Papers by Adriana Alercia
Brazil is one of the most biodiversity rich countries in the world, including a wealth of agricul... more Brazil is one of the most biodiversity rich countries in the world, including a wealth of agricultural biodiversity in both wild and cultivated forms. This is particularly noticeable in southern Brazil, home to a wide array of underutilized food species whose genetic diversity is maintained mostly by farmers through on-farm management practices. Farmers' contribution in safeguarding and keeping alive traditional knowledge (TK) essential for recognizing, cultivating, valorising and consuming these resources is critical to their conservation. Part of this diversity, a rich basket of native fruits and landraces of vegetables and grains, is also maintained through ex situ collections managed by Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) and its partners. This article discusses the integrated efforts for in situ/on-farm and ex situ conservation and use of agricultural biodiversity in southern Brazil. This diversity represents an important cultural heritage, since its use, cultivation and associated knowledge result from the dynamic history of the Brazilian population, including colonisation and immigration by several different ethnicities. Many of these species are sources of genes that convey tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, as a result of the combined action of natural selection and artificial selection by farmers in agricultural systems with low inputs and diverse environmental conditions. Due to their importance for food security, use in breeding programs, high nutritional value, and potential for income generation, Embrapa has taken responsibility for the ex situ conservation of these species. The genebanks that safeguard against the loss of these resources do also play an important role in the restoration of this germplasm to farming communities.
(IPGRI) is an independent international scientific organization that seeks to advance the conserv... more (IPGRI) is an independent international scientific organization that seeks to advance the conservation and use of plant genetic diversity for the well-being of present and future generations. It is one of 16 Future Harvest Centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), an association of public and private members who support efforts to mobilize cutting-edge science to reduce hunger and poverty, improve human nutrition and health, and protect the environment. IPGRI has its headquarters in Maccarese, near Rome, Italy, with offices in more than 20 other countries worldwide. The Institute operates through three programmes: (1) the Plant Genetic Resources Programme, (2) the CGIAR Genetic Resources Support Programme and (3) the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP). The international status of IPGRI is conferred under an Establishment Agreement which, by January 2003, had been signed by the Governments of Algeria,
The world is continually challenged to increase crop productivity and identify new varieties bett... more The world is continually challenged to increase crop productivity and identify new varieties better-adapted to changing climatic conditions in order to meet the needs of local communities and contribute to global food security efforts. To effectively respond to these challenges, farmers and breeders must have access to a wide range of plant genetic resources (PGR), as well as their associated characterization and evaluation data. The value of genetic resources is dependent upon the information available to adequately and appropriately use such germplasm. Accurate characterization and evaluation data promote the use of PGR, especially if available in a standardized format. Through the production of crop standards, or ‘descriptors’, and in collaboration with National Agricultural Research Systems, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Centres and crop research institutes and networks, Bioversity International aims to stimulate the characterization and evalu...
Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, 2008
This paper explores the history of descriptor lists (DLs)-scientific standards for documenting pl... more This paper explores the history of descriptor lists (DLs)-scientific standards for documenting plant genetic resources-which have been published by Bioversity International since 1976 (formerly IBPGR 1974-1991; IPGRI 1991-2006). Each DL represents an important tool; together, they constitute the basis for a standardized characterization system that provides an internationally agreed format and universally understood 'language' for plant genetic resources data. The paper also presents an analysis of data collected through questionnaires and web statistics on the impact of DLs in order to understand their use by major stakeholders. The usefulness of Bioversity's DLs was measured in terms Keywords Descriptor list Á Factor analysis Á Genebank management Á Information Á Plant genetic resources Abbreviations ADB Asian Development Bank APWs Annual Project Work Plans CAGs Crop Advisory Groups CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CCER Centre Commissioned External Reviews This article is a joint effort of all authors: Jamie Watts drafted and collected the questionnaires and data analysis was conducted by Francesco Caracciolo. Adriana Alercia and Ramanatha Rao provided background and technical information while Jamie Watts and Elisabetta Gotor assured critical and objective analysis of the overall document, written by Elisabetta Gotor.
