China-UK Sustainable Agriculture Innovation Network(SAIN)

The start-up meeting and first training workshop of the SAIN WG3 project, ‘Conservation for enhanced utilization of crop wild relative diversity for sustainable development and climate change mitigation’ (‘CWR China’) was held at the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IBCAS) from 23–28 May 2010. Representatives from IBCAS, the China Agricultural University (CAU), th

e Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Fudan University and the University of Birmingham met for the first time to share knowledge and to have detailed discussions about the project work-plan. Dr. Liu Zhongwei from the Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture of the People’s Republic of China

(MoA) joined the meeting to provide an overview of the China–UK Sustainable Agricultural Innovation Network (SAIN), and in order to forge links with other projects, Dr. Yang Qingwen from the Institute of Crop Science, CAAS was invited to give an overview of the GEF-funded initiative, ‘Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Wild Relatives of Crops in China’. Training was provided to Chinese scientists from IBCAS and CAAS in crop wild relative (CWR) conservation strategy planning by staff of the School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham.
The purpose of the project is to develop conservation and use strategies for crop wild relative (CWR) species of China to secure and provide access to the genetic diversity of the most important wild plant resources needed for food security and sustainable development in China—in particular to mitigate the impact of climate change. This three-year project is funded by Defra and the MoA.
Key objectives of the project are:

Production of a full inventory of CWR of China using a systematic approach previously developed and applied in Europe;
Identification of priority CWR species based on food security, economic importance, use potential for climate change mitigation, and threat status;
‘Gap’ and climate change analysis to identify in situ and ex situ conservation needs for selected high priority crop gene pools (including rice, soybean, foxtail millet, grape, Kiwi fruit, poplar and citrus fruits);
Publication of crop gene pool conservation strategies, including briefing papers for policy-makers;
Evaluation of CWR using novel genomic techniques to provide improved access to CWR genetic diversity for use in crop improvement, with a focus on genes likely to confer adaptation to climate change;
Development of the existing online platform, the Crop Wild Relative Information System (CWRIS), to provide access to the CWR inventory and associated conservation and evaluation data.

Results of this collaborative research project will be disseminated and publicized via a dedicated project website and discussion forum, the Crop Wild Relative Information System, policy briefing papers, peer-reviewed journals, a full colour text book, the newsletter, Crop wild relative, and an information flyer. The Second International Conference on Crop Wild Relative Conservation and Use, for which further funding will be sought, will be organized under the auspices of the project and will take place in China in 2012.

For further information, contact:
In the UK:
Ms Shelagh Kell, Tel: +44 (0)1297 678117, Email: s.kell@bham.ac.uk
Dr Brian Ford-Lloyd, Tel: +44 (0)121 4145565, Email: b.ford-lloyd@bham.ac.uk
Dr Nigel Maxted, Tel: +44 (0)121 4145571, Email: n.maxted@bham.ac.uk
School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT, UK
In China:
Dr. Dingming Kang, China Agricultural University, Tel: +86 10 62756091, Email: kdm@pku.edu.cn

‘CWR China’: start-up meeting and first training workshop held in Beijing