Plant Genetic Resources Conservation and Utilization in Nigeria
摘要
The National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB) was established in 1987 with the mandate to explore, collect, regenerate, characterize, conserve, and distribute crop diversity in Nigeria. NACGRAB has collected and is conserving seeds of over 11,000 accessions of over 40 plant species for sustainable utilization for crop improvement, research, and training purposes. The Centre also conserves species with recalcitrant seedsRecalcitrant seeds on a 12-hectare plot of land within Moor Plantation, located in Ibadan, Southwest, Nigeria. In addition, herbarium specimens of various medicinal and multipurpose plant species are being preserved. NACGRAB also maintains functional Tissue Culture and Molecular Biology laboratories, which are used for in vitro conservation, rapid multiplicationMultiplication of endangered crop species,Endangered speciesCrop species and genotyping of various accessions of economic and food security importance. In terms of distribution, NACGRAB has distributed over 10,000 accessions of various species and regenerated more than 12,000 accessions of important food crops like maize, tomato, rice, cowpea, pearl millet, and yam among others. The center has also begun the digitization of all gene bank operations and information, which were previously done manually. Seeds from harvested fruits are sometimes extracted for propagation. These seeds are typically established in a nursery to raise seedlings, which are then made available to researchers, students, and farmers who often visit the Centre on excursions. Furthermore, in collaboration with seed gene banks, NACGRAB is currently digitalizing its collections, including the herbarium voucher specimens. There is also a plan to digitalize field collections using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. The Centre has maintained a functional and dynamic website for over a decade, allowing global interaction with the Centre. This chapter aims to highlight the rich biodiversity of various crops available at the Nigeria National Gene Bank, provide information on the achievements of the National gene bank in Nigeria, inform the global community about the rich biodiversity of different crops available at the Nigeria National gene bank, and show some innovations on how to improve the conservation and utilization of Plant Genetic Resources (PGRs).