Challenges and perspectives on ex-situ conservation of plants from relict cultivation (from the Middle ages)

Svein Øivind Solberg, Nordic Genetic Reseource Center (NordGen)

Althea officinalis – Lund Botanical Garden, 2011

Important questions for a gene bank

1. Authentisity of the material

2. Germination/regeneration protocols?

3. Genetic variation – within- and between populations?

4. Co-operation – gene bank, botanical gardens, museums, local owners/users and other in conservation and use of the material?

Inula helenium

Ystad, 2012

Plants from relict cultivation - at the gene bank at NordGen today

• Bernt Løjtnants collection:• Jylland (Kalø , Agri, Kollerup, Mols,

Mariager ) - 2007• Sjælland (Borreby, Holsteinborg,

Agersø, Skjælskør, Fyrendal) - 2009• Bornholm (Hammershus, Melsted,

Bølshavn, Gudhjem, Svaneke) - 2009• Jylland (Mols – Dråby, Esby, Bosby,

Strandsø, Eens kirke ) - 2009• Fyn (Kærsgaard, Brahetrolleborg,

Hesselager, Kaleko, Tranekær, Valdemar)– 2010

• Jylland (Fiskbæk, Høegholm, Ørslevskloster, Kvols, Spøtterup) - 2011

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– Total 271 accessions

• Other collects:• Skåne (Malmø, Lund) – relict cultivation from MA• Iceland (Angelica, Carum)

---• Karelen - Scandinavian settlements• USA (Scandinavian emigrants) – cultivars/landraces of oat,

wheat, beans, peas• Landraces and old cultivars (last centyry – today)• POM collection (from before 1950)

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• Future plans: Samsø, Denmark – with Bernt Løjtnant – Sept/Oct 2012Norway - with Per Arvid Åsen, 2013?

Filtkondslys (Verbascum thapsus), Klostergården, Lund, 2011

Some challanges; no fruits, few fruits

Solbær (Ribes nigrum, Hald, 2011 Dansk ingefær (Arum alpinum ssp. danicum, Mols, 2010

other challanges; extremly rare, hybridization

Bryonia dioica, Stranso, 2010 Grenet kongslys? (Verbascum sp.) Strandso, 2010

What are we collecting?

• Kalø (fort ruin)– Built in 1313 - left over in 1670th– Bernt Løytnant: registred 26 relict

species introduced and cultivated (SKALK 4/2007:11-15) • These are plants introduced before

1670th – and after 1313• These plants are the most long-lived

cultivated plants («sejlivede») from that period at this site

• The people at the fort must have cultivated also a lot of other species, these are not at the site anymore. The number of cultivated species at a fort could have been 200

– Collected and stored in the gene bank – 4 accession

200 ?

26

4

• Hammershus (fort ruin)

200 ?

53

8

• «Sejlivede» - black listing

Myrrhis odorata, Stenbeg, Østre Toten, 2011

The job has just started

• Collect • Clean - verify quality and quantity• Dry - internal humidity 5%• Pack - sealed al-bags • Store - at minus 18 C; three locations• ---• Passport data – documentation• ---• Germination tests• Regeneration – multiplication• Distribution

Reseda luteola

Klostergården, Lund, 2011

Establishment of germination protocols

Experiment with 40 accessions from different taxa

• no stratification • three weeks stratification (4˚C) • six weeks of stratification (4˚C)

Followed by 17 days of incubation at 20˚C, 16 h day length.

Twenty-five seeds of each accession, placed on moist filter paper (soaked in ordinary tap water) were used for each treatment.

Germinated seeds were recorded and removed continuously during the incubation.

1. Responded very well to the stratification periods tested

2. Germinated well without the stratification or had just marginal increase with stratification

3. Negative impact of stratification

4. Insufficient stratification- or incubation-period

5. Other measures have to be taken

0 Weeks 3 Weeks 6 weeks0

10

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40

50

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Fig 1. Examples of postitive effect

Cichorium intybus var. intybusEupatorium cannabinumPastinaca sativaUrtica dioicaVerbena officinalis

Germ

inati

on %

0 Weeks 3 Weeks 6 Weeks0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Fig 2. Examples of no/minor response

Hypericum perforatumBryonia albaDigitalis purpurea

Germ

inati

on %

0 Weeks 3 Weeks 6 Weeks0

10

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Fig 3. examples of negative impact

Chenopodium albumDatura stramonium

Germ

inati

on %

0 Weeks 3 Weeks 6 Weeks0

10

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Fig 4. Examples of insufficient treatment

Oenothera biennisOenothera glaziovianaPhytolacca americanaSaponaria officinalis

Germ

inati

on %

• Other measures have to be taken

– Aegopodium podagraria – Aethusa cynapium– Anchusa officinalis– Ballota nigra– Chelidonium majus– Humulus lupulus– Hyoscyamus niger– Malva neglecta– Parietaria officinalis– Reseda luteola

Chelidonium majus, Gjøvik gård, 2011

• Further actions must be considered to develop reliable germination protocols for these species. It may include chemical-, mechanical- or prolonged stratification-treatments or a combination of these. A successful example with mechanical treatment that demonstrates this has been shown in M. neglecta which in this trial had 0% germination; seeds chipped with a scalpel had 100% germination in less than five days without any other treatment.

Genetic variation – within or between populations

Regeneration

• Isolation – pollination - contamination• Number of plants• Costs of regeneration

NGB9968 Allium schoenoprasum

Co-operation in conservation and use

• Local owners/users (in-situ)• Gene bank (ex-situ)• Botanical gardens• Museums• Cultural sciences• Authorities• Others

Melissa officinale

Lund, 2012