The ninth Steering Committee
(SC) meeting of ECP/GR could
well stand out as a milestone in
the 23 year existence of the
Programme. The SC was
hosted 22-25 October 2003 in
the quiet surroundings of
Menemen, Izmir, Turkey. The
warm hospitality of the Aegean
Agricultural Research Institute
and the pleasant weather
helped to create an optimal
setting for the four–day
meeting, which lead to the
development of a strategy for
Phase VII (2004-2008) of
ECP/GR and a mechanism to
ensure advanced strategic
planning and the monitoring of
results.
The structure and role of the
Network Coordinating Groups
(NCGs) was defined in detail,
with more responsibility being
assigned to these bodies for
identifying priorities and actions
within each Network. New rules
for the participation of Working
Group (WG) members in
ECP/GR meetings were agreed
upon, and a fixed quota of
funded participants for each
member country was agreed
upon for the new Phase. An
additional WG Chair quota was
also decided at the discretion of
the Chairs.
A detailed planning and
prioritizing mechanism was
established, to enable priorities
and actions to be defined for
each subsequent Phase.
Approximately ten WGs will be
prioritized for funding during
each Phase, while the
remaining WGs will still receive
minimum support from the
Secretariat. Four main issues
were endorsed as future
ECP/GR priorities for Phase VII:
• Characterization and
evaluation (including use of
modern technologies);
• Task sharing;
• In situ and on-farm
conservation; and
• Documentation and
Information.
Members of the NCGs and
WGs will develop proposals on
how to allocate the funds
assigned to each Network
within the Phase, including
meetings, publications or other
actions, and final decisions will
be taken by June 2004 by the
SC. A few changes to the
structure of the Networks were
agreed upon, including the
merging of the Vegetables and
Minor Crops Networks, and the
expansion of the Grain
Legumes Network into an Oil
and Protein Crops Network.The
Industrial Crops and Potato
Network was renamed as the
Sugar, Starch and Fibre
Network.Three new Working
Groups were established,
namely: Cucurbits; Leafy
vegetables; and Fibre crops
(flax and hemp).
A project focusing on the
sharing of responsibilities as a
possible model for a European
Genebank Integration System
(AEGIS) was endorsed for
ECP/GR funding.The main
objectives of this project are to
focus on a few model crops,
assessing existing options for
responsibility sharing at the
European level and assessing
institutional capacities and
bottlenecks in order to propose
an AEGIS model.
The SC redefined its
composition, offering new
observer status to the European
Association for Research on
Plant Breeding (EUCARPIA)
and maintaining the European
Man and the Biosphere
Programme (EuroMAB), FAO,
IPGRI, the International Seed
Federation (ISF), the Nordic
Gene Bank (NGB) and the Non
Governmental Organizations
(NGOs) as traditional
observers.The European
Commission (EC) was again
invited to join the Programme as
a member.
Representatives of 32
member countries attended the
SC meeting as well as IPGRI,
FAO, the EC, the European
Consortium for Organic Plant
Breeding (ECO-PB) and Pro
Specie Rara, who represented
European NGOs involved with
PGR. Six non-member
countries also attended,
including Azerbaijan, and
Bosnia and Herzegovina, who
declared their intention to join
the next Phase of ECP/GR (see
article page 2).
A total budget of nearly 2.2
million euro was approved for
five years.The report of the
meeting and a list of selected
background documents is
available from
www.ecpgr.cgiar.org/Steering
Committee/SC9.htm 
ECP/GR 1-6
Central Asia & Caucasus 8-9
EUFORGEN 12-13
IPGRI in Europe 14
ECP/GR Steering Committee launches Phase VII
International Plant Genetic Resources Institute
No 27 - December 2003
Inside this issue
The International Plant Genetic
Resources Institute (IPGRI) is
one of the 16 Centres of the
Consultative Group on
International Agricultural
Research (CGIAR). IPGRI’s goal
is to advance the conservation
and use of genetic diversity for
the well-being of present and
future generations. From its
headquarters in Rome and its
regional offices, IPGRI promotes
and coordinates the action need-
ed for the conservation of these
genetic resources.
IPGRI’s Regional Office for
Europe provides the
Coordination Secretariats for the
European Cooperative
Programme for Crop Genetic
Resources Networks (ECP/GR)
and for the European Forest
Genetic Resources Programme
(EUFORGEN).
IPGRI publishes two issues of
the Regional Newsletter for
Europe a year. This Newsletter is
intended to serve as an informal
forum for the exchange of news
and views, and to create closer
ties within the genetic resources
community in Europe. Previous
issues are available from the
IPGRI website.
A Russian version of this
Newsletter is being produced
and disseminated in collabora-
tion with the N.I. Vavilov
Research Institute of Plant
Industry (VIR) in St. Petersburg.
We invite you to send your ideas
and contributions for this
Newsletter to IPGRI’s Regional
Office for Europe. Please send
all contributions for Issue 28 by
15 March 2004.
About this Newsletter
newsletterfor Europe
In November 2001, the FAO Conference approved the International
Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
(PGRFA), as reported in Issue 22 of this Newsletter. In accordance
with Article 26, the Treaty is subject to ratification, acceptance or
approval. It is open for accession by all Members of FAO, and any
States that are not Members of FAO but are Members of the United
Nations, or any of its specialized agencies. Instruments of accession
are deposited with the Director-General of FAO. In accordance with
Article 28, the Treaty shall enter into force on the 90th day after 40
ratifications, acceptances, approvals or accessions, provided that at
least 20 of these are by FAO Members. As of 20 November 2003 (at
time of print), 33 instruments had been deposited with FAO. For more
information, visit www.fao.org/Legal/TREATIES/033s-e.htm
International Treaty on PGRFA
Prof. Sulejman Redzic
Center for Ecology and Natural
Resources
Faculty of Science 
University of Sarajevo
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)
expressed a strong interest in
officially joining Phase VII of the
ECP/GR Programme after
participating in the recent
Steering Committee (SC)
meeting (see cover page).The
benefits BiH expects from full
ECP/GR membership include
effective information exchange
and participation in joint
activities with other European
countries. It also offers its own
comparative advantages, such
as the unique natural diversity
of Plant Genetic Resources
(PGR) in its territory, to
contribute to the activities
carried out within ECP/GR. BiH
has held observer status in the
ECP/GR Programme, until
accepting the membership
requirements specified at the
recent SC meeting.
BiH was established as a
republic within the Socialistic
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
(SFRY) in 1945, these
boundaries were maintained
after signing the Dayton Peace
Accords in 1995, although it
existed as an independent
entity since 1115. BiH is
composed of the Federation of
Bosnia and Herzegovina
(FBiH), the Republic Srpska
(RS), and the Brèko District
(BD). State functions are the
responsibility of the joint Council
of Ministers and the State
Presidency, plus numerous
institutions. Each entity and
district have their own
government and authorities.
FBiH is divided into ten
cantons, each with executive
and legislative authorities.
International cooperation,
including biodiversity and PGR,
is considered a responsibility of
the state institutions.
BiH is located in the west of
the Balkan peninsula, covering
51 129 km2 with a population of
3.9 million. Biogeographically it
can be divided into three
regions: the Mediterranean
region (Adriatic province);
Eurosiberian-Boreoamerican
region (Illyrian and Moesian
provinces, plus the relict pine
forest province) and the
mountainous Alpine-High
Nordic region (High Dinaric
province). More than 50% of the
territory is covered with natural
forests and shrubs, the rest is a
mixture of agricultural and urban
areas. Different climates are
found in the country
(mediterranean, sub-
mediterranean, moderate-
continental, continental, and
montane), as well as a variety of
bedrock, soil types, a very rich
hydrographic network, which all
contribute to the rich and unique
biodiversity found in BiH.
With about 5000 taxa of
vascular plants, including 400
endemic and relict species
found in this geographically
small area, BiH can be
considered as one of the richest
in plant biodiversity in Europe.
In addition to wild species,
some 600 species have been
used in traditional agriculture
and medicine for centuries. Of
special value are the wild
species that have been
successfully domesticated and
are now grown as crops,
including fruits, medicinal and
aromatic plants.
Many species endemic to
BIH are endangered and
developing a Red Data List is a
priority. Conservation efforts
include protected areas such as
national parks, reserves, nature
and in situ conservation areas.
Some ex situ collections exist
within faculties and institutes,
but there is no centralized ex
situ conservation effort or
national genebank. It is hoped
that by participating in ECP/GR,
a National Biodiversity Centre
can be established with the
assistance and experience of
other ECP/GR member
countries.
In order to establish a more
efficient system of conserving
these valuable resources,
priority actions include:
• assigning administrative
responsibilities for PGR;
• establishing a state level
Steering Committee (SC)
including representatives
from both entities and Brèko
District, as well as from the
various regions;
• establishing a legislative
framework for biodiversity
and PGR management
activities.To date, there are
no special provisions or
programmes although there
are laws on nature
protection existing within the
two entities;
• educating and training staff
on optimal ex situ and in situ
conservation techniques;
• effective information
dissemination to educate
the broader public and to
gain their support and
understanding, including a
national web site;
• establishing a National
Biodiversity Centre with a
PGR department and
national genebank for
economically important
plant (and animal) species;
• developing a database of
relevant PGR experts and
institutions at the state level;
• nominating a national PGR
inventory focal person to
liaise with international
information systems;
• undertaking a national PGR
inventory;
• investigating the validity of
existing documentation of
national PGR; and
• developing a regional PGR
network between the Balkan
countries, including the
establishment of a regional
Balkan genebank.
