Experts and National
Coordinators of the International Neem Network met in a workshop held
in Yangon, Myanmar on 28 July - 1 August at the International Business
Centre of the Ministry of Forestry. The workshop included a field-trip
to Neem field research activities on 30 and 31 July. The Ministry of Forestry
and the Forest Department of Myanmar are heartily thanked for hosting
the workshop, for the wonderful practical arrangements and for the efficient
organization of the meeting. The list of participants and the agenda are
given in Annex 1 and Annex 2.
Following the recommendations and agreements of the First and Second International Consultations on Neem Improvement, Bangkok (Thailand) January 1993, and Jodhpur (India) March 1994, the International Neem Network was established with the long term objective to improve the genetic quality and adaptability of Neem and to improve its utilization, throughout the world, as a contribution to development in the countries concerned, in particular in concern of meeting the needs of rural people. In the initial stage, the main activities of the Network have been provenance exploration, collection and exchange for establishment of internationally coordinated trials. The Network decided to undertake additional research activities in phonology, seed physiology and technology, genetic diversity and reproductive biology, and variation in chemical compounds.
National institutions of 23 countries, in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe, are participating in the Network which is coordinated by FAO.
During 1993 and 1994, seed-sources were surveyed and documented throughout the natural range of the species and in areas of introduction. Pilot seed collection and exchange were undertaken to improve the procedures used in these very difficult operations, Neem seed having a recalcitrant or intermediate behaviour. A training workshop was organised in July 1994, in Coimbatore (India), to familiarise network collaborators with the improved procedures for seed collection and exchange.
Twenty five seed-sources, representing the eco-geographical variation in the range of distribution of the species, were selected for seed collection and exchange among network collaborators in 1995, for establishment of international provenance trials.
Results of seed exchange and nursery production were discussed at a workshop of the International Neem Network in Bangkok in March 1996. At this meeting guidelines for trial design of international provenance trials were discussed and adopted. Following the Bangkok workshop, approx. 30 international provenance trials were established by network collaborators in some 15 countries, sampling the full range of ecological conditions within the distribution area of Neem.
The main objectives of the workshop were to (i) report and discuss the 1996 activities of the network, especially the results of the trial establishment; (ii) discuss and adopt guidelines for assessment of provenance trials; (iii) discuss the future activities of the Network; and (iv) visit Neem research activities in the field in Myanmar.
This report describes and summarizes the discussions and recommendations of the meeting.
The Workshop of the International Neem Network was opened on Monday 28 July at 9.00 by His Excellency Lt. General Chit Swe, Minister of Forestry, Myanmar. He underlined in his opening address to the workshop the importance of Neem in Myanmar, and especially the role of Neem in greening degraded, low-productivity sites in drier regions of Myanmar. The speech by the Minister of Forest, Myanmar was followed by an address on behalf of FAO by Dr. Prem Nath, FAO Representative in Myanmar, who highlighted the many important uses of Neem. Mr. Christian Hansen of the Forest Resources Division of the FAO Forestry Department welcomed the participants to the Workshop on behalf of the Forest Resources Division of FAO, which is acting as the global coordinator of the network. Guests from embassies of the participating countries, ministries, projects and international organizations had been invited to the opening ceremony.
Following successful seed exchange and nursery production in 1995, international provenance trials were established by the Network collaborators in 1996 following the common guidelines for trial design and establishment adopted at the workshop of the International Neem Network in Bangkok, March 1996.
During the first day of the workshop, participating countries reported on the establishment of trials undertaken within the countries, and their status. A number of countries who had undertaken preliminary assessment of the trials, also reported on the results of such assessments. Information was also provided to the workshop participants, to the extent the information was available, on trial establishment undertaken by countries not present at the meeting.
Annex 3 to this report gives a summary of international provenance trials established by Network collaborators during 1996/97, and Annex 4 gives an overview of the distribution of the internationally exchanged seed sources to different trial sites.
