Europe.
- Oat is extraordinary in cereals regarding
health promoting contents (protein, fat,
ß-glucan, minerals, antioxidants, hormone
analogs).
- Oat is highly suited for sustainable, extensive
production systems.
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Short Outline of Developing a Global Conservation
Strategy for Oats
1. Identify crop experts, collections, curators
and users (breeders).
2. Literature review on origin and evolution,
gene pools, taxonomy and distribution, centers of
diversity, use in breeding and research.
3. Questionnaire to update information on oat
collections.
4. Stakeholders and Strategy Advisory Group
Workshop (Fargo).
5. Identification of major collections and their
importance by analysis of information from
regional conservation strategies, from the survey
and by application of indicators for scoring the
value of collections.
6. Scoring management procedures of collections
according to accepted management standards.
7. Identification of networks, constraints and
challenges of collaboration.
8. Visit of collections eligible for funding by
the trust.
9. Final meeting of genebank curators and
stakeholders.
10. Final report and suggestions for the
allocation of funds by the trust.
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Relevant Information Available on Distribution
and Collections
Distribution - Global Biodiversity Information
Facility (http//www.gbif.org, http//ge.gbif.net/
).
Collections
- FAO (1996) The state of the world's plant
genetic resources for food and agriculture. - FAO
WIEWS Database (http//apps3.fao.org/wiews/germpla
sm.htm)
- European Avena Database (http//eadb.bafz.de). -
EURISCO (http//eurisco.ecpgr.org/).
- USDA Genetic Resources Information Network
(http//www.ars-grin.gov). - Canadian Genetic
Resources Information Network (http//pgrc3.agr.gc
.ca/acc/search-recherche_e.html).
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Avena Collections throughout the World
FAO mentions 117 Avena collections, with 113528
accessions
In Europe European Avena DB 26 contributors,
32664 accessions
EURISCO 24 contributors, 31739 accessions
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Coverage of Species in World Key Collections
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Elements for an International Oat Information
System
GRIN http//www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/acc/acc_queries
.html
GRIN-CA http//pgrc3.agr.gc.ca/acc/search-recherc
he_e.html
Pedigrees of Oat Lines http//avena.agr.gc.ca/OGI
S/index_e.php
OatGenes http//avena.agr.gc.ca/oatgenes
GrainGenes http//wheat.pw.usda.gov
Gelato http//avena.agr.gc.ca/GELATO/
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Elements for an International Oat Information
System
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Elements for an International Oat Information
System
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Elements for an International Oat Information
System
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Architecture for an International Oat Information
System
Central information services
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Thanks for your Attention
Acknowledgements Funding by the Global Crop
Diversity Trust, Angelika Schäfer-Menuhr, Severin
Polreich and Angelika Doelle. Brigitte Laliberte
for continuing support. All genebank curators and
database managers, who responded to the
questionnaire and provided additional information
on their collections.