The priority of the recently
developed national PGR
strategy for BiH is to establish
the National SC in order to
identify the specific activities for
the different regions.To date,
there are no national funds
available for these activities.
However, once a detailed
programme of activities and
budget has been developed by
the BiH SC, a funding proposal
will be made to the government
through the Council of
Ministers.
The proposed National
Biodiversity Centre will
coordinate both national and
regional PGR activities,
involving all relevant national
institutions, including
universities, institutes, centres
and laboratories able to
participate. For more
information, contact the focal
point, Prof. Sulejman Redzic
(sredzic@pmf.unsa.ba).
2
IPGRI Newsletter For Europe
European Cooperative Programme for Crop
Introducing a New ECP/GR Member... Bosnia and Herzegovina
^
´
^
´
Minuartia bosniaca endemic
plant species (BiH). Photo: Univ.
of Sarajevo
3
IPGRI Newsletter For Europe
Genetic Resources Networks  http://www.ecpgr.cgiar.org
When N.I.Vavilov visited
Armenia in the 1930s, he was
delighted with the Armenian
plant diversity and regarded the
site of Erebuni, near Yerevan, as
one of the most interesting
places in the world for wild
wheat.Today, this site is a
national reserve, and a visit by
the members of the ECP/GR
Cereals Network was one of the
highlights of this meeting.
Representatives from 32
countries, FAO and IPGRI, met
in Yerevan, Armenia, 3-5 July
2003 for this first meeting of the
Cereals Network, which was
officially opened by the
Armenian Minister of
Agriculture, David Lokyan, and
his deputy, Levon Rukhkyan.
The meeting involved 36
members of the three Working
Groups on Avena, Barley and
Wheat, and focused on
reviewing the groups’ activities,
preparing workplans and
identifying priorities for the future.
Thematic issues were also
discussed at the Network level.
In the area of
documentation, highlights
included a demonstration of the
tools and properties of the
European Avena database,
which has been used to identify
duplicates conserved in
different genebanks.This
database is also evolving to
incorporate data from Canada
and the USA and to provide a
model for other databases.
The European Barley
Database (EBDB) now includes
data for 155 000 accessions
from 23 European countries
and from three extra-European
genebanks. It also includes
evaluation results obtained from
a recently concluded European
Union (EU) funded project.
Inter-regional links have also
been established for the
inclusion of additional data from
Australia, Japan, the USA and
the International Centre for
Agricultural Research in Dry
Areas (ICARDA).
Documentation of the
International Barley Core
Collection (BCC) is also being
incorporated into the EBDB.
The European Wheat
Database now contains
132 000 records, corresponding
to 56% of all European wheat
accessions.This database has
been invited to participate in the
Global Inventory of Wheat
Genetic Resources developed
by the International Center for
Maize and Wheat Breeding
(CIMMYT).
All the database managers
agreed to analyze their
databases to define lists of
unique accessions conserved in
different genebanks. Working
Group members and genebank
curators, in consultation with
appropriate authorities, were
encouraged to take
responsibility for conservation,
according to the terms agreed
in the previous meeting of the
Network Coordinating Group
held in July 2000 in Radzików,
Poland. A small group
representing the different
Working Groups was
established to prepare
documents for the Network to
identify solutions for the
common problem of
responsibility sharing and safety
duplication.
Regarding the issue 
of including characterization
and evaluation data into the
databases, a general solution
must be sought and this
problem will be addressed 
by the Documentation and
Information Network, since it is
a cross-cutting issue relevant
for all crops.The Barley
Working Group expressed
interest in undertaking a survey
of barley workers to investigate
the possibility of starting
regional cooperation in pre-
breeding. Elcio P. Guimarâes,
from FAO offered to be the focal
point and to provide support for
this initiative.
On the subject of in situ
conservation of wild relatives,
the Avena Working Group
recommended that efforts
continue to ensure that
important sites of A. magna, 
A. murphyi, A. insularis and
A. macrostachya are conserved
in situ. The need to improve
information on the distribution 
of wild relatives in Europe was
highlighted, and the European
Initiative for the Euro + 
Med Plant Base was mentioned
as an EU-funded project to
harmonise the Flora Europaea
and the Mediterranean Plant
Checklist.The Cereals Network
will also contribute to create a
list of European crop wild
relatives for the EU project
«PGR Forum».
Helmut Knüpffer from
Germany was elected as the
new Chair and Marja Jalli from
Finland as the new Vice-Chair
for the Barley Working Group.
A report of the meeting is under
preparation and will be available
free of charge from the IPGRI
Regional Office for Europe.
ECP/GR Cereals Network meets for the first time in Armenia
Dr Kenneth Tobutt, Horticulture Research International United Kingdom
The sixth meeting of the ECP/GR Prunus Working Group was held 20-21 June, 2003 in
Budapest, Hungary at the kind invitation of the Research Institute for Fruit Growing and
Ornamentals. Working group members from 19 countries attended, and were joined by
participants from Latvia and the EUFORGEN Noble Hardwoods Group.
The meeting began with a review of the Group’s recent activities by the current
Chair, Françoise Dosba. This included: the joint project on Prunus genetic resources with
the European Union (EU) (GENRES 61); progress on the European Prunus Database;
plans for a Decentralized European Prunus Collection; and various explanatory posters and presentations.
This was followed by updates on the status of Prunus genetic resources in different countries, with
presentations from Cyprus, Hungary, Latvia and Serbia and Montenegro, and written submissions from the
other countries. A progress report was given on the European Prunus Database, managed by Unité de
génétique et amélioration des fruits et légumes (INRA), Bordeaux, which is expected to be on-line by the
end of 2003. Participants also made minor revisions to the document “Towards a definition and
implementation of a decentralized European Prunus Collection” which defines the material to be included,
sets out a modus operandi and establishes the responsibilities of the participating genebanks, the
Database Manager, and the ECP/GR Working Group. Subsequent presentations and discussions focused
on the use of collections and their relationship with the breeding sector, the phytosanitary framework for
exchange of material and the international agreements concerning access to genetic resources.
A stimulating account was given on the activities of EUFORGEN’s Noble Hardwoods Group, which
included raising public awareness, a database of ‘grey’ literature and Technical Guidelines, and how these
responsibilities are shared by members of the Group. The Noble Hardwoods scope include wild relatives of
rosaceous fruit trees including Prunus avium, so there is obvious potential for collaboration, such as on the
development of phenotypic and molecular descriptors.
The final agenda item concerned funding opportunities from the EU in light of the expected call for
proposals. One potential project could be to develop the Decentralized European Prunus Collection in
collaboration with ECP/GR, focusing on areas such as characterization, phytosanitary status, incorporation
of molecular markers and rationalization.
Françoise Dosba stood down as Chair after ten years service and was succeeded by Ken Tobutt, and
Daniela Benediková took over as Vice-Chair. A full report of the meeting will be published in 2004.
Sixth Meeting of the ECP/GR Prunus Working Group
Cereal landraces, Armenia.
Photo: E. Lipman 
On 11-13 September 2003 the
three-year European Union
(EU) funded project, European
Plant Genetic Resources
Information Infra-Structure
(EPGRIS) held its final meeting
in Prague, Czech Republic,
jointly with the ECP/GR
Documentation and Information
Network. EPGRIS supported
the creation of a network of
National Inventories in Europe,
and provided central access to
these National Inventories via a
European PGR Web search
catalogue (EURISCO) (see box
below).This meeting followed
the third meeting of PGR Forum
(see page 5) held 8-10
September 2003 focusing on
the documentation of in situ
conservation. Approximately
100 European PGR
documentation experts met for
this special occasion, including
40 European National PGR
Inventory Focal Persons, 50
European Central Crop
Database (ECCDB) Managers
and other documentation
experts.The meeting provided
an occasion for this unique
group of experts to discuss the
outcomes of EPGRIS, assess
the status of development of the
National Inventories, and the
impact EURISCO could have on
PGR documentation.
In each European country, a
National PGR Inventory Focal
Person was nominated with the
responsibility to coordinate the
development of their national
PGR inventory and to provide
these data to EURISCO.
The agenda of this final
meeting included a discussion
of the different aspects of
compiling National Inventories -
such as developing the
technical infrastructure for use
as a national network; improving
access to PGR; and adding
value by including specific
collections and promoting their
use to improve national PGR
management. Also highlighted
was the role of National
Inventories in implementing
international agreements and
supporting National
Programmes in the framework
of the Clearing House
Mechanism (CHM) and of the
International Treaty on PGRFA.
Significant time was
dedicated to discussing
EURISCO itself, including the
technical aspects of the
database software and
structure, the uploading
mechanism and related
standards, and the functional
aspects of the Web site.The
EPGRIS Focal Persons also
provided their feedback and
opinions on EURISCO.The
complementary nature and
interaction of EURISCO with
other PGR Documentation
networks, and links with the
FAO World Information and
Early Warning System
(WIEWS), the Germplasm
Resources Information Network
(GRIN), the System-wide
Information Network for Genetic
Resources (SINGER), and
others were also discussed.