The workshop examined the status of the trial establishment undertaken by the network collaborators and concluded that trial establishment had been highly successful in most countries, and most countries now hold carefully designed, well-managed and viable international provenance trials of Neem. It was further concluded that the approx. 30 established trials represent well the different ecological conditions and sites were Neem are grown. Trial design had in most cases been randomised, complete block design with not less than 4 replications (blocks). Number of trees within plots varied within country and trial, depending on the availability of seed sources (some collaborators had faced limited number of seedlings of certain provenances). The number of seed sources represented in each trial varied (ref. Annex 4), but was generally found to be satisfactory; many trials were reported to include more than 20 of the 25 seed sources exchanged. Additional, local seed sources, not part of the internationally exchange undertaken by the network, had been included in the provenance trials by a number of Network collaborators.
The important
task of maintaining and managing the trials well, was underlined several
times during the discussion of the status of trial establishment. This
will be one of the priority activities of the Network collaborators over
the coming years.
The meeting underlined the importance of having reliable and up-dated information on the trial establishment (trial establishment reports) as such information is a prerequisite for the assessment and analysis of trial results in the later stages of the programme. The meeting decided that collaborators who have not already submitted reports, should prepare trial establishment report (including maps of the trial site, with blocks and plots indicated) as soon as possible. Guidelines for the preparation of trial establishment reports can be found in the red booklet on trial design. A copy of the trial establishment report should be sent to the global coordinator of the International Neem Network (FAO) not later than end of September 1997. The meeting decided to compile the trial establishment reports into a booklet, which will be distributed to all collaborators once finalized.
The objectives of the field assessment of the international Neem provenance trials are (i) to examine statistically significant differences between provenances in respect to adaptability (survival, health, flowering/fruiting) and growth and (ii) to examine any substantial differences between provenances over a variety of environmental conditions; i.e. examine interactions between provenance and site.
A proposal for common guidelines for the assessment of the trials in the first five years were prepared and presented by the working group on trial assessment. The minimum set of characters (core characters) to be assessed includes: health status, survival, height, diameter (at 0.3 m or at 1.3 m), straightness (if main stem exceeds 1.3 m), number of stems (at 1.3 m), crown diameter, intensity of flowering/fruiting and seed production. The core set of characters were carefully reviewed at the meeting as assessing a large number of characters is time consuming and expensive. The assessment methodology was discussed and clarified, and it was agreed to include more detailed descriptions of the assessment methodology in the final version of the guidelines for trial assessment. It was decided to do a full assessment of the trials, i.e. to include all trees in all plots in the assessment. A system to identify individual trees within plots and thereby keep track of individual tree data was included in the guidelines. It was also decided, that the assessment of core characters should be carried out every year within the first five year period. It was recognized by the meeting that some of the core characters can only be assessed in the later year of the assessment period (e.g. flowering/fruiting, number of stems at 1.3 m and straightness). Every year, once the trial assessment has been completed, a copy of the completed data forms should be sent to the coordinator of the network (FAO).
The guidelines for trial assessment were adopted with some important clarifications suggested by the participants. The final version of the approved guidelines (to be published as the grey booklet) will be distributed to all network collaborators as soon as finalized.
The approved guidelines for trial assessment will be revised at a later stage when the trials get older and more characters become relevant to assess. Characters to be included in future assessments should reflect the many uses of Neem. In this regard, the meeting recognized the great variance in the importance of various Neem products between countries. The meeting further recognized the need for collection of more information and knowledge on the assessment methodology for some of the optional characters.
The existing working group on trial assessment will continue to develop and improve the guidelines on the optional characters that relates to adaptability and end uses such as fuelwood and fodder. Characters under consideration include drought resistance, estimation of above ground biomass, calorific value and fodder value. Members of the working group are India, Senegal, Thailand and DFSC. The group is open to new members.
A strong need for
more information on the methodology on assessment of chemical compounds
of Neem was also expressed, and a new working group was established under
the network to work on these aspects. Members of this working group are
India, China, Thailand, Nepal and Vietnam. FAO will also follow this work
in its capacity of overall coordinator of the Neem network. It was understood
that the working group, in the initial phase of its work, will look into
the following questions; (i) identification of most important chemical
compounds to assess; (ii) techniques for quantification; and (iii) procedures
for assessment, including practical arrangements and cost considerations.
