1. Methods and progress in the conservation of elm genetic resources in Europe
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Eric Collin, Rusanen, M., Ackzell, L., Bohnens, J., Aguiar, A., Diamandis, S., Franke, A., Luis Gil, Luc Harvengt, Hollingsworth, P., Jenkins, Gareth I., Meier-Dinkel, A., Mittempergher, L., Musch, B., László Nagy, Marc Pâques, Jean Pinon, Piou, D., Peter Rotach, Alberto Santini, Vanden Broeck, A., Wolf, H., Écosystèmes forestiers et paysages (UR EFNO), Centre national du machinisme agricole, du génie rural, des eaux et forêts (CEMAGREF), FINNISH FOREST RESEARCH INSTITUTE VANTAA FIN, Partenaires IRSTEA, Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA), NATIONAL BOARD OF FORESTRY JONKOPING SWE, HESSEN FORSTEINRICHTUNG INFORMATION VERSUCHSWESEN HANN MUNDEN DEU, ESTACAO FLORESTAL NACIONAL OEIRAS PRT, NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOREST RESEARCH INSTITUTE VASSILIKA THESSALONIKI GRC, FORSTLICHE VERSUCHS UND FORSCHUNGSANSTALT FREIBURG DEU, UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE MADRID ETSI DE MONTES MADRIS ESP, Association Forêt Cellulose (AFOCEL), ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDEN EDINBURGH GBR, UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW DIVISION BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY GLASGOW GBR, NIEDERSACHSISCHE FORSTLICHE VERSUCHSANSTALT ESCHERODE DEU, ISTITUTO PER LA PROTEZIONE DELLE PIANTE CNR SESTO FIORENTINO ITA, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), FOREST RESEARCH INSTITUTE SARVAR HUN, Ecole Nationale du Génie Rural, des Eaux et des Forêts (ENGREF), ETH ZURICH CHE, INSTITUUT VOOR BOSBOUW EN WILDBEHEER GERAARDSBERGEN BEL, SACHSISCHE LANDESANSTALT FUR FORSTEN PIRNA DEU, Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA), Finnish Forest Research Institute, National Board of Foresty Institute, Partenaires INRAE, Hessen-Forst, Estaçao Florestal Nacional, National Agricultural Research Foundation (NAGREF), Forest Research Institute Baden-Württemberg - Forstliche Versuchs- und Forschungsanstalt Baden-Württemberg, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Royal Botanic Gardens, University of Glasgow, Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit, Istituto per la Protezione delle Piante (IPP), Office National des Forêts (ONF), Forest Research Institute, Interactions Arbres-Microorganismes (IAM), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université de Lorraine (UL), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology [Zürich] (ETH Zürich), Institute for Forestry and Game Management, and Sächsische Landesanstalt für Forsten
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VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION ,INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION ,ULMUS ,EUROPE ,CEMAGREF ,[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio] ,[SDE]Environmental Sciences ,EFNO - Abstract
International audience; The progress made in the conservation of European elm genetic resources since the 1st International Elm Conference is reviewed, and the complementarity of in situ and ex situ methods is discussed. The financial support of the European Union to RESGEN project CT96-78 has permitted to co-ordinate and rationalize the ex situ conservation of elms. The project, which involved 17 partner institutes in nine west European countries, aimed at a better evaluation, conservation and utilisation of the existing collections of native elm clones. Main achievements are: establishing a common database of about 2000 clones; characterizing over 500 clones through RAPDs and chloroplast DNA PCR-RFLPs molecular markers; completing and rationalizing the existing collections; establishing a long-term core collection of 850 clones; cryo-preserving a subset of 444 clones; and identifying clones of interest for breeding and prudent use in the reconstruction of countryside hedges. The 'Noble Hardwoods' network of the pan-European program EUFORGEN groups members representative of 31 countries, and promotes the dynamic conservation of the genetic resources of several genera of broadleaf forest trees, including Ulmus spp. Strategies for the conservation of the adaptive potential of elm resources were defined and will be disseminated among foresters and conservationists through "Guidelines" leaflets. Some countries have already started implementing conservation measures for U. laevis, associating in situ preservation and the establishment of seed orchards. Others are undertaking inventories, or acquiring genetic knowledge on target populations. At a broader scale, the 'Noble Hardwoods' network facilitates the rationalisation of the conservation populations network in a range-wide perspective.