Community Seed Banking in Agro-biodiversity Conservation and My coflora Analysis in Stored Seeds of Paddy

Abstract

Agro-biodiversity conservation is necessary to ensure that our rich crop diversity continues to support ecological and economic security. Local crop diversity is the key elements of agricultural biodiversity. Community seed banking is emerging as are liable option for the conservation of local crop diversity in areas where the loss of landraces is very rapid. The main objective of present study was to analyze the role of Community Seed Banking in agro-biodiversity conservation and identification of associated mycoflora in stored seeds of paddy in seed banks. And to document the major cultivars of locally important crops, identify tools, techniques for seed storage. The present study was conducted at the Community Seed Banks (CSBs) of threeVDCs: Belwa of Bardiya, Masuriya of Kailali and Beldandi of Kanchanpur district.This study was based on the descriptive and explanatory research method; key informants, household survey, literature review and direct observation method. Seed purity test, germination test and identification of mycoflora associated with paddyseeds were also done. Laboratory work as physical purity test and germination test were done at Central Seed Testing Laboratory Hariharbhawan, Lalitpur while Mycoflora analysis was conducted at Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University. Laboratory analysis showed that seed samples had many impurities such as weeds,soil particles,plant parts and other crop seeds. Germination tests showed that germination percentage of the samples varied from 0 to 96%. Mycoflora analysis showed that storage paddy seeds infected by 9 fungi. The seed samples of two paddy cultivars,including Tilak and Anjana, exhibited highest infection of As pergillus and Mucor. During field survey it was found that majority of the participating households had benefited from the CSBs in many ways, such as easier availability of seeds, on farm conservation of local varieties, conservation of local and traditional knowledge and conservation of genetic diversity. Finally in this regard Community Seed Banking was observed to play a very important role in agro-biodiversity conservation.