The establishment of the NordGen potato collection, underlying principles, registration, evaluation and election of varieties for a Nordic collection

Transcription

1 The establishment of the NordGen potato collection, underlying principles, registration, evaluation and election of varieties for a Nordic collection Sigurgeir Ólafsson

2 The beginning 1978-The Nordic Council of Ministers makes the final decision on establishment of the Nordic Gene Bank (NGB) starting Magnhild Umaerus prepares for the start of nordic genebank activity on potato 1979-Starting of the NGB working group on potato

3 The beginning The collection and identification of the old varieties could not be delayed. Genetic material were about to get lost and the expertise on those old varieties also.

4 The NGB working group on potato Denmark: Niels Erik Foldø, Karl Tolstrup, Lars Buch Finland: Rolf Manner, E. Miettinen, Leena Pietilä Iceland: Sigurgeir Ólafsson Norway: Lars Roer, Tore Bjor Sweden: Magnhild Umaerus, Lennart Erjefält, Kerstin Olsson Special advisors: Harald Esbo, Erik Jönsson, Lars Roer, Eero Varis NGB staff: Ebbe Kjellqvist, Kristin Kolshus, Merja Veteläinen, Katarina Wedelsbäck Bladh

5 Nordic Potato Breeding Nordic cooperative program on plant breeding (SNP: Samnordisk planteforædling) started in 1980 with a working group on potato 2 potato groups with same members (NGB and SNP) united in 1993 when NGB and SNP were intergrated

6 What potato material should be preserved? 1. Nordic landraces (landsorter). 2. Cultivars bred and/or cultivated in the Nordic countries. 3. Breeding lines (not commercial varieties) (genitörer, nummersorter) 4. (Wild and primitive Solanum-species)

7 What potato material should be preserved? 1. Nordic landraces (landsorter). 2. Cultivars bred and/or cultivated in the Nordic countries. 3. Breeding lines (not commercial varieties)

8 The main criteria for acceptance into the genebank The genetic material is not considered to be sufficiently preserved in other countries. The genetic material has one or more traits or combination of traits that motivates its long-term maintenance. The genetic material is unique. The genetic material can be documented.

9 Secondary criteria to consider Nordic landraces The cultural historical value The utility value Cultural traits Resistance traits Quality traits

10 Secondary criteria to consider Cultivars bred and/or cultivated in the Nordic countries. The utility value cultural traits resistance traits quality traits Nordic bred cultivars and foreign cultivars that are no longer cultivated commercially (not on variety lists) should as soon as possible be evaluated with regard to eventual genebank inclusion. Present and future nordic bred cultivars should when they no longer are cultivated commercially (are taken off variety lists) be evaluated with regard to the need and motivation for long-term maintenance of the cultivars.

11 Secondary criteria to consider Breeding lines (nummersorter) The utility value Cultural traits Resistance traits Quality traits The crossing properties

12 Guiding light Long-term maintenance of a vegetative propagated crop like the potato is both labour intensive and costly. The working group agreed that the potato material in the Nordic genebank should not be unnecessary extensive and the work should primarily be concentrated on valueable genetic material not expected to be maintained elsewhere. In 1991 the group agreed, because of the high cost of in vitro maintenance only to accept nordic bred cultivars which according to the group s evaluation have had well documented importance judged by the extent of cultivation and/or as genetic stock (genitörer).

13 Plant health Old potato material is frequently totally infected by viruses and can in addition bring with it other harmful pathogens. Field growing of infected material gives atypical plants and unreliable identification and is risky for other potato growing. Therefore it is often necessary to make healthy seed from in vitro plants before evaluation

14 Collection and registration The main collecting effort was carried out in About 180 accessions received. Each got its NGB number. Collecting methods Request to agricultural and horticultural societies, advisors, collectors etc. Advertisement and articles published in papers and magazines. Listing of possible candidates for genebank inclusion and active search for specific varieties (e.g.harald Esbo: Det svenska potatissortimentet, dess härstamning och dess tillvaratagande i Nordiska genbanken).

