Tropical and subtropical forage germplasm conservation and science on their deathbed! 1. A journey to crisis

Abstract

While interest in the potential of tropical and subtropical forage (TSTF) germplasm for improved livestock production commenced earlier, it was not until the 1950s and 1960s that plant collecting and research on diversity and utilization of grasses and legumes reached significant global momentum. The subsequent engagement in pasture and forage research by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) centres, such as the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA; 1974–1995)/International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI; since 1995) from the 1970s onwards, built on the advances made by national centres in Australia, the United States of America, Kenya and elsewhere. By 1990–2000, TSTFs were recognized for contributing to a range of commercial and smallholder livestock production systems in Latin America, Australia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and Africa. However, their use, the value of further research and the need to maintain the very large and diverse collections held in international and national genebanks were challenged by this time because of perceived environmental risks, questions about whether or not past achievements could be bettered and the high costs of maintaining genebanks. Since then, the decline in investment and the quality of conservation and curation has been a relatively rapid process and reached the crisis point of today in just 20–25 years. This article traces 70 years of expansion and then decline of plant collecting, conservation, research and commercialization of TSTFs as a new commodity and examines the reasons for the sharp changes that have taken place. In a second article (this issue), the argument is made for swift and drastic action to prevent critical germplasm from being lost, to enable genebanks to play their crucial and unique role in underpinning improving production and productivity in livestock systems and to provide key germplasm tools to achieve environmental benefits.