Overview of the implementation of the Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in Lebanon. © FAO: http://www.fao.org

1. Optimizing the Use of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture for
Adaptation to Climate Change(TCP/SNO/3401)”.
Prepared By Ali Chehade
Regional Workshop
Overview of the implementation of the Second Global Plan
of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture in Lebanon”
10 November 2014

2. PRIORITY ACTIVITY 1: Surveying and inventorying
plant genetic resources for food and agriculture
Universities
LARI CNRSICARDA
PGRFA species
surveyed/inventoried
Wheat landraces
Barley Landraces
Fig
Local olive varieties
Citrus
loquats
Pomegranate
Juniperus
Medicinal Plant
Caper
Prickly Pears
Grapevine
Number of accessions
surveyed/inventoried
99
80
37
44
48
30
6
6
74
2
43
52
MoA

3. PRIORITY ACTIVITY 2: Supporting on-farm management
and improvement of plant genetic resources for food and
agriculture
• Social and economic support for the families of producers in the
olive-growing marginal regions in Lebanon (MoA, LARI and CIHEAM
BARI)
• Mainstreaming Biodiversity Management into Medicinal and Aromatic
Plants Production Processes (LARI, UNDP)
• Agriculture and Rural Development Programme (MoA, LARI/CIHEAM
IAM Bari and Montpellier)
• Morphological and molecular characterization of farmer varieties for
different species (wheat, barley, olives,…/LARI)
• Production and delivery of seed and certified plants for different
crops by using in vitro techniques (LARI projects)
Activities: Assesment of farmers' knowledge; Characterization and
Evaluation of local varieties, Plantlet multiplications and distribution
of certified plants

4. PRIORITY ACTIVITY 4: Promoting in situ
conservation and management of crop wild
relatives and wild food plants
Many projects related to in-situ conservation and sustainable use of
agro biodiversity were implemented in Lebanon during the past
decade The in situ conservation sites are classified and
protected to a varying degree at the national level, and
include
 7 nature reserves
 protected forests
 protected natural sites/landscapes
 Hima
 4 Ramsar sites,
 5 UNESCO World Heritage Sites,
 15 Important Bird Areas (IBAs)
 1 Specially Protected Area (SPA)
 2 Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean
Importance (SPAMI).

5. project related to in-situ conservation and
sustainable use of biodiversity has been carried
out during 2009-2013:
Mainstreaming Biodiversity Management into
Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) Production
Processes in Lebanon” (2009-2013) which aims to
integrate conservation objectives into gathering,
processing and marketing of globally significant
medicinal and aromatic plants.
PRIORITY ACTIVITY 4: Promoting in situ
conservation and management of crop wild
relatives and wild food plants

6. PRIORITY ACTIVITY 5: Supporting targeted collecting of
plant genetic resources for food and agriculture
Name of collecting mission Institutions
Morphological and molecular
characterization of wheat and
barley landraces in Lebanon
LARI
Collecting landraces of wheat in
Lebanon
LARI
Assessment of the Genetic
Diversity of Lebanese Barley
Germplasm for Drought
Tolerance and Malting Quality
LU/CNRS/ICARDA/LARI
Characterization of the main
local varieties of olive trees
LARI/CIHEAM BARI

7. PRIORITY ACTIVITY 6: Sustaining and expanding
ex situ conservation of germplasm
National seed Bank of LARI: 1380 seed collections representing
950 different wild species (edible, medicinal, aromatic, endemic),
among them 87 species are wild relatives of the cultivated crops
covered by the Annex 1 of the ITPGRFA + 101 accessions of
wheat and barley landraces
LARI hosted field gene bank for olive, grapes, stone fruits, fig
and citrus.
AUB Seed Bank: duplication of 9 000 accessions from
ICARDA’s GB

