Conservation strategies for Portuguese crop landrace diversity

Santos de Almeida, Maria João (2019). Conservation strategies for Portuguese crop landrace diversity. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

Crop landraces (LR) are threatened generally due to socio-economic and climate changing factors. However, LR often present traits able to mitigate the aforementioned threats.

Several countries ratified treaties that promote conservation and sustainable use of their LR and documents, such as National Strategic Action Plans (NSAP), are outlined to coordinate such conservation actions. Nevertheless, in most countries this is rather incipient.

With this work a Portuguese LR inventory was created with 14,813 LR entries corresponding to 7,492 different LR within 36 families and 130 taxa of 123 crops. In addition, a LR threat assessment methodology was developed including a LR Threat Risk Calculator which enables automatic calculation of LR threat risk levels. Finally, genetic work using 11 microsatellites was carried out for Phaseolus vulgaris L. LR in order to assess its genetic diversity and providing heterozygosity information to be used in threat assessment.

Nei’s genetic distance calculation identified, out of three populations, population two and three LR as more closely related to each other. Population two with predominantly mainland and Madeira LR, and population three with the fewer number of LR, mainly from Azores.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):