Regional Technical Meeting on Field Plant Genetic Resources in Central Asia and the Caucasus 4-6 December 2000, Tashkent During the meeting the representatives of eight CAC countries held in-depth discussions in working groups where they considered the main directions and principles of plant genetic resource (PGR) conservation of field crops. They recognized that PGR are valuable and important for present and future generations. To ensure national and regional food security they agreed to consider the problem of PGR conservation as separate from breeding activities, and elaborated an action plan which included a work plan for year 2001 that was endorsed by all present at the meeting.

cac region

establishment of working unit

1. To activate practical activities on PGR conservation at the national level. Country representatives will establish (where appropriate) a Unit (or group, or lab, or department) consisting of a minimum of: (i) two specialists on ICARDA mandated crops (cereals, grain-legumes and forage crops); (ii) one specialist to work on PGR documentation;

2. Research and logistical support of this Unit will be provided by ICARDA in form of:

• PC with associated hardware devices and software (if needed);
• E-mail service (on-line e-mail connection for communication with national and regional partners);
• Short-term training/technical meeting of the Unit specialists for methodologies and documentation which will be developed by VIR and ICARDA;

3. To guarantee a proper performance of all the envisaged activities by the Unit, ICARDA will allocate financial support, from a restricted core project budget, for operational costs and implementation of the following assignments;

assignments to be implemented by the unit

1. Establish an inventory (where appropriate) of existing ex-situ collections of ICARDA mandated crops across the country;

2. Identify local varieties and accessions;

3. Identification of duplicate accessions available in the country as ex situ collection that may be housed in different organizations;

4. Identification accessions/species/crops, which are a priority for the country, for the establishment of an all-national ex situ collection;

5. Passportization of national ex situ collections according to international descriptors/ standards starting with ICARDA mandated crops with assistance of VIR-ICARDA specialists;

6. Establishment of descriptive databases of ICARDA mandated crops within the national ex situ collections;

expected results

1. The initial computerized passport database is established for the development of an all-national genepool of ex situ field crops;

2. The passport database serves as a model/basis for the establishment of databases of other working ex situ collections;

3. A specialized working Unit, with a practical focus, is established that coordinates activities at the national and regional levels;

countries have agreed

1. To inform ICARDA (Syria) about national specialists nominated to work in the genetic resource Unit (including CVs, professional training, scientific interest and experience) during January 2001;

2. To participate in a practical workshop in April-May 2001 on PGR documentation where the nominated documentation officer would be assisted in beginning the work of documenting the national collection.

3. National Coordinators for PGR in the CAC will participate in a technical meeting for revision of activities conducted at the national level and development of future plans for next year.

participants
28 participants
Note! The positions marked with * have been changed since 2000

Armenia
Dr. Levon Rukhkyan
*Head of Dept. Science, Education and New Technology Introduction
* The Ministry of Agriculture
Tel: +(374 1) 52 8738; Fax: +(374 1) 52 3793
E-mail: rukhkyan@netsys.am or L_rukhkyan@yahoo.com

Dr. Mikhail Gulkhasyan
*Head of the Chair of Plant Industry
Armenian Agricultural Academy
Tel: +(374 1)56 3840

Azerbaijan
Dr. Zeynal Akbarov
*Deputy Director; Azerbaijan Research Institute of Agriculture
Tel: +(99412) 39-2635; 38-1164; Fax: +(99412) 97-5045;393380
E-mail: akbarov_z@yahoo.com

Dr. Talai Djavanshir
Head of Laboratory; Azerbaijan Research Institute of Agriculture
Tel: +(99412) 97-4931; Tel/Fax: +(99412) 93-1037
E-mail: musayev@artel.net.az

Georgia
Acad. Gogotur Agladze
Vice-President; Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Tel: +(99532) 52 0920; Fax: +(99532) 99 0301
E-mail: agladze@hotmail.com

Dr. Zurab Jinjikhadze
Deputy Director: Institute of Farming

Kazakhstan
Dr. Bakhtiar Sadyk
Deputy Director General; National Academic Center for Agricultural Research
Tel: +(3272) 62 5217; Fax: +(3272) 62 3831
E-mail: nacar@itte.kz

Kyrgyzstan
Acad. Jamin Akimaliev
President; Kyrgyz Agrarian Academy
Tel: +(996 312) 54 5210; Fax:+(996 312) 54 0545
E-mail: kaa@imfico.bishkek.su

Dr. Kurmanjan Osmonalieva
Senior Researcher; Research Institute of Crop Husbandry
Tel: +(996 312) 54 5210; Fax: +(996 312) 54 0545
E-mail: kaa@imfico.bishkek.su

Russia
Dr. Nikolai Dzubenko
Deputy Director
N.I. Vavilov Research Institute of Plant Industry (VIR)
Tel: +(812) 314 4848; Fax:+(812) 311 8762
E-mail: vir@glasnet.ru

Dr. Sergey Alexanian
Head, Foreign Relations Department
N.I. Vavilov Research Institute of Plant Industry (VIR)
Tel: +(812) 314 4848; Fax:+(812) 311 8762
E-mail: vir@glasnet.ru

Turkmenistan
Dr. Ashir Saparmuradov
Director; Garrygalinsky Scientific-Production Experimental Center of Plant Genetic Resources
Tel: +(99312) 34 7435; Fax:+(99312) 34 7472

Dr. Kurbangeldy Mamedov
Head of Department of Genetics; Research Institute of Agriculture and Water Management
Tel: +(99312) 34 7435; Fax:+(99312) 34 7472

Uzbekistan
Acad. Abdusatar Abdukarimov
Tel: +(998712) 64 2223; Fax:+(998 712) 64 2230
E-mail: inst@gen.org.uz

Prof. Rihsivoy Tillaev
Deputy Director General
Uzbek Scientific Production Center of Agriculture
Tel: +(998712) 41 5808; Fax:+(998712) 39 4993

N. Makhmudkhodjaev

Dr. Paizulla Khodjaev
Director
Uzbek Research Institute of Plant Industry (UzRIPI)
Tel: +(998 712) 64 2374; Fax:+(998 712) 39 4993

ICARDA-GRU (Syria)
Tel: +(963 21) 221 3433; Fax:+(963 21) 221 3490

Mr. Jan Konopka
Germplasm Documentation Officer
E-mail: J.Konopka@cgiar.org

Dr. Kenneth Street
Scientist
E-mail: K.Street@cgiar.org

ICARDA-CAC, Uzbekistan
*Dr. Surendra Beniwal
Regional Coordinator

Dr. Zakir Khalikulov
Head Deputy CGIAR-PFU

*Dr. Victor Shevtsov
Barley Breeder; ICARDA-CAC

Representatives
ADB
World Bank Group
SDC
MFA