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Central and
West Asia and North Africa
Survey on the implementation of the Global Plan of Action: Cyprus report
I. (a) Actions undertaken since mid-1995, and sources of funding
Prevailing regime - Participation in Networks
At the ARI a project was initiated in 1979 for the collection, conservation, characterization, documentation and utilization of Plant Genetic Resources. In 1985 the National Genebank was completed. In the Genebank about 12,000 samples mainly cereals, food and forage legumes are being stored, in hermetically sealed laminated foil bags in medium term storage conditions (0-4o C, 50% R.H.). Cyprus participated in the FAO/IBPGR Mediterranean programme Cyprus actively participates in the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources Networks (ECP/GR), since 1980. Cyprus participates in the IPGRI, West Asia and North African Countries Networks (WANANET), since 1992.
Cyprus endorsed the International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources in 1983 and in 1985 became a member of the Commission on Plant Genetic Resources. Cyprus has signed the Rio Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992 and has ratified the Convention in 1996 (Legislation No 4 (iii) 1996). Cyprus participated in the FAO Forth International Technical Conference on Plant Genetic Resources in Leipzig, Germany, during June 1996 and adopted the Global Plan of Action. For the Report on the State of the Word's Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, presented during the Conference, the ARI prepared the National Report. Cyprus participates in the Network on Neglected Mediterranean Plant Genetic Resources of Landscape, Cultural and Artistic Value, since 1996. Cyprus participates in the FAO Inter-Regional Cooperative Research Network on Olive, since 1980. Cyprus participates in the European Union and International Olive Oil Council's project on conservation, characterization, collection and utilization of genetic resources in olive, since 1997. Cyprus participates in the IPGRI Network on Neglected and Underutilized Plants (NUC), since 1998. Cyprus participates in the MEDUSA Network on the Identification, Conservation and Use of Wild Plants in the Mediterranean Region, since 1998. Conservation - National Genebank Approximately 12,000 samples of local/old cereal varieties, grain and forage legumes, wild medics, barley, Aegilops spp, Pistacia spp, as well as endemic, rare and aromatic plants of the Cyprus flora are conserved in the National (CYPARI) genebank in heat-sealable foil packets under controlled conditions (0-4o), 50-60% R.H. For monitoring seed viability germination tests are carried out every 1-2 years. A number of accessions are sown every year for regeneration-multiplication. Germplasm is threshed, properly cleaned, weighted, packed and transferred into the Genebank. Documentation
Information concerning the conservation and regeneration/multiplication of germplasm collection in the National Genebank was computerized during 1997 using the Microsoft Access version 2.0. The fields used are: accession number (accno), line number (line no), species, previous regeneration, last regeneration, weight (gr.), other information. The total number of records so far is 11,394 (7987 records of Triticum durum collection and 3407 of Hordeum vulgare. In addition the passport data of Triticum durum, Hordeum vulgare, Vicia faba, Vicia sativa, Vicia ervilia, Lathyrus ochrus, Lathyrus sativus, Lens culinaris, Cicer arientinum, Pisum sativum and Amygdalus communis were computerized using Microsoft Access version 2.0.
The passport information concerning a number of crops was sent to the European data bases in the framework of the participation of the ARI in the European Cooperative Programme for Crop Genetic Resources Networks (ECP/GR).
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