(IPGRI) is an independent international scientific organization that seeks to advance the conserv... more (IPGRI) is an independent international scientific organization that seeks to advance the conservation and use of plant genetic diversity for the well-being of present and future generations. It is one of 16 Future Harvest Centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), an association of public and private members who support efforts to mobilize cutting-edge science to reduce hunger and poverty, improve human nutrition and health, and protect the environment. IPGRI has its headquarters in Maccarese, near Rome, Italy, with offices in more than 20 other countries worldwide. The Institute operates through three programmes: (1) the Plant Genetic Resources Programme, (2) the CGIAR Genetic Resources Support Programme and (3) the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP). The international status of IPGRI is conferred under an Establishment Agreement which, by January 2003, had been signed by the Governments of Algeria,
Bioversity International is an independent international scientific organization that seeks to im... more Bioversity International is an independent international scientific organization that seeks to improve the well-being of present and future generations of people by enhancing conservation and the deployment of agricultural biodiversity on farms and in forests. It is one of 15 centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), an association of public and private members who support efforts to mobilize cutting-edge science to reduce hunger and poverty, improve human nutrition and health, and protect the environment. Bioversity has its headquarters in Maccarese, near Rome, Italy, with offices in more than 20 other countries worldwide. The organization operates through four programmes: Diversity for Livelihoods, Understanding and Managing Biodiversity, Global Partnerships, and Commodities for Livelihoods. The international status of Bioversity is conferred under an Establishment Agreement which, by January 2010, had been signed by the Governments of Algeria,
Integration with plant ontology (PO) and gramene trait ontology (GTO), to develop a common, inter... more Integration with plant ontology (PO) and gramene trait ontology (GTO), to develop a common, internationally-shared crop trait and anatomy ontology. FUTURE STRATEGY Within the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), there is an enormous volume of agriculture-related information that is generated. In the past six or seven decades the CGIAR has accumulated historic crop datasets that are related to phenotype, breeding, germplasm, pedigree, traits, etc. However, available data is not systematically formatted and annotated which complicates data management, retrieval, and accessibility. Therefore, the Generation Challenge Programme (GCP) is deploying crop ontology to semantically characterize these datasets. The GCP crop ontology and associated open source software framework is described on the GCP “ Pantheon" project web site (http://www.pantheon.generationcp.org). INTRODUCTION 1Crop Research Informatics Laboratory Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de ...
(IPGRI) is an independent international scientific organization that seeks to advance the conserv... more (IPGRI) is an independent international scientific organization that seeks to advance the conservation and use of plant genetic diversity for the well-being of present and future generations. It is one of 16 Future Harvest Centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), an association of public and private members who support efforts to mobilize cutting-edge science to reduce hunger and poverty, improve human nutrition and health, and protect the environment. IPGRI has its headquarters in Maccarese, near Rome, Italy, with offices in more than 20 other countries worldwide. The Institute operates through three programmes: (1) the Plant Genetic Resources Programme, (2) the CGIAR Genetic Resources Support Programme and (3) the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP). The international status of IPGRI is conferred under an Establishment Agreement which, by January 2003, had been signed by the Governments of Algeria,
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La quinua (Chenopodium quinua Willd.) es un cultivo potencialmente estrategico que desempena un r... more La quinua (Chenopodium quinua Willd.) es un cultivo potencialmente estrategico que desempena un rol esencial en la seguridad y soberania alimentaria, contribuye de forma significativa a las necesidades basicas de la poblacion y es parte del patrimonio ancestral y cultural de los paises andinos. Su amplia diversidad conforma un acervo genetico extraordinariamente valioso y que se expresa en la variabilidad de colores de la planta, inflorescencia y semilla, duracion del ciclo de cultivo, valor nutritivo y agroindustrial, asi como en el contenido de saponina del grano. Esta diversidad, confiere al cultivo una amplia adaptacion a diferentes condiciones agroecologicas (suelos, precipitacion, fr temperatura, altitud, tolerancia a heladas, sequia, salinidad). A nivel mundial son 16422 las accesiones de quinua y sus parientes silvestres que se conservan en 59 bancos de semillas de 30 paises (Chenopodium quinoa, C. album, C. berlandieri, C. hircinum, C. petiolare, C. murale y Chenopodium sp....
Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution
Detailed information about genetic differences among individuals or groups of accessions can be h... more Detailed information about genetic differences among individuals or groups of accessions can be helpful for management and utilization of germplasm collections. So, descriptor assist scientists to improve their capacity to describe, store, manage and share information about plant resources, whether stored in genebanks or growing in natural environments. It is also an important tool to enable information sharing for crops, facilitate the international exchange and use of plant resources, uniformity in data description. Provide an international format and a universally understood language for plant genetic resources data. They are targeted at farmers, curators, breeders and users and facilitate the exchange and use of resources (Rana et al. 1991, Van Hintum in Genet Resour Crop Evol 40:133-136, 1993). This test guideline was developed to apply to all varieties of C. olitorius and C. capsularis. It is an important tool to enable gathering and sharing information about the two cultivated species, C. olitorius and C. capsularis biodiversity. C. olitorius and C. capsularis, are tall, usually annual herbs, reaching a height of 2.4 m. They are used as a major source of natural fibres mainly in Asian and Latin American countries. C. olitorius (jute mallow) is an important green leafy vegetable in many areas. Different parts of C. olitorius are also used in folk medicine (
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Papers by Adriana Alercia