Native seed for restoration: a discussion of key issues using examples from the flora of southern Australia

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Broadhurst ◽  
Cathy Waters ◽  
David Coates
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Seed Production ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Native Vegetation ◽  
Vast Number ◽  
Seed Collection ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
European Settlement ◽  
Native Seed ◽  
Industry Standards

Land clearing across southern Australia since European settlement has fundamentally changed the amount and distribution of native vegetation; it has also substantially reduced genetic diversity in plant species throughout Australia, especially in agricultural regions. The most recent State of the Environment report indicates that Australian biodiversity continues to decline. Many approaches to restoration are used in Australia including re-establishing plant populations using tube stock or by direct seeding. Native seed for these projects is often assumed to be plentiful and available for the majority of species we wish to restore but these assumptions are rarely true. We also rely on a small number of species for the majority of restoration projects despite the vast number of species required to fully restore complex plant communities. The majority of seed for restoration is still primarily collected from native vegetation despite longstanding concerns regarding the sustainability of this practice and the globally recognised impacts of vegetation fragmentation on seed production and genetic diversity. Climate change is also expected to challenge seed production as temperatures rise and water availability becomes more limited; changes to current planting practices may also be required. Until now native seed collection has relied on market forces to build a strong and efficient industry sector, but in reality the Australian native seed market is primarily driven by Federal, State and Territory funding. In addition, unlike other seed-based agri-businesses native seed collection lacks national industry standards. A new approach is required to support development of the native seed collection and use sector into an innovative industry.

An evaluation of the genetic structure of seed sources and the maintenance of genetic diversity during establishment of two yellow box (Eucalyptus melliodora) seed-production areas

2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda M. Broadhurst ◽  
Graham Fifield ◽  
Bindi Vanzella ◽  
Melinda Pickup
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Seed Production ◽  
Significant Loss ◽  
Evolutionary Potential ◽  
Seed Collection ◽  
Seed Sources ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Genetic Bottlenecks ◽  
Production Areas

Vegetation clearing and land-use change have depleted many natural plant communities to the point where restoration is required. A major impediment to the success of rebuilding complex vegetation communities is having regular access to sufficient quantities of high-quality seed. Seed-production areas (SPAs) can help generate this seed, but these must be underpinned by a broad genetic base to maximise the evolutionary potential of restored populations. However, genetic bottlenecks can occur at the collection, establishment and production stages in SPAs, requiring genetic evaluation. This is especially relevant for species that may take many years before a return on SPA investment is realised. Two recently established yellow box (Eucalyptus melliodora A.Cunn. ex Schauer, Myrtaceae) SPAs were evaluated to determine whether genetic bottlenecks had occurred between seed collection and SPA establishment. No evidence was found to suggest that a significant loss of genetic diversity had occurred at this stage, although there was a significant difference in diversity between the two SPAs. Complex population genetic structure was also observed in the seed used to source the SPAs, with up to eight groups identified. Plant survival in the SPAs was influenced by seed collection location but not by SPA location and was not associated with genetic diversity. There were also no associations between genetic diversity and plant growth. These data highlighted the importance of chance events when establishing SPAs and indicated that the two yellow box SPAs are likely to provide genetically diverse seed sources for future restoration projects, especially by pooling seed from both SPAs.

scholarly journals Managing Genetic Diversity and Representation in Banksia marginata (Proteaceae) Seed Production Areas Used for Conservation and Restoration

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Linda Broadhurst ◽  
David Bush ◽  
Jim Begley
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Seed Production ◽  
Population Genetic Structure ◽  
Population Genetic ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Landscape Degradation ◽  
Native Seed ◽  
Seed Crops ◽  
Production Areas

Landscape degradation is a major threat to global biodiversity that is being further exacerbated by climate change. Halting or reversing biodiversity decline using seed-based restoration requires tons of seed, most of which is sourced from wild populations. However, in regions where restoration is most urgent, wild seed sources are often fragmented, declining and producing seed with low genetic diversity. Seed production areas (SPAs) can help to reduce the burden of collecting native seed from remnant vegetation, improve genetic diversity in managed seed crops and contribute to species conservation. Banksia marginata (Proteaceae) is a key restoration species in south-eastern Australia but is highly fragmented and declining across much of its range. We evaluated genetic diversity, population genetic structure and relatedness in two B. marginata SPAs and the wild populations from which the SPA germplasm was sourced. We found high levels of relatedness within most remnants and that the population genetic structure was best described by three groups of trees. We suggest that SPAs are likely to be important to meet future native seed demand but that best practice protocols are required to assist land managers design and manage these resources including genetic analyses to guide the selection of germplasm.

scholarly journals Protected Areas in Forest Conservation: Challenges and Opportunities

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 488
Author(s):  
Panayiotis G. Dimitrakopoulos ◽  
Nikoleta Jones
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Forest Conservation ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Vast Number ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

Forest ecosystems are important habitats for a vast number of species worldwide[...]

scholarly journals Container Flow-Transport Technology of Selection Grain Production