This working group is also open to more members.
The assessments undertaken by network collaborators will result in completed data forms. The next step is to statistically analyse the data, interpret the results and draw conclusions for each individual trial. This will be carried out nationally by the network members. The network has not yet provided guidance for the analysis of data, however, common guidelines/training courses could be considered at a later stage if there is a need.
Network collaborators in need of assistance in the field assessment, data analysis or interpretation of results, are urged to take contact to the global coordinator (FAO) for advice on possible sources of assistance.
The 25 seed sources collected and exchanged between the network collaborators have been delineated and described according to common guidelines. This enables a comparison of characteristics of different seed sources over a variety of environmental conditions (the different trial sites). The seed source descriptions also allow to compare the characteristics of the seed source at the original site with the characteristics of the same seed source at other sites (the trial sites). Accurate seed source descriptions (including maps) are also required to be able to locate the seed sources for further seed collections or conservation activities.
A draft of the booklet " Descriptions of Neem seed sources" (blue booklet) was presented and discussed at the meeting. The booklet contains a summary of the described Neem seed sources, a geographical overview of the location of the 25 seed sources, a list of National Focal Institutes, and for each of the seed sources a detailed description (including maps). The information in the draft booklet should be carefully checked by network members to avoid mistakes in the final seed source descriptions, and possible corrections should be communicated to FAO. The final version will be prepared shortly after the deadline (1 October 1997) and distributed to Network collaborators.
Descriptions of some 20 local seed sources included by network collaborators in the trials had not been included in draft booklet. Network collaborators who want to include descriptions of local seed sources in the booklet should send detailed descriptions (including maps) to FAO as soon as possible and not later that 1 October 1997 in order to be included in the blue booklet
In establishing the International Neem Network in 1993 it was decided, in addition to the core activities of the Network dealing with identification, collection, and exchange of seed sources for establishment of international provenance trials, to undertake research on various aspects of Neem; (i) Seed physiology and technology; (ii) Genetic variation, taxonomy and reproductive biology; and (iii) Variation in chemical compounds. The status and progress of the research components of the International Neem Network were reported upon by the coordinators of the different components.
This component has been coordinated by Danida Forest Seed Centre. A research proposal was prepared in collaboration with a number of network collaborators, focusing on seed storage and seed desiccation studies. It was not possible to find funding for this proposal. A project on "Effective Conservation and Use of Intermediate and Recalcitrant Tropical Forest Tree Seed", has been developed with collaboration between 25 countries, and coordinated by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) with funding and technical backstopping from Danida Forest Seed Centre, Denmark (DFSC). The collaborators under this project are undertaking seed storage and desiccation studies on wide range of tropical tree species; Neem being one of those species. A number of Neem Network collaborating countries and institutes are taking part in the IPGRI-DFSC project. Mr. Graudal (DFSC) and Prof. Rao (IPGRI) briefly presented the project, and especially the preliminary results of work done by the collaborating countries on Neem.
The meeting recognized the work on Neem being undertaken by this project, especially in the light of the problems in finding funding for the research proposal prepared by the Network. The detailed protocol for storage and deciccation studies was seen as an excellent tool for Network collaborators interested in undertaking seed research on Neem at the national level. The meeting expressed interest in receiving further information on the progress and results on Neem seed research undertaking by the collaborators under this project at future Neem network meetings. Network collaborators were also requested to consult the Newsletter of the IPGRI-DFSC project. Additional information can be obtained from the project coordinator, and from DFSC.
A research proposal covering taxonomy, genetic diversity and reproductive biology of Neem, using isoenzymes and DNA-markers was prepared by a group of Network collaborators (Burkina Faso, India, Senegal, Thailand, Sweden and France, coordinated by Dr. Hélène Joly, CIRAD-Forêt, France). This group of collaborators also undertook preliminary studies in a pilot phase on a limited number of provenances, and prepared a protocol (a manual) on isozyme techniques for Neem. The project proposal was presented to the Government of France by IPGRI, but no funding was found for the proposal.