The future of EURISCO and
the information infra-structure
created by EPGRIS was
debated, including the potential
to extend the scope and
sustainability of EURISCO
within ECP/GR; the role of the
ECCDBs and their managers;
and how EURISCO can best
serve the users of PGR
documentation (breeding and
research sector, genebanks, in
situ/on-farm conservation and
international/regional
agreements). EURISCO will
need to evolve as new
technologies rapidly develop,
particularly with regard to
Geographical Information
Systems (GIS) and data
exchange through Extensible
Markup Language (XML). Both
EPGRIS and EURISCO provide
a unique opportunity to rethink
the structure of the ECP/GR
Documentation and Information
Network, and a new approach
to future opportunities.
A report is being compiled
and will be available in early
2004 on the ECP/GR Web site
and in print format from IPGRI.
For more information about
EURISCO, visit
http://eurisco.ecpgr.org/ or
contact the ECP/GR Secretariat
at IPGRI.
4
IPGRI Newsletter For Europe
European Cooperative Programme for Crop
Final EPGRIS Conference and 
ECP/GR Documentation and Information Network meeting
The European Plant Genetic Resources Web
search catalogue EURISCO provides access
to PGR information in Europe and facilitates
the location of and access to germplasm
material. It is composed of, and updated with,
data from the National Inventories of PGR
accessions maintained ex situ, and is hosted
and maintained by IPGRI on behalf of ECP/GR
with support from the System-wide Information
Network for Genetic Resources (SINGER).
EURISCO was officially made public in September 2003 at the
final meeting of the European Plant Genetic Resources Information
Infra-Structure (EPGRIS). It currently contains passport information
on over 882 000 accessions from 26 European countries, which
accounts for only a part of the information available from the
European National PGR Inventories. It is anticipated that the
catalogue will be completed after the inclusion of more information
and the quality of the data improved significantly over the coming
months, once EURISCO has undergone thorough testing and made
ready for general public access. More information about EURISCO
is available at: http://eurisco.ecpgr.org/ 
EURISCO
During the ECP/GR Vegetables
Network meeting held in May
2003 in Skierniewice, Poland,
(see Issue 26), the ECP/GR
Secretariat presented a
proposal to establish a new
mode of collaboration between
genebanks and the private
sector.
The proposal is in line with
the ECP/GR objectives of
facilitating the increased use of
PGR; encouraging cooperation
between stakeholders (including
NGOs and private breeders);
and the 6th Priority Activity of
the Global Plan of Action, which
recommends the regeneration
of threatened ex situ
accessions.This initiative will
enable the creation of additional
links, involving genebanks and
plant breeders in both eastern
and western Europe.
This will enable the
emergency regeneration of
vegetable accessions at
genebanks and identify
breeders available to multiply
this genetic material.The
ECP/GR Secretariat was
designated as the focal point
and will coordinate and monitor
the overall process.The
Secretariat will work with the
Vegetables Network
representatives to identify
genebanks and the material
requiring regeneration and to
identify breeders, the material
they wish to test, and provide
the necessary documentation.
Agreements to ensure
implementation of regeneration
standards and return of the
multiplied material to the
genebanks will be established.
A task force from the
Vegetables Network is advising
and assisting the ECP/GR
Secretariat in preparing the
agreements, identifying
contacts and finalizing the
details of the project. Members
of the task force include
representatives from the Czech
Republic, France, Germany,
Italy, Poland, Spain, the Nordic
Countries and the Netherlands.
A number of private
companies in Germany, Italy,
Spain, and the Netherlands
expressed interest in this
initiative.The first genebank to
request help was the Institut für
Pflanzengenetik und
Kulturpflanzenforschung (IPK),
Gatersleben in Germany for the
propagation of seeds of wild
species of Allium.
The next steps include
completing the list of
genebanks/breeders interested
in the initiative; identifying the
specific material requiring
regeneration; preparing the
appropriate agreements, and
launching the initiative in time
for the next spring planting in
2004. For more information on
this initiative please contact
Aixa Del Greco
(a.delgreco@cgiar.org).
5
IPGRI Newsletter For Europe
Genetic Resources Networks  http://www.ecpgr.cgiar.org
New collaboration between genebanks and the private sector
The European Crop Wild Relative Diversity Assessment and
Conservation Forum (PGR Forum) is a Thematic Network
funded by the European Commission (EC) Fifth Framework
Programme for Energy, Environment and Sustainable
Development, as outlined in Issue 26 of this newsletter. It
provides a European forum for the assessment of taxonomic
and genetic diversity of European crop wild relatives, the
development of appropriate conservation methodologies, and
the establishment of an information system providing access to
European crop wild relative data.
On 8-10 September 2003, a PGR Forum workshop,
organized by Zentralstelle fûr Agrardokumentation und
information (ZADI), Germany, was held at the Research Institute of Crop Production (RICP) in Prague,
Czech Republic. This workshop focused on aspects of in situ data management methodologies and the
development of the information system. A preliminary conceptual model for an information infrastructure for
European crop wild relatives (CWR) was proposed. A European CWR taxon database will be at the core of
the information infrastructure with links to external data sources. The database of taxonomic and crop data
is to include the genus, species, uses, related crops, gene pool/taxon group, and will be curated by the
University of Birmingham, UK during the lifespan of PGR Forum. A report is being compiled and will be
available on the PGR Forum Web site shortly.
The next PGR Forum workshop on population management and monitoring methodologies will take
place 21-25 April 2004 in Minorca, Spain. For more information about PGR Forum, visit www.pgrforum.org/
or contact Shelagh Kell (s.p.kell@bham.ac.uk).
PGR Forum workshop on in situ data
management methodologies
6
IPGRI Newsletter For Europe
European Cooperative Programme for Crop Genetic Resources Networks http://www.ecpgr.cgiar.org
The Working Group (WG) on
Vitis was established in October
2001, in response to a request
made by the coordinator (E.
Maul) of the GENRES 081
European Union (EU) funded
project on Vitis. The creation of
this WG enabled the network,
established within the EU
project, to renew its
collaboration and to extend it to
countries outside the EU.The
WG held its first meeting 12-14
June 2003 in Palic, Serbia and
Montenegro, involving
representatives from 18
countries, starting off with
overviews of their national
collections.
Reports on the status of the
European Vitis Database
(www.genres.de/eccdb/vitis/)
and the progress made in
harmonizing descriptors were
given. The addition of passport
data of grapevine collections
from countries not yet included
in the database (especially
eastern Europe), and from
other regional and
departmental collections, was
considered a target future
activitiy, with the aim of
completing the inventory of the
genetic resources collections in
Europe, including hybrids,
rootstocks and wild species.
Adapting the passport data
used in the European Vitis
Database to the standards
adopted by the European Plant
Genetic Resources (PGR) web
search catalogue EURISCO
(based on the FAO/IPGRI
Multi-Crop passport
descriptors) was also
considered important by the
WG members. No further
description of grapevine
varieties is envisaged at the
moment regarding the addition
of primary and secondary
characterization data.
Descriptors of the International
Union for the Protection of New
Varieties of Plants (UPOV),
IPGRI/FAO and the Office
International de la Vigne et du
Vin (OIV) are being
reconsidered for further
harmonization which will be
developed for 2004/2005.
Grapevine variety
differentiation and identification
is indispensable for enabling
reliable research outputs and
reliable knowledge for breeding
purposes, as well as for the
efficient management of
grapevine germplasm
conservation in genebanks.
The WG noted that to detect
the existence of synonyms,
homonyms or mis-names in
grapevine collections,
ampelographic characterization
must be undertaken using data
from Simple Sequence
Repeats (Microsatellites) (SSR)
markers. Following the
standardization work
undertaken by the GENRES
081 project, this analysis
proved to be a suitable and
reliable tool for grapevine
variety identification. Therefore,
the Vitis Working Group
members decided to establish
an SSR-marker database as
part of the European Vitis
database, recommending that
researchers working with Vitis
SSR marker analysis include,
in each SSR marker research,
at least the same six
microsatellite loci obtained by
the GENRES project. This
would then allow immediate
comparison with the EU project
variety identification data. In
order to verify the “true type” of
the variety, microsatellite data
should also be accompanied
wherever possible by
ampelographic descriptors plus
photographic documentation.
The WG also noted that the
European Commission (EC) is
prioritizing the establishment of
a European Catalogue of
grapevine varieties, aiming to
create an on-line database
including all varieties officially
accepted for the
commercialization of
propagated material. It will
therefore be necessary to
document intra-varietal genetic
diversity in order to justifiably
oppose possible requests for
eliminating standard material in
the near future.
The WG expressed deep
concern for the ongoing and
serious genetic erosion of
grapevine variability and clonal
diversity. This erosion is caused
by: increase of international
trade; predominance of a small
number of varieties in several
countries; predominance of few
clones of each single variety;
replacement of old vineyards
by plantations with modern
cultivars; decrease of
viticultural surface, especially in
those sites particularly rich in
biodiversity; and laws
restricting the use of traditional
varieties for planting and
marketing. Considering the
critical situation in some wine
growing countries, the Vitis WG
concluded that extra support is
needed for safeguarding the
remaining grapevine diversity
and recommended that each
country should maintain its
own traditional varieties in
national or regional
ampelographic collections and
protect Vitis vinifera ssp.
sylvestris in situ. Each country
should strive to preserve the
clonal variability, through the
identification of old vineyards,
prospecting and collecting of
clones representing the widest
intra-varietal variability.
Depending on specific cultivar
variability and history, up to
200-500 clones per variety are
considered necessary for the
establishment of clonal
conservatories.
Jesús Ortiz from Spain and
Edi Maletic from Croatia, were
selected by the Group as
respectively Chair and Vice-
Chair. A report of the meeting
will be published and available
free of charge from the IPGRI
Regional Office for Europe.