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 20-24
Author(s):  
Mikhail L. Kryukov ◽  
Viktor K. Pyshkin ◽  
Andrey S. Chulkov ◽  
Svetlana V. Vlasova ◽  
Maksim V. Ivanov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Production ◽  
Central Region ◽  
Technical Equipment ◽  
Grain Production ◽  
Crop Processing ◽  
Seed Collection ◽  
Flow Transport ◽  
Cargo Capacity ◽  
Complex Technology ◽  
And Storage

Abstract. Low-level mechanization is one of the main reasons for the high costs in selection and primary seed production. Crop breeders use transport and loading facilities for seed material transporting in an unsystematic manner. (Research purpose) Development of technology of transport support in selection and seed production, including all transport and loading processes of the delivery of grain seeds from selection combines to storage facilities using containers for seed collection, transportation, drying, and storage. (Materials and methods) The authors have described a container flowtransport technology of selection grain harvesting at the stage of primary reproduction and developed a machine complex technology and a database of harvesting and transport machines for seed collection, transportation, drying, and storage. (Results and discussion) The authors have determined the type of transport and loading means for the container method of seed harvesting, transportation and storage recommended for use in selection and seed production. There are four distinctive novelty positions of the presented type: the ability to transport containers in 2 rows; increased loading height from 2 m to 3 m; maximum operating radius reaches 3.8 m (vs. 2.7 m); increased cargo capacity – by 460 kg. (Conclusions) The authors suggest using the developed methodology to improve the technological process of harvesting, transportation and postharvest processing of seed grain, organize this process, as well as select machine parameters and technical equipment on the farms of the Central region of Russia. It has been suggested that test prototypes of containers and a loader with a container tilter should be designed and manufactured for use in primary crop processing.

What Happens When We Feed?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darryl Jones
Keyword(s):  
Critical Research ◽  
Vast Number ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
Influence Of Food ◽  
Garden Birds ◽  
The Many

The importance and influence of food in the lives of animals has been studied is great detail in a vast number of species. This chapter outlines the many findings of this critical research that are directly relevant to understanding how the provisioning of food for garden birds may be affecting their lives.

Comparative mitochondrial phylogeography of two legless lizards (Pygopodidae) from Queensland’s fragmented woodlands

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 142-150
Author(s):  
Jessica Worthington Wilmer ◽  
Andrew P. Amey ◽  
Carmel McDougall ◽  
Melanie Venz ◽  
Stephen Peck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
The West ◽  
European Settlement ◽  
Low Genetic Diversity ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
History Of ◽  
Open Forests ◽  
Fossorial Species

Sclerophyll woodlands and open forests once covered vast areas of eastern Australia, but have been greatly fragmented and reduced in extent since European settlement. The biogeographic and evolutionary history of the biota of eastern Australia’s woodlands also remains poorly known, especially when compared to rainforests to the east, or the arid biome to the west. Here we present an analysis of patterns of mitochondrial genetic diversity in two species of Pygopodid geckos with distributions centred on the Brigalow Belt Bioregion of eastern Queensland. One moderately large and semi-arboreal species, Paradelma orientalis, shows low genetic diversity and no clear geographic structuring across its wide range. In contrast a small and semi-fossorial species, Delma torquata, consists of two moderately divergent clades, one from the ranges and upland of coastal areas of south-east Queensland, and other centred in upland areas further inland. These data point to varying histories of geneflow and refugial persistance in eastern Australia’s vast but now fragmented open woodlands. The Carnarvon Ranges of central Queensland are also highlighted as a zone of persistence for cool and/or wet-adapted taxa, however the evolutionary history and divergence of most outlying populations in these mountains remains unstudied.

scholarly journals Substantiation of the parameters of a typical seed-growing farms of the republic of kazakhstan on the basis of digitalization of seed production

2019 ◽  
Vol 126 ◽  
pp. 00064
Author(s):  
A.S Alchimbayeva ◽  
Lyudmila Shibryaeva ◽  
Zharylkasyn Sadykov ◽  
Mikhail Chaplygin ◽  
Rizvankoul Kaimova
Keyword(s):  
Seed Production ◽  
The State ◽  
Seed Collection ◽  
Average Area ◽  
First Category ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Total Seed ◽  
Second Category ◽  
Seed Growing ◽  
Research Institute

In general, the state of seed production in Kazakhstan can be characterized by the following figures. According to Kostanay branch of Kazakh research Institute of mechanization and electrification of agriculture total requirement of seeds is around 2 million tons. These farms provide 70% of the Republic'sfarms with seeds, the remaining 30% are imported from Russia. The studies have shown that all grain-producing regions of Kazakhstan can be classified into three categories according to the annual gross grain harvest, respectively, 16; 15; 3.26 and 2.9 million tons. It is advisable that typical seed farms have the following characteristics: in the first category of regions — the average area of one farm — 2.8 thousand hectares, the average annual grain harvest — 8.06 thousand tons, agro term — 10 days, the required total seed collection -1.78 million tons for all seed farms in the amount of 220 units. Accordingly, in the second category of regions — 1100 hectares; 2.82 thousand tons; 9.5 days 360 thousand tons and 128 units. In a third category — 322 hectares of 1.02 million tons, or 9.1 days, 320 thousand tons and 312 units. Total number of typical specialized farms should be approximately 660 units.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document