Annex I: List of crops covered under the Multilateral System
The scope of the list of crops in what eventually became Annex I of the International Treaty was extensively and vigorously negotiated. In 1995, a list of 231 genera and crops was presented for the first time. Over the years, delegates agreed in principle to follow scientific criteria, meaning that crops included in the Multilateral System would be those most important for food security, and on which countries were particularly interdependent.
The consensus on the final list was achieved at the very end of the negotiation process, as the result of a political exercise rather than the application of straightforward scientific criteria.
The negotiation on the inclusion or exclusion of specific genera and crops thus resulted in a list of some 35 crops – or in the case of Brassicas, crop complexes – and 29 forages. During the initial phase of implementation, the list caused some difficulties, making it necessary to develop taxon lists to be used in gene banks and integrated into information management tools. The final list was a compromise of crops and forages that together accounted at that time for 80 percent of the food calorie intake derived from plants.
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Food crops
Crop | Genus | Observations |
---|---|---|
Breadfruit | Artocarpus | Breadfruit only. |
Asparagus | Asparagus |
|
Oat | Avena |
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Beet | Beta |
|
Brassica complex | Brassica et al. | Genera included are: Brassica, Armoracia, Barbarea, Camelina, Crambe, Diplotaxis, Eruca, Isatis, Lepidium, Raphanobrassica, Raphanus, Rorippa, andSinapis. This comprises oilseed and vegetable crops such as cabbage, rapeseed, mustard, cress, rocket, radish, and turnip. The species Lepidium meyenii(maca) is excluded. |
Pigeon Pea | Cajanus |
|
Chickpea | Cicer |
|
Citrus | Citrus | Genera Poncirus and Fortunella are included as root stock. |
Coconut | Cocos |
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Major aroids | Colocasia, Xanthosoma | Major aroids include taro, cocoyam, dasheen and tannia. |
Carrot | Daucus |
|
Yams | Dioscorea |
|
Finger Millet | Eleusine |
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Strawberry | Fragaria |
|
Sunflower | Helianthus |
|
Maize is one of the major crops included on the list, and it plays a crucial role in potential income to the International Treaty. In 2018, the world produced 1 164 million tonnes with a productivity of 5 896 kilos per hectare. It currently ranks as a crop with significant potential to generate revenue from mandatory payments, taking into account its presence and role in commercial PGRFA products and the amount of material transferred during the first decade of operations of the Multilateral System.
Rice is a staple food for over half the world's population and has the second-largest cereal production after maize, with 782 million tonnes produced worldwide in 2018 (FAOSTAT). China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Viet Nam are the biggest producers.
Sorghum is the fifth most important cereal grown, with a world production of over 59 million tonnes in 2018 (FAOSTAT). Most varieties are heat and drought tolerant; hence it is an important crop in arid areas. It is an essential source of food in Africa, Central America, and South Asia.
Crop | Genus | Observations |
---|---|---|
Barley | Hordeum |
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Sweet Potato | Ipomoea |
|
Grass pea | Lathyrus |
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Lentil | Lens |
|
Apple | Malus |
|
Cassava | Manihot | Manihot esculenta only. |
Banana / Plantain | Musa | Except Musa textilis. |
Rice | Oryza |
|
Pearl Millet | Pennisetum |
|
Beans | Phaseolus | Except Phaseolus polyanthus. |
Pea | Pisum |
|
Rye | Secale |
|
Potato | Solanum | Section tuberosa included, except Solanum phureja. |
Eggplant | Solanum | Section melongena included. |
Sorghum | Sorghum |
|
Triticale | Triticosecale |
|
Wheat | Triticum et al. | Including Agropyron, Elymus, and Secale. |
Faba Bean / Vetch | Vicia |
|
Cowpea et al. | Vigna |
|
Maize | Zea | Excluding Zea perennis, Zea diploperennis, and Zea luxurians. |
Forages
The International Treaty's Annex I includes mainly temperate forages, while tropical forages are excluded. According to the results of a survey published by the Secretary in 2013, forages have the longest development time of all crops within the Multilateral System, requiring an average 21–24 years to develop a product with landraces and 13–15 years with improved material. This is significantly longer than most food crops, where lettuce has the shortest development time for a product – around 8 years using landraces and 5 years with improved material.
Genera | Species |
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LEGUME FORAGES |
|
Astragalus | chinensis, cicer, arenarius |
Canavalia | ensiformis |
Coronilla | varia |
Hedysarum | coronarium |
Lathyrus | cicera, ciliolatus, hirsutus, ochrus, odoratus, sativus |
Lespedeza | cuneata, striata, stipulacea |
Lotus | corniculatus, subbiflorus, uliginosus |
Lupinus | albus, angustifolius, luteus |
Medicago | arborea, falcata, sativa, scutellata, rigidula, truncatula |
Melilotus | albus, officinalis |
Onobrychis | viciifolia |
Ornithopus | sativus |
Prosopis | affinis, alba, chilensis, nigra, pallida |
Pueraria | phaseoloides |
Trifolium | alexandrinum, alpestre, ambiguum, angustifolium, arvense, agrocicerum, hybridum, incarnatum, pratense, repens, resupinatum, rueppellianum, semipilosum, subterraneum, vesiculosum |
During the negotiation of Annex I, the list of legume forages reached 28, later reduced to 15, while the list of grass forages at a certain stage comprised 33 genera, which became 12 at the end of the negotiations.
Genera | Species |
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GRASS FORAGES |
|
Andropogon | gayanus |
Agropyron | cristatum, desertorum |
Agrostis | stolonifera, tenuis |
Alopecurus | pratensis |
Arrhenatherum | elatius |
Dactylis | glomerata |
Festuca | arundinacea, gigantea, heterophylla, ovina, pratensis, rubra |
Lolium | hybridum, multiflorum, perenne, rigidum, temulentum |
Phalaris | aquatica, arundinacea |
Phleum | pratense |
Poa | alpina, annua, pratensis |
Tripsacum | laxum |
OTHER FORAGES |
|
---|---|
Atriplex | halimus, nummularia |
Salsola | vermiculata |
Taxonomic issues
The issue of which genera and species to include in Annex I crops was considered by the Ad Hoc Technical Advisory Committee on the Multilateral System and the Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA) established by the Governing Body in 2009. The Committee noted that a practical way to address the issue of PGRFA in Annex I would be to adopt a crop-based approach, i.e. to consider whether the material is part of the gene pool of the crops listed in Annex I, regardless of taxonomical issues.
The Committee noted that the Annex I is organized by crops, with the other two columns being either exclusionary or indicative, but still based on the crop list. In addition, the Committee advised considering the provisions of Article 11.2 of the Treaty as well as the definition of 'plant genetic resources for food and agriculture' in the International Treaty, in considering what falls under the Treaty's Annex I.