A Country of High Barley Genetic Diversity: No Single Breeder!
Meskerem.Com has posted an article titled as “High genetic diversity discovered in Eritrean barley” on 15 February 2007. To create awareness to fellow citizens, I would like to give a brief feed back about what I know of Eritrean barley. First of all the publication of Jahoor concerning Eritrean Barley genetic diversity in SciDev.net is NOT A NEW DISCOVERY. This person has only carried out a molecular study of Eritrean germplasm in his laboratory to help him get priceless genes to his barley disease resistance work. When it comes to barley genetic diversity, many wise scientists underlined the importance of Eritrea and its barley since long decades. I have here listed down some of them:
1. Orlov (1929, 1931) observed the largest number of endemic forms of barley in Eritrean collections and concluded that these forms are particularly accumulated in this germplasm. He reported many different forms of the naked types in Eritrean material. Orlov also written about the relative immunity of Eritrean barleys to powdery mildew and rusts. Many of the Eritrean landraces were very productive; processing large grains and high protein content (20%). This researcher also stressed the great value of this material in plant breeding for various purposes, including the production of high grain quality for brewing.
2. Vavilov (1927) described Eritrea as a region where a whole diversity of forms of hulled barley is concentrated, with a great amount of endemic characters showing the abundance of dominant forms (genes) found no where else in the world.
3. Later, based on the results of more detailed studies, Vavilov (1951) concluded that these collections display a level of diversity of forms and genes of barley unparalleled by any country or region, and hence designated Eritrea as a centre of origin for barley.
4. Schiemann (1951) referred to this region as an “accumulation centre,” but not centre of origin of barley because of the absence of wild relatives of barley in this area.
5. Takashi (1955) supported the conclusion of Shiemann.
6. Eritrea is known for high diversity in barley (Mengesha, 1975).
7. Bereket (2000) reported that in all barley growing areas of Eritrea, barley is mainly grown as landraces, known for high diversity both between and within landraces. Eleven landrace populations (Atsa, Kunto/Gunaza, Demhay, Kulih, Abat, Tselimo, Abedaray, Dessie, Yeha, Kontsebe (Tsaria), and Atena) are in the hands of Eritrean farmers. Barley to Eritrean highland farmers has been a heritage, life saver and a crop that gives yield even under harsh environment. Barley grain has been food while its straw is important animal feed.
8. According to Bereket (2002) the following 11 end uses of barley for human consumption are recorded: Injera (Taita), Kicha, Gogo, Kolo, Geat, Tihlo, Beso (Tihni), Birkuta, Shirba,Swa an Titko. To clarify how crucial is Barley to Eritreans, Bereket (2002) presented that there are songs praising the importance of barley like “sgemeye sgemey redaiteye (my barley is my relief).” He also documented the fact that mentioning only what heroic Eritrean father Ras WoldeMichael described barley represents all other many legends: “kab risi debri Bizen kab risi ekli sgem (the best of all monsters is Bizen while the best of all cereals is barley). The only farmers in the world that have barley and wheat mixture cultivation system that is locally known us “Hanfetse” are Eritrean farmers.
One of the reasons why this diversity has been maintained for centuries in Eritrea is because there has been no scientific barley breeding interference due to the fact that Eritrea has been war zone and former Ethiopian government invested no thing on research in Eritrea. The other justified reason given by farmers is that cultivating landrace population is security to get some yield when there is drought. The third possible reason could be the diverse agro ecological variation within even short distant areas in barley and wheat growing locations in the country.
After independence, breeding work in Eritrea was initiated by Mr. Kflemarima Mengistu who has B.Sc degree in Plant Sciences and M.Sc degree in Plant Breeding from Alemaya University of Agriculture, Ethiopia; however, the wicked managers of the research department who still are working against their fellow brothers fired this scientist from his job in 1994 when government of Eritrea was implementing reshuffling. I think this scientist had at least 25 years of barley breeding experience in Ethiopia. The next breeder to take over was Bereket Tekle who has done commendable job in terms of exploiting the diversity available to improve production on grass root level. By just making single line selections on farmers field with farmers, he was able to release high yielding lines to specific barley growing zones: one for Southern highlands, one for Central Highlands and one for the Mid Altitude zones of Halhale vicinity. This particular breeder, who really has adopted the decentralized research approach, is in the heart of barley and wheat growing subsistent Eritrean farmers though he is not any more in Eritrea. Bereket initiated crossing malting barley varieties with the lines that are identified from food barley landrace populations. In collaboration with this young breeder, Jahoor also had a comprehensive wheat lines collection from all over wheat growing locations in Eritrea in 2001. Jahoor will get the same divestity information as what he got on barley (the diversity on wheat in Eritrea also was previously reported by many scientists). Despite being a gene pull, Eritrea has no any barley and wheat breeder in the country who can make use of this diversity to help farmers get higher and sustainable production. I am sure however that the international community will benefit by making use of the peculiar genes Eritrean landraces are having. The National Agricultural Research Institute in Eritrea should learn the fact that foreign expert technical support on plant breeding is not a replacement of national breeders. We are observing the fact that barley breeders like Ceccarelli (Italian or gypsy?) from ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas) are frequently visiting Eritrean NARI as a way to take break from their stressed live in Syria. I have heard Ceccarelli saying that he comes to entertain Asmara’s climate and women. I advise NARI to be vigilant on these kind of cheap “experts.”
Jahoor is telling that he could not be able to get funding to preserve seeds of the Eritrean landrace barley in gene bank. I think, though it lacks expertise and small in size, NARI has gene bank. Also one way or another he can conserve what he has collected in his gene bank in Denmark (Riso or KVL), the Nordic Gene bank, ICARDA, CIMMYT, etc. As to the decision of the new Danish government not to give support to Eritrea, I think it is acceptable. Supporting a one man dictatorial government is not right. Because of the nature of this government, Eritrean barley and wheat farmers are in a position that they could even not be able to plough their plots. Their children who are supposed to carry out farming activities are in endless military hostage.
Tsefatsion,
California, USA