First meeting of the ECP/GR Vitis Working Group 
David Maghradze from the Georgian Research Institute of
Horticulture, Viticulture and Oenology began his ten-month IPGRI
funded fellowship on 1 September 2003 at the University of Milan,
Italy. Within the framework of the international research project,
“Conservation and sustainable use of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.)
genetic resources in the Caucasus and the Northern Black Sea
regions”, the fellowship is being supervised by Prof A. Scienza and 
Dr O. Failla in the Dipartimento di Produzione Vegetale.
According to the Scientific Collaboration Programme of the
University of Milan, the general aim of this fellowship is to transfer
basic knowledge to increase the Vitis research capacity in Georgia.
The research on 150 Georgian Vitis varieties will include:
• Modern techniques for characterization of varieties based on the
FAO/IPGRI Multi-Crop passport Descriptors and completion of
ampelographical cards;
• Chemical analyses of grape samples, including
chemo–taxonomical analyses of berry skins and defining the
anthocyanic (glycoside pigment) profile of varieties on the basis of
High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) for
phylogenetic comparison;
• DNA molecular techniques to detect genetic variation in these
genetic resources, specifically Amplified Fragments Length
Polymorphism (AFLP) and Simple Sequence Repeats
(Microsatellites) (SSR) markers. The data from these
investigations will be used for fingerprinting and ampelographical
characterization of the Georgian varieties.
The research will also include visits to the major viticultural regions,
research organizations and nurseries in Italy for training throughout
the period of study. The work being undertaken as part of this
fellowship will contribute significantly to the success of the
international project in the Caucasus region of which it is a part.
IPGRI Fellowship on Vitis
Grapevine variety Tsolikouri from
Georgia. Photo: L. Brancadoro 
´
7
IPGRI Newsletter For Europe
Based on an initiative of Jean-
Pierre Monod, President of the
French Association pour l’Etude
et l’Amélioration du Maïs (Pro-
Maïs) of maize breeders, a
«post-project encounter» was
organized 12-13 June 2003 to
report back on results obtained
from the following projects on
the diversity of maize
populations:
• EU GENRES CT96-088
project «Implementation of
the European network for
evaluation, conservation and
utilisation of European maize
landraces genetic
resources».
Coordinated by Jacques
Dallard from the Institut
National de la Recherche
Agronomique (INRA), Mauguio,
France, the project period of
1997-2001 was extended to
March 2002 to allow the
completion of experiments.
Project partners included seven
European countries
represented by nine institutions:
INRA, Mauguio, France; Center
for Genetic Resources (CGN),
the Netherlands; Centro de
Investigación Agraria de
Mabegondo (CIAM), Spain;
Consejo Superior de
Investigaciones Científicas
(CSIC), Spain; Istituto
Sperimentale per la
Cerealicoltura (ISC), Italy;
National Agricultural Research
Foundation (NAGREF),
Greece; Institut für
Pflanzengenetik und
Kulturpflanzenforschung (IPK),
Germany; Banco Português de
Germoplasma Vegetal (BPGV),
Portugal; and Pro-Maïs, France.
• Flint maize populations
diversity
This project involved the Pro-
Maïs and INRA laboratories,
from 1997-2002 and was
coordinated by Alain
Charcosset from INRA-Le
Moulon, France.
• Heterotic patterns
between French and Spanish
maize landraces
Coordinated by Rosana Malvar
from CSIC-Pontevedra, Spain
and Armand Boyat from INRA-
Mauguio, France, this project
was undertaken during 2000-
2001 within the framework of
the Picasso bilateral
cooperation.
This post-project encounter
took place at INRA in
Montpellier, France, bringing
together more than 60
participants. All project partners
were represented except IPK
and CGN, and representatives
also attended from INRA, the
Bureau des Ressources
Génétiques (BRG) and other
local scientific institutions.
This initiative of making the
project results available to
stakeholders and donors was
warmly welcome by the invited
European Commission (EC)
representative, Freddy
Steenhoff (Agriculture
Directorate-General). It also
provided the project partners
with an opportunity to discuss
future related activities.
Presentations given by the
project partners included:
• An overview of the
inventory, description and
classification of the genetic
diversity of European maize
landraces, including the
European maize landraces
database (EUMLDB)
available online at
www.montpellier.inra.fr/gap/r
esgen88 and
www.montpellier.inra.fr/gap/r
esgen88/BD/Eumldb.zip
and the structure of the
genetic variability using
different descriptors.
• Identification of a European
maize landraces
representative collection
(EUMLRC) and a European
maize landraces core
collection (EUMLCC) using
different descriptors.
• Evaluation of the European
core collection via
evaluation of forage maize
for digestibility and best
harvesting time; quantitative
evaluation for grain quality;
resistance to European corn
borer and to pink stem
borer; tolerance to low
nitrogen level; and
screening for drought
resistance.
• Historical aspects of maize
were outlined by the use of
DNA pooling to assess
diversity and its application
in the investigation of maize
introduction in Europe,
allowing the comparison of
European and American
maize diversity, providing
insights on the origin of
European maize.
• Evaluation of heterosis
among French and Spanish
populations of the
EUMLCC.
Issues of general interest
were also addressed, both at
the national level by
representatives of the BRG
providing an overview of PGR
activities in France, and at the
international level by the EC
representative on the status
and perspectives of Plant
Genetic Resources (PGR) in
the European Union.
Discussions also touched on
crucial aspects related to PGR
management and conservation,
including international policies
and regulations such as
intellectual property rights, the
International Treaty on PGRFA,
and links to international
organizations.
This two-day encounter was
considered extremely fruitful,
having fully met its objectives to
share the results of the
GENRES and other
collaborative projects and to
stimulate new links between the
project partners and other
stakeholders. It was also a
learning process on the
methodology of dynamic
conservation and evaluation of
maize genetic resources.The
wide diversity of this crop calls
for continuous selection and the
results obtained within the
projects will serve as the basis
for further activities in this field.
Follow-up on the EU GENRES CT96-088 and other collaborative
maize projects
A CD containing all the
abstracts, presentations and
related information 
from this meeting will be
distributed to all participants and
will also be available upon
request at a cost of 15 euros.
For more information please
contact Armand Boyat
(Armand.Boyat@ensam.inra.fr)
or Jacques Dallard
(Jacques.Dallard@ensam.inra.fr)
Diversity for ear shape and kernel color in maize populations and
hybrids. Author: Ph. Noël, INRA 
8
IPGRI Newsletter For Europe
In July 2003, the Georgian
Institute of Horticulture,
Viticulture and Winemaking
planted a new grapevine (Vitis
vinifera L.) conservation
collection in its Vashlidjvari
experimental field near Tbilisi.
This new collection includes
230 traditional varieties (ten
plants of each) originating from
threatened collections around
the country, including Dighomi,
Mukhrani and Telavi.The survey
and characterization of the
varieties was undertaken, and
part of the material was
regenerated in close
collaboration with the University
of   Milan, Italy. At the same
time, David Maghradze, the
scientist responsible for the
genetic resources from the
Georgian Institute, began his
ten-month fellowship at the
University of Milan (See  
page 7).
Establishing this
conservation collection in
Vashlidjvari was completed as
part of the pilot phase of the
three-year project
“Conservation and sustainable
use of grapevine genetic
resources in the Caucasus
and Northern Black Sea
Region”. The main goal of this
initiative is to strengthen the
national capacity in the
countries of the region to
ensure the long-term
maintenance of Vitis genetic
resources, including both the
cultivated traditional varieties
and the wild resources. In
particular, the activities aim at
identifying, collecting,
characterizing and conserving
the rich diversity of grapevine
genetic resources throughout
the Caucasus and the
northern Black Sea region, as
a basis to improve local
viticulture and wine making
industry.
The exact number of
traditional local varieties
occurring in the region is
uncertain, but is estimated to be
in the range of 600-1500.
Despite the high level of local
grapevine diversity, very few
cultivars are cultivated in this
region, and there is instead a
tendency towards planting
foreign material which is much
less suited to the local
environmental conditions.
Prior to the breakup of the
USSR, the agricultural policy
aimed at standardizing
production with homogeneous
industrial varieties. Although this
policy did not favour the
maintenance of grapevine
diversity, local varieties
continued to be grown in a
number of small farms. A
network of genetic resources
collections also operated,
ensuring the conservation of
the genetic material.This
situation has rapidly
deteriorated in recent years,
since the degenerating socio-
economic situation of the rural
population has caused many
vineyards to be abandoned.
Wine production, founded
on knowledge-based use of
genetic resources and on
sustainable viticultural practices,
provides a major potential
source of income for the local
population in the low-income
transition countries of the
Caucasus and the northern
Black Sea region.This region is
considered to be a primary
centre for the domestication of
grapevine, and these resources
are of significant relevance to
the Mediterranean basin and for
the development of the
European modern cultivars.The
wild species, Vitis vinifera ssp.
sylvestris, the supposed
ancestor of the cultivated
grapevine, still occurs
throughout this region.
At the end of October 2003,
11 participants from the six
countries of the region
(Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia,
Moldova, Russia and Ukraine)
met for the first time in Tbilisi,
Georgia.This meeting was an
important milestone for planning
common strategies and to
define priorities and the mode
of operation during the next
three years.The participants
nominated focal persons and
main partners in each country,
identified priorities, and
developed a joint workplan with
shared tasks.These include:
conservation activities (see
Box); training and scientific
exchange; information,
documentation and
communication; and genetic
identification research.