The meeting stressed the importance of the genetic diversity studies, especially in light of the unique possibility at hand to compare the results of the genetic diversity studies with the assessments of the field trials. The meeting recommended that the protocol on isozyme study techniques for Neem should be translated from French to English in order to facilitate research activities by the Network collaborators. The representative of CIRAD-Forêt in the workshop (Dr. Roberto Bacilieri) promised to follow-up on this matter. A number of Network collaborators (esp. India, Thailand and Senegal) informed about their interest in undertaking studies as part of national research activities on the molecular level genetic variation in Neem using isozyme markers. The network collaborators welcomed such activities and urged the countries to report on progress at future network meetings.
This component was already discussed at the 1996 workshop of the network in Bangkok, where all network collaborating countries expressed interest in developing this component further, in light of the important role of chemical compounds in the utilization of Neem. The meeting considered the possibility of coordinating and linking the research activities with the assessment of the international provenance trials, and especially with the established working group on assessment of chemical compounds, thereby integrating the work on chemical compounds with the assessment of the international provenance trials. This option was generally found to be desirable, and work on variation in chemical compounds within the International Neem Network will therefore be undertaken within the working group, which will report back to future Network meetings. It was understood that the working group (as mentioned above), in the initial phase of its work, will look into the following questions: (i) identification of most important chemical compounds to assess; (ii) techniques for quantification; and (iii) procedures for assessment, including practical arrangements and cost considerations.
The long term objective of the Network is the improvement of the genetic quality and adaptability of the Neem planted and its sound utilization world-wide, as a contribution to development in concerned countries and, in particular, meeting the needs of rural people. The network has so far followed a step by step approach, finishing one activity before entering into new ones. This practise was considered to be a main factor for the success of the International Neem Network to date, and the meeting confirmed that this approach should be continued over the coming years.
Following this approach, the meeting agreed that the priority activity of the International Neem Network over the coming years is the sound management and caretaking of the established international provenance trials, and the initiation of trial assessment following the adopted guidelines for trial assessment.
Over the coming years, activities will also be undertaken within the two working groups established at the meeting on (i) Optional characters to be included in further assessments of the trials; and (ii) Assessment of chemical compounds. Both working groups will report to the Network at the next meeting of the International Neem network.
Due to financial limitations, and also in order to allow network collaborators sufficient time to proceed and gain experiences with field assessment of trials, it was decided to tentative plan for the next meeting of the Network in 2-3 years' time, pending availability of financial resources and progress of the network activities.
The question of additional seed collection and exchange was discussed. China, as a new collaborator in the International Neem Network, had expressed interest in establishing provenance trials as part of the international series. A request for seed of the internationally exchanged seed sources has also been received from Niger, where the 1995 exchange had been unsuccessful. The meeting found a full-scale seed exchange programme prohibitive, due to the costs and practical arrangements involved, but urged individual network collaborators to collect and exchange seed with the countries in need, where seed collection of the seed sources used also earlier can fit into the work plan. Several network collaborators expressed willingness at the meeting to undertake additional seed collections for this purpose.
Also under this agenda item the network collaborators discussed, in more general terms, the future activities of the Network in the conservation of the genetic resources of Neem and the genetic improvement and production of improved planting material in countries concerned. The network collaborators recognised the great importance of network activities in further improvement and conservation of the genetic resources of Neem, but considered that action was premature, and that coordinated action should await the results of the first assessments of the international provenance trials. In this regard, the importance of conserving the original seed sources was stressed, in order to be able to go back to these genetic resources at later stages of the network programme.
A field visit to inspect and discuss the international provenance trial established at Kyew-The, Aunglan Township, Magwe Division was undertaken on 30 and 31 July 1997, with overnight stay at Pyay (180 miles from Yangon). Participants were very impressed with the established trial, and the maintenance and care of the trial. The growth and performance of the different provenances in the trial (after one year of growth) were discussed, and compared with experiences obtained by network collaborators in other countries. A brief stop was also included to the Brandis teak plantation site near Pyay; which encompasses the oldest teak plantations established in Myanmar (1857).
A farewell dinner in honour of the participants was hosted by His Excellency Lt. General Chit Swe, Minister of Forestry, Myanmar on the evening of Thursday 31 July.
