GENETIC RESOURCES

IN AGRICULTURE
(continue)
 POULTRY
• chicken, ducks and turkeys
• first domesticated chickens (fowl) of Indian origin
for the purpose of cockfighting in Asia, Africa,
and Europe
• Classes of chicken are:
(i)American, (ii)Asiatic, (iii)Mediterranean,
(iv)English, (v)Continental, (vi)French,
(vii)Orientals
• chicken is divided into two groups;
(a) Layers (production of eggs)
(b) broiler (production of tender meat)
Below are types of breed of chicken:

SUSSEX
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sussex_%28chicken%29)
LANGSHANS
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croad_Langshan)

CORNISH
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornish_%28chicken%29)

LEGHORN
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leghorn_%28chicken%29)
 FISH
• The Egyptians and the Chinese started
aquaculture (rearing of fish) around
2500BC.
• freshwater (eg catfish/ keli and carp
(common carp) and marine or saltwater
(examples are grouper, Mackerel and
pomfret/bawal).
• Fish are reared in cages along river
banks, lake, sea, ponds, tanks
• Ornamental fish (e.g. aquarium fish) is
also another business
• Malaysia is one of the largest breeder and
exporter of ornamental fishes in the world.

Ornamental fish:
Arowana/kelisa Ornamental fish: Koi
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koi)
(http://www.arowanaclub.com.my/)
 Catfish /keli
(Clarias sp.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Clarias_garie_080516_9146_tdp
.jpg#file

http://www.potretkasih.com/tag/ikan-keli-goreng-bercili/
 Common carp
(Cyprinus carpio)

http://www.siamfishingtours.com/commoncarp.html

http://www.farmanimalspictures.com/Common-Carp.html
 Grouper (ikan kerapu)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grouper)

Mackerel
(ikan kembong)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mackerel)
 Pomfret (ikan bawal)

(http://www.w-goodway.com/site/gallery_pomfret.php)

http://rasa.karangkraf.com/resipi-menu/tempatan/ikan-bawal-masam-manis-1.26538
Germplasm and Biodiversity
• Germplasm : a collection of genetic
resources for an organism. For plants, the
germplasm may be stored as a seed
collection or, for trees, in a nursery.

• It is a term used to describe the genetic

resources, or more precisely the DNA of an
organism and collections of the material.
• There are worldwide collections of plant,
animal and bacterial germplasm for use in
breeding new organisms and the
conservation of existing species.

Tropical Plant Germplasm

Bank in China
(http://english.xtbg.cas.cn/rh/ss/sb/200501/t20050127_27762.html)
Svalbard Global Seed Vault
in Norway - to preserve the
seeds of world’s plant life
(http://www.businessinsider.com/svalbard-global-seed-vault-2011-12
?op=1)
 The bank was designed
deep into the mountain to
keep temperatures down
(top)

Seeds are kept in a

library-like system (left)
(http://www.businessinsider.com/svalbard-global-seed-vault-20
11-12?op=1)
 Biological diversity
• a.k.a biodiveristy: plant or animal
diversity

• the variation of taxonomic life forms within

a given ecosystem, biome, or for the entire
earth.
 BIODIVERSITY
• Biological Diversity: the sum total of life
on earth
FOOD & MEDICINE WATER

BIODIVERSITY AFFECTS
HUMANS NEED
FOR SURVIVAL SHELTER
AIR
 Significance of Biodiversity

• Indicates healthy functioning of the earth’s

many ecosystems.

• economic benefits with respect to crops,

livestock, medicines, natural products
(wildlife, fish, timber)

• aesthetic benefits.
 3 aspects of BIODIVERSITY

• Genetic diversity
• Species diversity
• Ecosystem diversity

http://www.epa.gov/eerd/GeneticDiversityIndicators.htm
 ECOSYSTEM DIVERSITY
• Variety of habitats, biotic communities, and
ecological processes in the ecosystem
• Ecosystem = an area that contains
organisms (e.g., plants, animals, bacteria)
interacting with one another and their
non-living environment
• Ecosystems can be of any size (e.g., forest,
meadow, and log).
 SPESIES DIVERSITY
• the variety of living organisms
• estimated 5 and 50 million or more
• about 1.75 million or I 3% have been
described.
 GENETIC DIVERSITY
• the sum total of all the genetic information
carried by individual organisms.
• some are obvious to the human eye, but
others are more subtle
• eye colour, colour of skins, susceptibility to
cancer
 Genetic diversity
• This term refers to the variation (diversity)
of genes within a species.
• Genes = a set of segments of nucleic acid
that contains basic information of a
species
• DNA = deoxyribonucleic acid is a
double-stranded helix of nucleotides which
carries the genetic information of a cell.
 Genetic Resource Applications