The three-year project,
coordinated by IPGRI, includes
partners from all six countries in
the region and will receive
financial support for the agreed
workplan from the Government
of Luxembourg. Contributions
“in kind” have also been offered
by various institutions across
Europe.
In the late 1800s, the
European wine industry was
afflicted by Phylloxera, an insect
that almost completely
destroyed European viticulture.
Crop improvement and
particularly resistance to pests
and diseases, are crucial issues
in viticulture. Conserving wild or
traditional local material is
particularly important as it
contains genetic information
responsible for natural
resistance to major pests and
diseases affecting grapevine
production. As a main wine-
producer, Europe has a
common responsibility for the
conservation of grapevine
genetic resources in its old
“home”, from which cultivation
spread into the world.
For more information on this
project visit
www.ipgri.cgiar.org/regions/
europe
Launch of a grapevine conservation initiative
Mobilization of genetic resources
- study of sources of material (traditional varieties and wild
grapevine)
- inventory of the distribution area (use of geographic information
system)
- collecting missions (joint collecting missions and collecting material
in each country)
- documentation of collecting site information
- exchange of genetic material between countries (re-introduction of
varieties)
Conservation measures
- establishment of 2-3 collections in different ecogeographic
locations/countries
- micropropagation, clean-up if needed, virus identification;
cryopreservation of particularly valuable genotypes
- conservation of wild grapevine (in situ measures seeking adequate
policy and legal support from national authorities; complementary
ex situ measures for threatened forms; introduction into breeding
programmes; research into levels and patterns of genetic variation;
monitoring)
- exchange of experience on intellectual property protection with
other European countries
Documentation and characterization
- adoption of common information standards for compilation of
databases (wild grapevine, landraces, traditional varieties and
breeding varieties)
- characterization of the germplasm using IPGRI descriptors
- devote 10% of the germplasm for research purposes
- study of seeds of traditional varieties (archaeo-botanical research)
Conservation activities
Grapevine variety Rkatsiteli
Vartisperi from Georgia. Photo:
L. Brancadoro 
9
IPGRI Newsletter For Europe
Ms Muhabbat Turdieva & 
Ms Shirin Karryeva
IPGRI- CWANA Sub-Regional
Office for Central Asia
Tashkent
Uzbekistan
N. I.Vavilov himself highlighted
Central Asia as the region
richest in species and intra-
specific diversity, and as one of
the five most important centres
of origin of cultivated plants.
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and
Uzbekistan are rich in highly
variable domesticated crops
and landraces with unique
characteristics. Popular species
in these countries include
almond, apple, apricot, fig,
grape, peach, pear, pistachio,
plum and pomegranate. Many
valuable landraces and old local
cultivars of cherry, peach,
persimmon, pomegranate and
quince are still maintained in
home gardens and on small
farms.
Farmers in this region have
conserved landraces and local
varieties since crop cultivation
began. Growing a mixture of
diverse local materials,
farmers would select
varieties adapted to the
local environmental
conditions. However, the
introduction of new,
uniform cultivars, the use
of chemical fertilizers,
and increased
mechanization have
reduced the area of local
cultivars grown.This has
also caused traditional diversity-
based farming systems to
disappear, the degradation of
arable lands, and the pollution
of the environment.
Fortunately, some
landraces and traditional
cultivars can still be found in
isolated and marginal areas,
such as mountains and oases
where they are considered
integral components of these
farming systems. Many wild fruit
species are also still found in
forest areas and are valuable
genetic resources for food crops
due to their resistance to
insects, disease and their
adaptation to the wild.The role
of farming communities is
central to in situ and on-farm
conservation. Local cultivars are
passed from generation to
generation of farmers and are
subject to different selection
pressures, including farmers’
selection.
The five Central Asian
countries are working in
collaboration with IPGRI to
identify options for conserving
horticultural crops and their wild
relatives through a regional
project on “In Situ/On-Farm
Conservation of Agricultural
Biodiversity (Horticultural Crops
and Wild Fruit Species) in
Central Asia”.The aim of this
proposed five-year project is to
equip farmers, institutes and
local communities with the
knowledge, methodologies and
policies to enable the in situ/on-
farm conservation of globally
significant horticultural crops
and wild fruit species in Central
Asia.The project focuses on
traditional local varieties of fruit
crops maintained by farmers
and their wild relatives growing
in forests, and on the
enhancement of farmers’ and
community capacities to
conserve in situ horticulture
diversity. In order to achieve this
purpose the project will:
• Develop and ensure support
for farmers and local
communities in conserving
in situ/on-farm local
varieties of fruit crops and
wild relatives;
• Strengthen and make
available the knowledge and
methodologies on in situ
conservation of fruit crops
and forest wild fruit species;
• Establish broad participation
and partnerships/links
between farmers,
institutions, and countries;
and
• Build capacity at local,
regional, and national levels
and support in situ/on-farm
conservation of fruit genetic
resources.
The project involves consulting
a wide range of stakeholders,
including farmers and Non-
Governmental Organizations
(NGOs), academics, national
agricultural and forestry
research institutions, and local
and national decision-makers.
Grants to develop this project
proposal are being provided by
the Global Environment Facility
(GEF) through the United
Nations Environment Program
(UNEP).The first Project
Development Phase (PDF A)
was successfully completed at
the end of 2001, and PDF B (16
months) will be completed in
April 2004. Additional funding is
being sought to ensure the
successful and effective
implementation of the project
and to complement the existing
support of the GEF.
Outputs of PDF A are being
evaluated and tested during the
second phase of the project
(PDF B) - such as: the criteria
for crop priority setting;
identifying priority
agroecosystems/ecological
zones; selection of pilot sites;
assessment of training needs;
refining the logical framework of
the project; and the proposed
implementation of the project.
Local communities are being
involved in the project and in
agrobiodiversity conservation
efforts by establishing
multidisciplinary committees at
each pilot site. A regional tool to
assess the levels of diversity
and distribution for in situ/on-
farm management of priority
species has also been
developed and tested at the
pilot sites.Testing and
evaluation of this survey tool
has enabled valuable feedback
to be incorporated.
Three meetings of the
International Steering
Committee and two national
workshops in each country
were organized to refine the
project and the countries’
components and feedback 
from stakeholders incorporated.
The project proposal for
implementation over the next
three to five years will be
submitted to UNEP-GEF
Secretariat in mid March 2004
once the second phase
(PDF B) is complete. For more
information please, contact
Shirin Karryeva
(skarryeva@cgiar.org).
New in situ and on-farm conservation in Central Asia
Pomegranates in Central Asia.
Photo: IPGRI-CWANA
Dr Pablo Eyzaguirre &
Ms. Adriana Woods Páez
Genetic Resources Science
and Technology Group 
IPGRI,
Rome, Italy
The sixth annual workshop on
“Collective Action and Property
Rights initiative” (CAPRi) was
held 29 September - 2 October
2003 at IPGRI in Rome, Italy. A
total of 44 participants from
around the world came to
present papers, discuss
problematic issues, and to learn
from colleagues with training
and experience in a myriad of
fields.The aim of this
conference was to bring
together agricultural
economists, geneticists, plant
breeders, ecologists, and social
scientists into a rich,
multidisciplinary discussion
forum, tackling property rights
and collective action that
underpin the conservation and
use of Plant Genetic Resources
(PGR).
CAPRi is a System-wide
Genetic Resources Programme
(SGRP) of the Consultative
Group on International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
It aims to identify and assess
the effectiveness of multi-level
organizational and institutional
collective action and property
rights, and to examine the
internal and external influences
which may alter or endanger
their effectiveness. Collective
action may be defined as
“action taken by a group…in
pursuit of members’ perceived
interests,” Marshall, 1998.The
nature of collective action and
how institutions govern access
to a particular stream of
benefits (through property
rights), strongly influence the
way in which people use
resources. In turn, the nature of
resource management directly
affects production systems. By
disseminating its research
across a wide range of public
and private sectors, CAPRi can
contribute to policies and
practices aimed at alleviating
rural poverty. CAPRi has six
priority research themes
including: the role of
environmental risk; genetic
resources; changing market
relationships; and technology
adoption.
The Conference was
organized by the International
Food Policy Research Institute
(IFPRI) in association with
IPGRI.The four days were
divided into morning
presentations/discussion of
papers and the afternoons were
dedicated to working groups
exploring approaches to: policy-
making; institutional issues;
local conservation; and
research methodologies
associated with collective action
and property rights and the
ways that these influence
efficiency, equity, and
sustainability of resources.
Since the conference was
hosted at IPGRI, emphasis was
placed on PGR, although many
participants had experience in
watershed and land resource
management. Participants
examined the issue of farmers’
(and lack thereof) and breeders’
intellectual property rights and
questioned the dynamic and
contrasting definitions of
collective action and ownership.
The different degrees of
PGR management range from
international regulations such
as the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) and the
International Union for the
Protection of New Varieties of
Plants (UPOV), to national
policies, legal pluralism at the
community levels, and the
personal interests of individuals.
These needs demand that
scientists develop research
approaches integrated across
user groups, resources, time,
and agro-ecological
landscapes. Successful policy
making to promote the
conservation of resources and
the improvement of livelihoods
must be sensitized to collective
action and property rights that
promote a multiplicity of
production systems valuing
genetic diversity.
For more information contact
Monica DiGregorio
(m.digregorio@cgiar.org) or visit
www.capri@cgiar.org.
