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Page 58 · DO #4776 · 231_Rogers_Bx5FF26_r
- Collection
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David James Rogers (1918–2007) papers
- Item/Folder
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Committee on Germplasm Resources, 1975–1977
- Digital Object
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DO #4776,
page 58
- Collection-level dates
- 1948–1977
Page transcription
- 17 -
to maintain the genetic base and destruction due to public use was very great.
Dr. Rogers cited the lack of cooperation between institutions as being a problem. Those with the longest history, the botanic gardens, lost their role of distributing plants such as the rubber tree and the oil palm, when agriculture became more scientific. They are now more concerned with the maintenance of floral and decorative plants. They have good seed exchange programs and systematic collections. It was pointed out that many institutions have a "reserve" of land where an effort is made to leave things as they are. Numerous examples are found in the U.S. Such areas are useful and their use should be acknowledged. Land is often diverted into other uses due to lack of information about the value of such land. There should be a nation-wide effort to demonstrate the use.
Dr. Rogers went on to talk about the conservation of certain types of plant material. Seed storage presents both an administrative and a technical problem. On the technical side Harrington (U of C, Davis) and Roberts (Birmingham, UK) are the acknowledged experts. There are no blanket rules and some problems are similar to those encountered in animal preservation. Regeneration of seeds before they lose their viability is a very time-consuming task. Ephemeral desert annual seeds cannot be stored in the same way as those of leguminous crop plants, tropical seeds have different dormancy functions to temperate ones. The cost of storing seeds is increasing as energy supplies are in greater demand, and the backup problems for existing facilities are extreme. He cited the case where the underground power lines for Fort Collins were accidentally severed by a bulldozer. Part of the problem is that the