8. PRIORITY ACTIVITY 7: Regenerating and multiplying ex situ
accessions
Stake Holder Name of
crop/crop group
Total number of
accessions in the
national gene-
bank(s)
Number of
accessions
regenerated
and/or
multiplied
Number of
accessions in
need of
regeneration
LBN020 Wheat 99 45 54
LBN020 Barley 80 55 25
LBN020 Wild species 1245 - Stored under long
term conditions
LBN020 Prunus root stock 3 3 Mother Plants
LBN020 Caper 1 1 Mother Plants
LBN020 Potato 1 1 In – Vitro Plantlets
LBN020 Stawberry 3 3 Mother plants
LBN020 Olive 8 8 Field gene Bank

9. Micropropagation
of different
species

10. PRIORITY ACTIVITY 8: Expanding the
characterization, evaluation and further development of
specific collection sub-sets to facilitate use

11. Fusiforme
Effilée Parallèle
Shape of Spike
0.1
11
3
1
2
28
32
22
17
16
15
14
13
12
4
5
8
9
6
7
36
31
34
46
45
44
43
39
40
20
21
29
27
26
25
23
24
37
38
Wheat

12. Long IntermediateShort
Spike Length
Dense Intermediate Lax
Spike Density
Shorter Equal Longer
Awn Length
Awn color
Purple Yellow
Shape of lemma tip for
sterile spiklets
Pointed Rounded
Barley

13. Baladi Souri Abou Chawkeh
Kalb El-Tair
JlotDal
Teliani
Ayrouni
L’olio Del
LIBANO

14. Crops
Loquats
Pomegranate
Citrus
Fig
Morphological characterizations

15. Breeding activities limited to wheat and barley
Clonal selection for some fruit species,
Domestication of some wild edible plants
PRIORITY ACTIVITY 9: Supporting plant
breeding, genetic enhancement and base-broadening
efforts

16. PRIORITY ACTIVITY 10: Promoting diversification of
crop production and broadening crop diversity for
sustainable agriculture
StakeHolder
Name of the new
crop Name of taxon
Name of the main
cultivation area(s)
LARI Caper (trial) Capparis spinosa
Semi arid areas
(Hermel, Irsal)
LARI/FAO Quinoa (trial)
Chenopodium
quinoa Semi arid areas
LARI Rasberry(trial) Rubus idaeus Semi arid areas
New crops or wild species introduced
into cultivation
during the next years

17. PRIORITY ACTIVITY 11: Promoting development
and commercialization of farmers’ varieties/landraces
and underutilized species
StakeHolder
Policy/legal framework
(including strategies)
reference Year of publication
MoA/FAO National Seed policy 2012
MoA/LARI/FAO
National Strategy for
conservation and
management of PGRFA
in Lebanon 2014
Policy and strategies were developped
to promote the development
of farmers’ varieties

18. PRIORITY ACTIVITY 12: Supporting seed
production and distribution
Name of
crop
Name of
cultivar
Year of
release
Type Important
characteristics
Wheat Tal Amara 3 2013 Improved variety Characterized by high
quality of seeds and used
for the manufacture of
Bourghol and pasta
Wheat Berdawni 2013 Improved variety Resistance to rust and
lodging and used for the
manufacture of Bourghol
and pasta
Wheat Lahen 3 2013 Improved variety High productivity,
resistance to rust and
used for the manufacture
of Bourghol and pasta
Wheat Ghzayel 2013 Improved variety High productivity,
resistance to rust of
wheat

19. PRIORITY ACTIVITY 13: Building and
strengthening national programmes
Name of entity
Year of
establishment
Frequency of
meetings
Other participating
partners
MOA 1955
Quarterly durindg
a year
Farmers, Private
sector, NGOs,
Universities and
NGOs
LARI 1957
Quarterly durindg
a year
Farmers, Private
sector, NGOs,
Universities and
NGOs
National entity functioning as
governance structure responsible
for coordinating PGRFA activities

20. PRIORITY ACTIVITY 14: Promoting and strengthening networks for plant
genetic resources for food and agriculture

21. Websites of different Institutions related to
PGRFA

22. Strength through unity