10
IPGRI Newsletter For Europe
Conference on collective action and property rights: CAPRi
“[it] presented a nice range of
perspectives, from Hodgkin’s
review of IPGRI projects, to
Mexico and Uzbekistan case
studies, to the specifics of NGO
and government efforts in
Ethiopia and the Philippines.
While there were a range of
perspectives on what type of
collective action or property
rights these entailed, it was great
to see a consolidation of current
work in this area.» 
Eric Van Dusen of Berkeley
University, farmer seed systems
specialist
Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA) is an initiative to provide free or low-cost
access to major scientific journals in agriculture and related biological, environmental and social
sciences to public institutions in developing countries. Launched in October 2003, led by FAO, the goal of
AGORA is to increase the quality and effectiveness of agricultural research, education and training in low-
income countries, and in turn, to improve food security. Researchers, policy-makers, educators, students,
technical workers and extension specialists will have access to high-quality, relevant and timely agricultural
information via the Internet.
Blackwell Publishing, CABI Publishing, Elsevier, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Lippincott, Williams &
Wilkins, Nature Publishing Group, Oxford University Press, Springer-Verlag, and John Wiley & Sons are the
founding partners of AGORA, providing access to over 400 of their journals.
For institutions in most countries where the annual per capita GNP is US$1000 or less  access to
AGORA is likely to be free. Special conditions may apply in a small number of cases, where institutions in
some countries will not be eligible for some or all of the content.
Participating institutions will require computers connected to the Internet with a connection of 56k baud
rate or higher.The system is designed to work best with Internet Explorer version 4.0 or higher, or Netscape
version 6 or higher. Users will also need an Adobe Acrobat viewer for journal articles in PDF format.
For more information please visit www.aginternetwork.org or email agora@fao.org for further details.
AGORA - A global partnership assisting
developing countries
Dr Ehsan Dulloo,
Genetic Resources Science
and Technology Group
IPGRI,
Rome, Italy
The Conference of the Parties
(COP) of the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD)
adopted a Global Strategy for
Plant Conservation (GSPC) at
its 6th meeting in the Hague in
2002 (Decision VI/9).This
strategy calls for concerted
actions to halt the current and
continuing loss of plant diversity
by providing a framework to
facilitate harmony between
existing initiatives aimed at plant
conservation, which is in line
with targets agreed at the World
Summit on Sustainable
Development (WSSD) in
Johannesburg, South Africa in
2002.The key element of this
strategy is that it includes 16
outcome-oriented targets to be
achieved by 2010.These
targets are divided into five
groups dealing with:
understanding and
documenting plant diversity;
conserving plant diversity;
sustainable uses of plant
diversity; promoting education
and awareness; and building
capacity.
At the request of the COP,
the Subsidiary Body on
Scientific, Technical and
Technological Advice (SBSTTA)
of the CBD established a
mechanism to develop ways
and means, within the
Convention’s thematic and
cross-cutting programmes of
work, to promote the further
development and
implementation of the GSPC,
and to monitor and assess
progress. A group of experts
were invited by the CBD to form
a liaison group to provide
additional guidance on
implementing and monitoring
the strategy.This group first met
in Cartagena, Colombia in
October 2002, organized in
collaboration with Botanic
Gardens Conservation
International (BGCI) and
supported by HSBC through its
“Investing in Nature”
partnership.This meeting
reviewed and considered the
need to develop sub-targets,
milestones and indicators for
each of the 16 targets, as well
as baseline data for monitoring.
It also proposed that the CBD
designate lead institutions to
support and facilitate the further
development of each target, by
holding stakeholder
consultations for all the targets
except for targets 3 (models),
14 (education and awareness),
15 (capacity building) and 16
(networks) which are
considered as cross-cutting
targets.The group met again in
Dingle Co. Kerry, Ireland in
October 2003 to review the
progress made by lead
institutions on the stakeholder
consultations. For a progress
update, visit the CBD Web site
(www.biodiv.org/doc/meeting.
asp?mtg=TEMPC-02)
IPGRI was invited by the
CBD to facilitate five of the 16
targets. Facilitation of Target 8 is
being undertaken by IPGRI in
collaboration with BGCI, which
is to ensure “60% of threatened
plant species in accessible ex
situ collections, preferably in the
country of origin, and 10% of
them included in recovery and
restoration programmes”. The
other four targets involving
IPGRI are being facilitated
through collaboration with FAO,
specifically:
• Target 6 “At least 30% of
production lands managed
consistent with the
conservation of plant
diversity”, 
• Target 9 “70% of production
lands managed consistent
with the conservation of
plant diversity”, 
• Target 12 “30% of plant
based products derived
from sources that are
sustainably managed” and 
• Target 13 “The decline of
plant resources and
associated local and
indigenous knowledge
innovations and practices
that support sustainable
livelihoods, local food
security and health care,
halted”. People and Plants
International are also
involved in this
collaboration.
FAO and IPGRI have
initiated the process for
developing a background 
paper for each of these targets
through electronic stakeholder
consultations which are
available on the CBD web site.
To contribute, please send your
inputs to Ehsan Dulloo at IPGRI
(e.dulloo@cgiar.org) or to Linda
Collette at FAO
(linda.collette@fao.org ).
The remaining targets are
being facilitated by other
organizations such as the
International Union for the
Conservation of Nature (IUCN),
World Conservation Union,
World Conservation Monitoring
Centre, Planta Europa, Plant
life, CITES etc.
Of particular relevance to
Europe, and closely linked to
the GSPC, is the development
of the European Strategy for
Plant Conservation
(UNEP/CBD/COP/6/INF/22),
which was developed at the
third Planta Europa European
conference on the conservation
of wild plants held in June 2001
in the Czech Republic.The
strategy includes regional
targets to be achieved by 2007,
which may be adapted to
harmonize with the 2010
targets of the GSPC.
Designated lead organizations
are working to achieve these
targets, which are facilitating
and monitoring progress at a
regional level. IPGRI is involved
as a contributing organization in
several of the EPCS targets
related to the conservation of
genetic diversity, ex situ
conservation and wild crop
relatives.
11
IPGRI Newsletter For Europe
Update on implementing the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation
The fourth meeting of the
EUFORGEN Conifers Network
was organized in Pitlochry,
Scotland, 18-20 October 2003.
Participants from 26 countries
focused on the issue of
conserving and using exotic
conifer species in Europe, and
kicked off with presentations
highlighting the experiences of
the UK and other European
countries.
In a number of countries
with low native forest cover,
such as Iceland, Ireland and the
UK, exotic conifers have a
special role not only in forestry,
but also in protecting the
environment by preventing soil
erosion and facilitating the
recovery of native vegetation - 
a fact not always recognized in
the debate on exotic species.
Despite the obvious mistakes
made in cultivating exotics (i.e.
planting on unsuitable sites),
the use of non-native material
needs to be considered as an
acceptable option under clearly
defined conditions, such as
impoverished dendroflora.
The meeting participants
concluded that the cultivation of
exotics may have certain
ecological and genetic
consequences which require
careful monitoring. In some
species, disease and pest
problems only develop after a
considerable time lag, and may
be difficult to eradicate due to
the lack of natural control.
Furthermore, analyses of
second-generation performance
of some introduced tree species
show that adaptation to new
environmental conditions can
be relatively fast and,
consequently, the genepool can
change significantly even within
one generation.This swift
adaptation may lead to the
emergence of landraces, and
such locally adapted genetic
material should be conserved
by appropriate methods. It was
also recommended that the
conservation of exotic tree
species should be incorporated
in both national programmes on
forest genetic resources and
pan-European efforts.
The summary report of the
meeting is available through the
EUFORGEN website.The next
meeting will be held in Cyprus
in spring 2005, provided that
the Conifers Network will
continue in its present form
during Phase III of
EUFORGEN.
12
IPGRI Newsletter For Europe
Fourth meeting of the EUFORGEN Conifers Network
European Forest Genetic Resources Programme
Following the Fourth Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in
Europe (MCPFE), an Expert Level Meeting was held 16-17 October 2003 in
Vienna, Austria. Representatives from 34 countries, the European Commission
and several international organizations exchanged views on the outputs of the
Vienna Ministerial Conference held in April and intensively discussed a draft
work programme for the implementation of the five Vienna Resolutions (see
Issue 26 page 5). Several additions were made to the draft work programme
before it was adopted at the end of the meeting.
Under Resolution 4 on forest biological diversity, forest genetic resources were added as an
independent focus area. This is inline with one of the specific commitments made by the Vienna
Conference, i.e. to promote the conservation of forest genetic resources as an integral part of sustainable
forest management and to continue pan-European collaboration in this area. In practice, European
countries will be implementing this commitment by continuing their active collaboration on forest genetic
resources within the EUFORGEN Programme. More information on the MCPFE Work Programme can be
found at www.mcpfe.org.
New MCPFE Work Programme adopted
The five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) have cooperated on various
fields of interest for decades. In the 1990s, several discussions focused on increasing collaboration on the
conservation of forest genetic resources amongst the countries. One of the ideas proposed was to establish
a genebank for forest genetic resources, similar to the Nordic Gene Bank in Alnarp, Sweden for crops and
farm animals. However, this suggestion was not considered as a feasible option due to the large investment
required, as well as the fact that forest genetic resources conservation involves conserving living trees in
their natural sites and environments (in situ) more than ex situ conservation in genebanks.
