| Priorities for regions and species 14. The Committee considered the priority ratings of geographical regions for wheat collecting which were drawn up at the Leningrad Symposium and reaffirmed these with some modifications :
15. The Committee agreed that priorities should be given to species as follows : firstly, tetraploid species ; secondly, hexaploid species ; and thirdly, diploid species including Aegilops. However, expeditions and collecting teams should not be mission-orientated but must try to collect the whole range of variability. 16. It was agreed that no existing collections satisfied the Committee for their comprehensiveness of wild species. In addition it is not possible to rank the wild species into any order of priority for collection. Notwithstanding this, it was recommended that: (a) a monitoring system should be built up through the regional networks so that where there are areas rich in wild species which come under threat, the Committee can be alerted via the Secretariat who should be empowered to put teams into the field at short notice ; and (b) in view of the gaps existing in the collections of wild material, and the emphasis previously laid on collecting primitive cultivars, the Board should organise a seminar (preferably in Turkey) on wild species of Triticum and Aegilops, to be led by Professor Yamashita in June 1977. The participants should include those persons active in the national programmes in S.W. Asia, as well as selected people from the European and Mediterranean programmes, and the S. Asian sub-continent. 17. The Secretariat should be asked to undertake the arrangements for the seminar. It is estimated that a four-day smeinar for about 20 participants (from S.W. Asia, E. Europe and USSR, Mediterranean and S. Asian sub-continent) would cost approximately $ 18,500. The Board may wish to consider this under its training item or to divide it among its regional activities. In addition, a few participants from genetic resources centres in developed countries should be allowed to attend at their own cost. Exploration plans 18. The Committee stressed the need for greater international collaboration and coordination of effort. It is recommended that all future plans for the collection of wheat germplasm be informed well in advance to the Wheat Adivsory Committee. In this context the Committee strongly endorsed two actions suggested by the Leningrad Symposium, i.e.: (a) The curators should send to the Secretariat information on forthcoming collecting expeditions as soon as the plans for these become reasonably definite. Also they should send up-to-date information on seed exchanges and requests for material that have gone unanswered ; and (b) The feasbility of joint explorations should be explored; not, however, to the exclusion of bilateral projects, and always attempting to include a local specialist in the team. It was recommended that the Crop Ecology and Genetic Resources Unit of FAO make contact with the indicated host countries as the initial step to organise expeditions in priority regions. 19. It was agreed that exploration plans for this meeting should be limited to Priorities 1 and 2 in para 14 above. |
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