Survey of Beta nana in Greece

Authors: FRESE, L - FED. CENTER FOR BREEDING.; Hannan, Richard; Hellier (ctr), Barbara; SAMARAS, S - FED. CENTER FOR BREEDING; Panella, Leonard

Submitted to: World Beta Network
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/1/2007
Publication Date: 11/1/2009
Citation: Frese, L, Hannan, R, Hellier, B, Samaras, S, Panella, L. 2009. Survey of Beta nana in Greece. Pages 45-52 In: Frese L, Maggioni L, Lipman E, editors. 2009 Beta Network. Third Joint Meetings, 8-11 March 2006, Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain. Bioversity International, Rome, Italy.

Interpretive Summary: Interpretive summary The wild species Beta nana is a crop wild relative of cultivated beets and a potential genetic resource for beet breeding. It is a rare but currently not threatened alpine species endemic to Greece which may be prone to extinction risk from climate warming in future. A plant exploration was conducted in 2005 to assess the conservation status 25 years after the last B. nana survey and to establish a base line for monitoring. Populations of this wild beet were found on six mountains. Estimates for risk of genetic erosion were fluctuating around 100 points on a scale from 0 (no risk) to 200. The population size ranged from more than 1000 plants at the Olympos in the North to a few plants at the Taygetos in the South. Twenty seed accessions were collected for conservation, research and evaluation, and suggestions for complementary conservation measures were made. At least three sites are suited to establish and manage genetic reserves.

Technical Abstract: The wild species Beta nana is a crop wild relative of cultivated beets and a potential genetic resource for beet breeding. It is a rare but currently not threatened alpine species endemic to Greece which may be prone to extinction risk from climate warming in future. A plant exploration was conducted in 2005 to assess the conservation status 25 years after the last B. nana survey and to establish a base line for monitoring. Populations of this wild beet were found on six mountains. Estimates for risk of genetic erosion were fluctuating around 100 points on a scale from 0 (no risk) to 200. The population size ranged from >1000 individuals at the Olympos in the North to a few individuals at the Taygetos in the South. Twenty seed accessions were collected for ex-situ conservation, research and evaluation, and suggestions for complementary conservation measures were made. At least three sites are suited to establish and manage genetic reserves.