In the early 2000s, the Nordic countries agreed that a network on forest genetic resources, under the
umbrella of the Nordic Council of Forest Reproductive Material (NSFP), would be a more feasible option.
This idea was also included in the Strategy for Conservation of Genetic Resources in the Nordic Region
2001–2004. In March 2003, the NSFP included the establishment of this network into its work programme
for 2003–2006. Entitled the ‘Nordic Network for Forest Tree Gene Conservation’, this network will promote
the importance of forest tree gene resources among policy-makers, forestry professionals and the general
public in the Nordic countries.
Operational gene conservation work is another area in which this new network will facilitate Nordic
cooperation. Instead of trying to harmonize approaches used for gene conservation, the focus will be upon
learning from the successes and failures in planning and implementing national activities in the region.
Despite the many commonalities of the five countries, there are differences in their forestry which have
resulted in very different gene conservation strategies.
The first meeting of the Nordic Network for Forest Tree Gene Conservation took place 1-2 September
2003 in Finland to develop future activities. All five countries were represented and IPGRI was also invited to
provide an update from the pan-European perspective. One of the first activities will be to develop a web site
to disseminate relevant information. It was also agreed that the first concrete product will be a folder of maps
on the in situ conservation areas of Norway spruce, lime and birch in the Nordic countries. The next meeting
will be held in Iceland in August 2004.
For further information, please contact the Network Coordinator Leena Yrjänä at the Finnish Forest
Research Institute (leena.yrjana@metla.fi) or the Chair Lennart Ackzell at the Swedish National Board on
Forestry (lennart.ackzell@svo.se).
Nordic cooperation on forest genetic resources
EUFORGEN
Dr Luis Gil, 
Anatomía, Fisiología y Genética
Forestal 
Universidad Politécnica de
Madrid 
Spain
&
Dr Alejandro Solla
Biología y Producción de los
Vegetales
Universidad de Extremadura
Spain
Elms (Ulmus spp.) are an
important element of the
landscape from a conservation,
heritage and amenity point of
view. Since the beginning of the
20th century, elm forests have
been afflicted by Dutch Elm
Disease (DED) caused by
Ophiostoma ulmi and O. novo-
ulmi, as well as habitat
destruction and other human
activities.Thus, conservation
measures are essential to
prevent the further deterioration
of elm forests.
Over the past 20 years, the
Spanish Ministry of
Environment (DGCN) has been
supporting the Universidad
Politécnica de Madrid to
conduct research on
“Conservation and breeding of
elms against DED”.The
objectives are to conserve the
widest possible variety of native
elms, and to obtain resistant
individuals by crossings with
Ulmus pumila, an elm species
that is tolerant to the disease.
Currently, 70 genotypes, mainly
U. pumila x U. minor, including
some U. minor, have been
selected for their tolerance to O.
novo-ulmi inoculations. In 1997,
a five-year European Union
(EU) project (RESGEN 78) was
initiated to coordinate the
conservation of the elm genetic
resources of nine European
countries. Coordinated by
Cemagref in France, it involves
14 institutes and a diverse
group of scientists and
foresters. Progress made during
this project is available at
www.cemagref.fr/Informations/R
echerch/milieutr/projetgeneticre
sources/index.htm.
From 20-23 May 2003, the
“Second International Elm
Conference” was held in
Valsaín, Spain.The Conference
presented the results of both
the Spanish and European
projects and   enabled the
exchange of information on
well-established and new
methods of saving the
remaining elms. Experts from
around the world presented
current research on the ecology,
conservation, biotechnology,
breeding, pests and diseases of
elms.The objectives and topics
discussed followed those
presented at the 1st
International Elm Conference
held in Chicago in 1998,
including: building a dialogue
between researchers and
practitioners; providing
information on elm conservation
and management; developing
ideas for elm improvement; and
involving local communities in
elm research and conservation.
A total of 94 participants
from 19 countries (Austria,
Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada,
China, France, Germany,
Greece, India, Iran, Italy,
Portugal, Romania, Serbia and
Montenegro, Spain, Sweden,
the Netherlands, the UK, and
the USA) attended the
Conference which included 30
oral and 35 poster
presentations. A number of
conclusions were reached,
such as the new elm pathogens
that are evolving through
hybridization among
Ophiostoma sp. strains in
central Europe and North
America. Molecular markers
have provided powerful insights
into the ecology and evolution
of elms and their pathogens.
Along with adaptive traits, these
molecular markers have
generated useful information to
guide management of gene
conservation programmes.
Breeding for DED resistance
has produced good results, and
the efforts must continue to
obtain higher genetic variability
and improved resistance to bark
beetles and other pests.
Genetic modification provides
novel approaches to develop
resistant elms, but before this is
routine, further research and
testing, clear control strategies
and ethical debate are needed.
A special issue of
Investigación Agraria. Serie
Sistemas y Recursos
Forestales is currently under
preparation and will be freely
available at
www.inia.es/gcont/publicacione
s/index.jsp?intranet=0&idcatego
ria=304. For further information
on the Conference
presentations or on any other
aspects of elm breeding and
conservation, please contact
Luis Gil (lgil@montes.upm.es)
or Alejandro Solla
(asolla@unex.es).
13
IPGRI Newsletter For Europe
Second International Elm Conference
EUFORGEN   http://www.euforgen.org
The second set of Technical Guidelines for genetic conservation and use was published in November 2003,
to add to those published earlier in the year for noble hardwoods and conifers (see Issue 26 page 5). This
new set of Technical Guidelines includes:
• European white elm (Ulmus laevis)
• wild apple and pear (Malus sylvestris and Pyrus pyraster)
• oriental sweet gum (Liquidambar orientalis)
• chestnut (Castanea sativa)
• silver fir (Abies alba)
• lime (Tilia spp.)
• black poplar (Populus nigra) 
• Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris)
The Guidelines are based on the available knowledge of the species and on widely accepted methods for
the conservation of forest genetic resources. The objective is to provide recommendations for long-term
conservation in Europe as a commonly agreed basis to be complemented and further developed in local
and national conditions. As part of the Technical Guidelines, the EUFORGEN Networks have also
developed distribution maps for the above-mentioned species. The maps provide updated information on
the occurrence of the species, and thus facilitate the development and implementation of pan-European
gene conservation strategies.
A third set of Technical Guidelines will be published in early 2004. To request copies please contact the
EUFORGEN secretariat (euf_secretariat@cgiar.org) or download electronic copies (PDFs) from
www.euforgen.org, where a full list of the completed Technical Guidelines is available. The maps are also
available through the web site both as image files (JPEG format) and as shape files, which can be used by
most Geographic Information System (GIS) software. Free GIS software (DIVA-GIS) is also available on the
Web site.
EUFORGEN Technical Guidelines
IPGRI is the only centre of the
Consultative Group on
International Agricultural
Research (CGIAR) with a
regional mandate in Europe to
facilitate collaborative work with
European Plant Genetic
Resources (PGR) of
importance outside of the
region.To evaluate the impact
of IPGRI’s activities in this
region during the past five
years, and to identify priority
areas for future activities, the
Centre Commissioned External
Review (CCER) of IPGRI’s
regional programme for Europe
was undertaken in September
2003. Every programme of
IPGRI, either regional or
thematic, is reviewed
periodically once every four
years.This provides important
feedback to IPGRI’s Board of
Trustees (BOT), who then
evaluate recommendations
given by the external reviewers
(CCER Panel), endorse and
monitor their implementation.
Outcomes of this CCER review
were on the agenda of the most
recent BOT meeting in Yerevan,
Armenia, in September 2003.
The CCER panel consisted
of Peter M.A.Tigerstedt,
University of Helsinki, Finland
and Ivana Dulic-Markovic,
Federal Ministry for Agriculture,
Serbia and Montenegro, who
were also joined by Renato
Salazar, a member of the IPGRI
BOT.The panel visited national
PGR programmes in the
Ukraine and the Russian
Federation to obtain insights
into the current collaborative
activities and to review the
impact of IPGRI’s work in the
region. In addition to intensive
interaction between the panel
and staff at IPGRI’s offices and
FAO in Rome, a survey of PGR
stakeholders across Europe
was also conducted by IPGRI
prior to the review (see Box
p.15).
The CCER panel
highlighted the balanced and
distinctively pan-European
approach taken by IPGRI in the
region. During the past five
years, IPGRI has incorporated
low, medium and high-income
countries in its networks, while
paying particular attention to the
less developed national
programmes in the region.The
level of integration between
agriculture and forestry,
especially with respect to the
two “flagship” networking
programmes (ECP/GR and
EUFORGEN), was also
acknowledged. Other
conclusions and
recommendations of the CCER
panel include:
• Increased attention should
be given to the balance
between PGR conservation
and use.
• The CCER called for
stronger collaboration with
Non Governmental
Organizations (NGOs), the
private sector, local
communities and botanical
gardens.
• It was also recommended
that increased support be
provided to national
programmes on PGR policy,
particularly in East
European countries.
Synergies between the
development of European
Union (EU) policies on PGR
and other countries in pan-
Europe should also be
encouraged through the
sharing of views between
countries.
• With publications
representing a significant
outcome and investment of
IPGRI’s activities in the
region, the CCER
recommended that all
documents should be
produced in simple English,
and European countries
should be encouraged to
translate publications at
their own expense. Cost-
sharing between IPGRI and
relevant countries may be
justified to facilitate speed
and quality of translations in
some cases.
