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prepared
by: Semsuddin Siddiqi NPPP CROP improvement FAO OF UN /AFG/94/001
KDE, AFGHANISTAN
BASIC
STATISTICS
Afghanistan
is an agricultural country with an agrarian economy in which
80% of the population are engaged in agriculture. Total population
is about 23 million persons with total area of 652626 kmē.
Total arable land is about a million ha and out of this 4
million ha are under cultivation. Area under forest and pasture
(before war, 1980) was 1.98 and 6.2 million ha respectively.
ENVIRONMENT
Water is the limiting factor in this country because in the
present status all the irrigation infrastructures is destroyed.
Afghanistan's
climate is continental, characterized by hot dry summer and
cold wet winter with wide fluctuation in temperature.
Rainfall
varies considerably from year to year and also with fluctuation
in temperature. The annual precipitation in most part of the
country ranges between 100-400 mm. December - April are the
rainy months with maximum rainfall in March, with snow in
the higher elevation. The period from June to October is very
dry.
Warmer
area such as Jalalabad where citrus trees and sugar cane are
grown has the most frost free period (300 days) while in other
parts up to 230 days. The growing season in central Afghanistan
and higher elevation is too short from 120 - 150 days.
BACKGROUND
IN AGRICULTURE WITH REGARD TO PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES
The agricultural
production system of the country is affected strongly by war
between 1978 - 1994 and the yield of old improved varieties
and local cultivar with their genetic potential decreased
tremendously.
Due to
the efforts of international community UN/FAO, EU, national
and international NGOs the rehabilitation of the agriculture
sector has started slowly since 1990 in the fields of improved
seed, chemical fertilizer, varietal testing and research canal
cleaning and other infrastructures.
Afghanistan
is one of the richest centres of plant genetic resources due
to its geographical, climatical and topographical aspects-It
is the main centre for some of the important cereal, legume,
vegetables, fruits, oil crop, medicinal plants, forest trees,
ornamental plants and wild relatives. These resources trees
can be found in wild type, weeds and primitive domesticated
or cultivated areas.
Most
of the species has special characters such as resistance to
disease and insects, drought, salinity, cold tolerance and
other agro-morphological traits of interest to scientists
. There is variation in altitude of Afghanistan which ranges
from 450 to 5000 m (absl) which gave chance for higher plant
genetic variability and crop adaptation under diverse climate
from place to place in the country.
These
plant genetic wealth and resources can be utilized in plant
breeding programs to transfer and incorporate the desirable
gene to a cultivar on national and international level. Plant
genetic exploration, collection was initiated for the first
time in the country through USAID programme by Miss Bennett
1971. She established only one room as cold chamber-She also
started collection of wheat and some legumes and stored them
in simple facilities.
During
1975 IBPGR representatives visited Kabul to see Afghan germplasm
programme. With financial and technical assistance FAO Near
East Regional project, we were able to collect about 3000
samples of different crop species and conserved them nationally
at Darul Aman Agricultural Research Station in Kabul. Also
one set of this germplasm was sent to international institutions
for preservation.
ARIA
(Agricultural Research Institute of Afghanistan), paid attention
to germplasm unit and started its evaluation programs. We
had close cooperation with international sources in plant
genetic resources for exchanging the material in order to
use the best characters in breeding programme.
Between
1975-1985 strong breeding and varietal testing programme was
operating. We were able to release one variety of bread wheat
(Darul Aman 4) under hybridization and several varieties,
through adapted research and introduction.
Present
Status
Unfortunately
due to undeclared war and political issues, the 1979 Soviet
Union intervention to Afghanistan, all the crop improvement
activities and research as well as plant genetic resources
unit with earlier gene bank with moisture proof canes were
looted and lost completely and educated staff left the country.
New
Steps For Crop Improvement and Plant Genetic Resources
FAO Crop
Improvement UNO/AFG/94/DPS played a major role since 1996
in the rehabilitation of research programme in 6 agroclimatic
zones of the country. These stations are in Mazar (North),
Takhar (North East),Nangarhar (East), Ghazni (East central),
Kandahar (South West), and Herat (Western) Afghanistan.
The objective
and tasks are to find out the early generation seeds of high
yielding varieties especially wheat, maize, rice and pulses,
from the exotic materials inside Afghanistan. in addition
to that follow up of the previous research programme and work
of the international NGOs in the field of research and crop
improvement have been fulfilled. Recently contact has been
established and achieved for rehabilitation of the Plant Genetic
Resources with FAO, CWANA - IPGRI/ICARDA.
IPGRI/CWANA
have started their cooperation and organized a training course
from Oct 20-31, 1997 in PGRI at PARC Pakistan for Afghans
and Pakistan Agri staff. During the course future collaboration,
cooperation, assistance and attention for Afghan germplasm
were pointed out.
Repatriation
of old Afghan collection for evaluation and rejuvenation have
been discussed. I will add that fortunately those 100 accessions
of wheat which were repatriated from Iran planted in Jalalabad
and Heart during this year-The growth and germination was
good and recommended data was recorded.
Can
we start to implement programme on Plant Genetic Resources
in the present status of the war in Afghanistan?
The answer
will be yes because:
- Most
of the plant genetic resources are under rapid destruction
erosion. The forest cruelly cut Pulling out with root tie.,
medicinal plants, heavy grazing of the pasture and turning
of pasture land to cultivated land. These factors will affect
strongly in losses of plant genetic resources in this region.
- Most
of the raw products of these resources are smuggled to neighbor
countries.
- There
are tremendous crop species which are under erosion and
the following action plan for conservation and Preservation
of plant genetic resources are suggested.
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