15 Collection and registration Harald Esbo s proposal for Sweden: 1. Swedish landraces 14 varieties 2. Swedish bred cultivars Until cultivars After cultivars 3. 8 foreign cultivars from 1981 variety list Grupp 1 Blå Dalslands Gammal svensk röd Gullöga Jämtlands vit Leksands vit Mandel (blomma vit) Mandel (blomma rödviolett) Polstjärnan Rättviks Röda krokar Rödbrokig svensk Sparris Tärendö Tysk blåpotatis

16 Collection and registration Old Icelandic potatoes Akraneskartöflur Akureyrarkartöflur Bláar íslenskar Blálandsdrottning (Edzel Blue) Blálandskeisari (Shetlands Blue) Blárauðar kartöflur Dunhagarauður Eyvindur (Kerr s Pink) Ferjunesbláar Glæsibæjarkartöflur Grýtubakkakartöflur Gular Akureyrar Gular íslenskar Gular frá Vestfjörðum Gullauga Hámundarstaðakartöflur Helga Helguhvammskartöflur Hraunakartöflur Hvítar íslenskar Íslenskar Akureyri Lónskartöflur Ólafsrauður Rauð Akureyrarjarðepli Rauðar frá Hallgeirsey Rauðar íslenskar Rauðblá innlend Reykhúsakartöflur Stöðvarfjarðarkartöflur Undirfellskartöflur Úrvalskartöflur

17 Identification Observation and description of tubers, sprouting and description of sprouts, planting and field inspection at the same location for comparison. Field inspection July 9th 1984 at Stora Råby, Sweden: Harald Esbo (died 1985), Erik Jönsson and Lars Roer. Electrophoresis 1993, AFLP and Retrotransposon fingerprinting Microsatellites as molecular markers

18 Evaluation and inclusion Accepted for inclusion in 2002 Country Cultivars Landraces Breeding lines Total Denmark Finland Iceland Norway Sweden Total The total received potato samples : over 500

19 Documentation and characterization To make the genebank material more valuable for future potato breeding it is essential to have it well documented regarding cultural, resistance and quality traits. Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden put much effort into analysing for missing facts for varieties accepted for inclusion

20 Documentation and characterization Morphological and cultural traits: Description of sprouts, flowers and tubers. Maturity type. Resistance traits: Wart disease, late blight (foliage and tuber), leaf roll virus (PLRV), virus Y (PVY), Phoma and Fusarium dry rot, common scab, spraing (mop top (PMTV) and rattle virus (TRV)) Quality traits: Dry matter content, glycoalkaloid content, chlorogenic acid content, cooking type, after cooking discoloration, chipping quality

21 The book on nordic potato 2001

22 Inclusion At a certain point in time it must be assumed that most of the old nordic landraces still in cultivation already have been collected and the chances that new accessions will turn out to be a missing landrace are very small but rather a dublicate of what has already been collected or a foreign cultivar preserved elsewhere.

23 Evaluation and inclusion Accepted for inclusion in 2012 according to NordGens database (2002 in parentheses) Country Cultivars Landraces Breeding lines Total Denmark 11(7) 2(2) 0(0) 13(9) Finland 7(7) 3(2) 0(0) 10(9) Iceland 0(0) 3(3) 0(0) 3(3) Norway 6(6) 7(7) 3(3) 16(1)6 Sweden 14(9) 30(14) 5(4) 49(27) Total 38(29) 45(28) 8(7) 91(64) The importance of motivation for inclusion and maintenance in the genebank

24 Thoughts to consider As NordGen has had difficulties in fulfilling its obligations because of lacking of financial funds it is worth considering: 1.Should we decide that the collection of old landraces or old cultivars has come to an end and possibly make a list of missing varieties if any? 2. Should NordGen go on receiving unidentified material from collectors? 3. Should NordGen grant the service to private growers or collectors of identifying varieties or should that rather be the obligation of a national program? (DNA based identification methods!) 4. As the NordGen potato collection is maintained as healthy and tested material it would not be unreasonable to request that all new material ment for inclusion in the genebank should be send as virusfree in vitro plants, documented and with motivation. Through national programs?

25 The End