• It was also recommended
that IPGRI engage more
actively in raising public
awareness, especially in
western Europe, to increase
overall support for PGR
activities in Europe and
elsewhere.
• Efforts to promote
cooperation between the
European networks and
other regions, as well as
with other Regional Groups
need to be continued and
increased.
• The ECP/GR and
EUFORGEN Coordinators
were specifically
recommended to encourage
discussion with the
respective Steering
Committees in the following
areas:
- To explore possibilities
for distributing
publications with narrow
interest to specialist
groups/or with a short
shelf-life in an electronic
format only, thus freeing
more resources for
general public
awareness publications;
- To prioritize indigenous
forest genetic resources
species in the case of
EUFORGEN; and
- To prioritize and support
national PGR
inventories in the
European crop
germplasm search
catalogue EURISCO
(see page 4).
• IPGRI needs to remain
particularly sensitive to the
process of integration of
East European countries
with the EU due to the
considerable repercussions
of EU support to
collaborative activities
involving national PGR
programmes. A more in-
depth assessment of the
needs and options will be
continued as part of the
strategic IPGRI planning
exercise that commenced in
2003 (see Box below).
In conclusion, IPGRI has
proven to be an honest and
trustful broker for networks,
projects, research and scientist
training throughout Europe.
14
IPGRI Newsletter For Europe
External Review of IPGRI’s activities in Europe
IPGRI has recently initiated discussions both internally and with the
wide range of our partners and stakeholders, on the basis for our
work in the future. The discussion on our vision and future strategy is
based on a few premises:
• People are at the centre of our interest.
• Agricultural biological diversity in the broadest sense, including
forestry, fish, microbes, pollinators, is our overall context of
operation.
• Our «honest broker» and networking/partnership building modus
operandi is our preferred way of doing business.
The Regional Office for Europe (ipgri-europe@cgiar.org) welcomes
feedback and input from our readers, both looking at the “big picture”
(our vision) and for determining the steps needed to get there (our
strategy) in the area of Plant Genetic Resources worldwide in the
next 10-15 years.
Various groups of stakeholders and partners will be contacted with
request for more specific feedback in the coming months.
Developing an IPGRI’s vision for the future
´ ´
The initiative to set up the
Global Crop Diversity Trust,
initially known as the Global
Conservation Trust (see Issue
26 page 13), is being
undertaken by an 11-member
Interim Panel of Eminent
Experts.The Panel was
established in February 2003
and met twice during the year.
The Interim Secretariat for the
Trust, housed at FAO in Rome
from September 2003, is led by
former IPGRI Director General
Geoff Hawtin. Both FAO and
IPGRI continue to provide a
wide range of expertise,
services and support to the
work of the Panel and the Trust
initiative generally.
Consultations with a wide
range of stakeholders were
undertaken in the period prior to
the Panel’s second meeting (2-
4 October 2003), to gather
views from developed and
developing countries, donors
and other partners on the most
appropriate governance for the
Trust. At this second meeting,
the Panel approved the
Constitution of the Trust, the
Agreement to establish the
Trust as an independent
international fund, and the
Relationship with the Governing
Body of the International Treaty.
The Directors General of FAO
and IPGRI have been
requested to send these
instruments to governments,
inviting them to sign or to
accede to the Establishment
Agreement.
As of early November
2003, the Trust had received
US$40 million in pledges and
a further US$52 million in
expressed commitments. The
target set for the end of 2003
was US$100 million. It is
hoped that the Trust will be in
a position to begin awarding
funds to eligible collections in
mid-2004. The process to
develop principles and criteria
for identifying collections that
are eligible to receive funding
from the Trust is now also
underway. For more
information visit
http://startwithaseed.org.
15
IPGRI Newsletter For Europe
Update on the Global Crop Diversity Trust
In May 2003, a survey was conducted to receive feedback on the key elements of IPGRI’s work in Europe.
The survey was sent to 1572 significant partners and stakeholders included in the mailing list of the
Regional Office for Europe.
Of the 35% that responded to the survey: 42% work for government research institutes; 36% for
universities and genebanks; and the remainder are employed in the private sector or by Non Governmental
Organizations (NGOs). Key conclusions of the survey include:
• Most respondents have received IPGRI publications in the past five years, and find them useful. The
FAO/IPGRI Multi-crop Descriptors received the highest rating on the ECP/GR website, and the Technical
Guidelines on the EUFORGEN website.
• 73.8% of the genebank employee respondents have provided data to the ECP/GR European Central
Crop databases and 75.4% accessed data from these databases. For 20% of these respondents, the
databases are their primary source of PGR data.
• About 40% of respondents are members of ECP/GR, and 20% are members of EUFORGEN. Both
ECP/GR and EUFORGEN were thought to be very effective in coordinating communication among
network members and organizing network activities. Both programmes rated slightly lower in
effectiveness in mobilizing knowledge, skills and resources to respond to the needs of their members.
• Over 90% of respondents rated IPGRI’s contribution to increasing the availability of PGR information to
be positive, especially among forestry and agriculture professionals. However, 39% of respondents
reported that IPGRI has made no contribution to increasing awareness among the general public.
• 35% of respondents have no knowledge of IPGRI training materials and 28% reported that IPGRI has
not contributed to capacity building and training.
When asked to rate the importance of services in terms of the importance to their organization in the next
five years, the majority of respondents rated the following services as essential: (i) developing strategies for
PGR conservation, management and use; (ii) fund raising; (iii) providing information and data about PGR;
and (iv) supporting PGR networking. Public awareness, organizing collaborative research projects and
increasing contacts with researchers in other countries were also identified as critically important for those
involved in PGR.
A full report of this survey is available from IPGRI’s Regional Office for Europe (j.turok@cgiar.org)
Impact of IPGRI’s work in Europe – summary of a stakeholder survey
11-16 May 2004
Improvement and
Silviculture of Beech
IUFRO 7th Beech
Symposium and Field Tour
in Iran
Teheran, Iran
psalehi@rifr-ac.ir or
psalehi2@yahoo.com
www.rifr-ac.ir/beechmeeting
27 June – 2 July 2004
1st World Congress on
Agroforestry: Working
together for sustainable
land-use systems
Orlando, Florida, USA
www.conference.ifas.ufl.edu/
wca
18–22 August 2004
9th International
Symposium on Buckwheat
Prague, Czech Republic
isb2004@vurv.cz
www.vurv.cz/buckwheat
8–11 September 2004
XVII EUCARPIA General
Congress Genetic variation
for plant breeding
Tulln, Austria
eucarpia17@ifa-tulln.ac.at
www.eucarpia.org/eucarpia
17
REGIONAL OFFICE
FOR EUROPE
c/o IPGRI Headquarters
Via dei Tre Denari 472/a
00057 Maccarese
Rome, Italy
Fax: +39-0661979661
http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/
regions/europe/home.htm
Forthcoming Meeting
Jozef Turok
Regional Director 
Tel: 39-066118250
Email: j.turok@cgiar.org
Michele Bozzano
Temporary Scientific Assistant
Tel: 39-066118221
Email: m.bozzano@cgiar.org
Muriel Colas
Programme Assistant
Tel: 39-066118229
Email: m.colas@cgiar.org
Aixa Del Greco
Scientific Assistant
Tel: 39-066118224
Email: a.delgreco@cgiar.org
Lidwina Koop
Programme Assistant
Tel: 39-066118251
Email: l.koop@cgiar.org
Jarkko Koskela
EUFORGEN Coordinator
Tel: 39-066118223
Email: j.koskela@cgiar.org
Brigitte Laliberté
Programme Specialist
Crop Genetic Resources 
Tel: 39-066118244
Email: b.laliberte@cgiar.org
Elinor Lipman 
Scientific Assistant
Tel: 33-467611302
Email: e.lipman@cgiar.org
Lorenzo Maggioni 
ECP/GR Coordinator
Tel: 39-066118231
Email: l.maggioni@cgiar.org
Olga Spellman* 
Programme Assistant
Tel: 39-066118411
Email: o.spellman@cgiar.org
(*part time)
Editor 
Helen Malherbe 
Freelance Editor & Consultant
Email:Lherbe@global.co.za
Layout consultant
Marianne Sinko
Freelance consultant
This Newsletter is
produced by the
staff of the Regional
Office for Europe
Obituary
We regret to announce that Mr Fabrizio Grassi, from the Istituto di Frutticoltura, Ciampino,
Rome, Italy, recently passed away after a period of illness. Fabrizio worked in close
collaboration with IPGRI for many years. He was well-known to many ECP/GR partners,
representing Italy in the ECP/GR Steering Committee meetings and was a particularly
active member of the Prunus and Malus/Pyrus Working Groups and a National Inventory
focal person. We wish to convey our condolences and words of encouragement and
strength to Fabrizio’s family and friends at this difficult time.
IPGRI Regional Office for Europe is pleased to announce three research fellowships for 2004 at the Centre
de Recherche Public Gabriel Lippmann in Luxembourg. These fellowships are offered to outstanding young
scientists from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, the Russian Federation and the Ukraine on a
competitive basis. Selected fellows will be invited to develop a research plan for three months, with a
possible extension.
The fellowships will cover the following areas:
(a) micropropagation, clean-up methods, virus identification, cryopreservation;
(b) research into levels and patterns of genetic variation; and 
(c) genetic identification.
For more information, application deadlines and selection requirements, please visit:
www.ipgri.cgiar.org/regions/europe/home.htm
Call for fellowship applications on grapevine
genetic resources