• Agriculture production is increased

through the use of improved genetic
resources (new variety) created by altering
the genetic constitution.
 Increase in :

1. Yield (eg: Norin 10- dwarf wheat in Japan)

2. Pest and disease resistance
3. Ecological tolerance
Eg:
1) Genes from wild relatives - resistance at least
32 major tomato diseases has been discovered.
Insect resistant genes have been also been bred.

2) foreign genes such as from Bacillus

thuringiensis (Bt), which produces an insect killing
toxin, into maize

3) genes tolerant to temperature extremes,

salinity, drought and waterlogging.
 Tomatoes that are
resistance to disease
in UPM
(picture courtesy of Unit IT Faculty of Agriculture UPM)

Bacillus thuringiensis may

be extracted as pesticide
in agriculture
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_thuringiensis)
6 categories of genetic resources :
1. Wild relatives
- species in the wild from the same genus of the crop
or livestock.
2. Weedy relatives
- bridge between wild relatives and domesticated
species. (neglected varieties, evolved to adapt the
natural growing environment.
3. Primitive cultivars/landraces
- the cultivated varieties during earlier times.
4. Modern cultivars
- improved strains bred from primitive cultivars.
5. Advanced breeding lines
- superior germplasm selected from modern cultivars.
6. Genes from other species
- advanced lines which contain specific desired genes
from other species. For example, 90% of the genes
in rice could also be found in corn, wheat and barley
 BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
HOTSPOT

• sites where many types of biological

organisms exist and constitute invaluable
genetic resources.
• They contain:
• 1) Higher range or number of species or
subspecies found in a particular area.
• 2) Higher variety of life, including the genetic
diversity among members of a population or
species,
• 3) Higher variety of life forms that inhabit the
earth
 http://morriscourse.com/elements_of_ecology/chapter_28.htm

25 hotspots : North & Central America, South America,

Europe & Central Asia, Africa, Mainland Asia, Asia-Pacific
(Philipines, N.Z)
 Genetic Variation
• Source of variation : mutations and sexual
recombinant
• Mutation : rare and random
• Large amounts of variation are present in
natural populations.
• 1.7 million species have been identified
and named.
• About 1 million are animals (750,000 are
insects),
• 250,000 are plants
• 69,000 are fungi.
• A species name consists of two words
(binomial system), for example Zea mays
(corn)
• New species are discovered everyday
with about 10,000 reported every year
 Traits selection in a
wild mustard
(Brassica oleracea) –
produced variety of
important crop plants
(http://studentreader.com/genotypes-phenotypes/)

New species are

discovered everyday
(http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1926324,00.html/)
 Techniques to Conserve Genetic
Resources
1. In Situ
• on-site conservation.

• It is the process of protecting an

endangered plant or animal species
in its natural habitat,
2. Ex Situ
● off-site conservation".

● It is the process of protecting an endangered

species of plant or animal by removing part of
the population from a threatened habitat and
placing it in a new location, which may be a
wild area or within the care of humans

• in gene banks, long-term storage as seed.

• many important tropical species are

recalcitrant (difficult or impossible to store for
long periods )

• Tissue culture, cryopreservation

Threats to Diversity and Loss of Genetic
Resources (dying sp. caused by):

1. Domestication and use of modern

varieties
National Geographic Magazine. July 2011
2. Wanton (kerosakan yang disengajakan),
irresponsible and thorough wide spread,
and often concentrated habitat
destruction. Natives species often lost
and habitat invaded by exotic weeds.

3. Natural extinctions as a result of

competition and natural disasters.
 Example of habitat
loss due to
deforestation
http://morriscourse.com/elements_of_ecology/chapter_28.htm

National Geographic Magazine. November 2008

Thank You