IOC NETWORK OF GERMOPLASM BANKS

The seminar “The IOC network of germplasm banks and the True Healthy Olive Cultivars” took place at the University of Córdoba. The seminar was attended by representatives from the IOC international germplasm banks of Córdoba, Marrakech and Izmir and the national collections of Algeria, Argentina, Cyprus, Croatia, Egypt, France, Greece, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, the State of Palestine, Tunisia, Turkey and Uruguay.

The IOC invited Daniele Manzella from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to give the inaugural conference on the “International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture”. The first session was on “The current status of the IOC network of germplasm banks”, and each IOC international and national bank presented the state of its collection. The second session was on a “Proposal for a guide to cataloguing, sanitation and management of the germplasm banks of the IOC network”. The third session was on the True Healthy Olive Cultivars project, and a presentation was given by Professor Emeritus Luis Rallo. The Head of the Technology and Environment Unit, then discussed how to proceed with the exchange of plant material. Three field visits took place: one to the UCO collection, another to the IFAPA collection and finally to the TODOLIVO and ELAIA trials.

The importance of harmonising molecular markers in all the analyses for the authentication of the olive genetic material  was highlighted. It was  also concluded that it was fundamental to adopt the guide for collection management and maintain the richness of the diversity of the collections as it is a world treasure that should be maintained and protected by all.

It was agreed to hold another meeting at the international collection of Marrakech to delve further into the scientific debates around these collections in 2020. The importance of the behaviour of the different varieties in different environments is also highly important. With comparative analysis, it could serve as a base to extrapolate the impact of climate change in the different countries and on the adaptability of varieties. For these motives it was suggested to study options for new projects in the future.