Multi-Criteria Analysis for the Prioritization of Areas for the In Situ Conservation of Crataegus L., an Underutilized Fruit Tree in Mexico

Complementary ex situ and in situ conservation, including the on-farm alternative, is a highly desired and dynamic strategy that allows the natural evolution of the conserved germplasm. Due to the high costs involved, in addition to the limitations of both economic and human resources, in situ conservation must focus on areas where the greatest benefits are obtained, and the efforts made result in better impacts. Therefore, using spatial multi-criteria analysis and expert knowledge, 22 and 23 criteria were obtained as important for the conservation of wild and cultivated hawthorn, respectively. Criteria weights were calculated by the analytic hierarchy process and expert knowledge. The results showed species richness, phenotypic and ecogeographic diversity, and areas not covered by the official protected areas network were the most important criteria for in situ conservation of wild hawthorn. Prioritized areas were particularly focused in Chiapas, State of Mexico and Morelos. The prioritized areas for the in situ conservation of cultivated hawthorn were mostly defined by criteria such as number of cultivated varieties, number of uses, phenotypic diversity, ecogeographical diversity, and areas with rainfed agriculture. These areas were located mainly in Puebla. From this study, we propose a list of priority areas for the in situ conservation of both cultivated and wild hawthorn.

Ecogeographical studies identify diversity and potential gaps in the largest germplasm collection of bladder clover (Trifolium spumosum L.)

Plant germplasm collections are important reservoirs of diversity for plant breeders and adding to the knowledge of the diversity among and within germplasm accessions helps plant breeders to use them more efficiently. The annual legume, bladder clover (Trifolium spumosum L.), was the model plant in this study. The hypothesis that ecogeographical variables are important sources of diversity in the germplasm collection of bladder clover and some variables are more important than others has been studied. Three themes have been addressed here: firstly, analysis of the existing passport data to determine a minimum set of ecogeographical descriptors required for capturing ecological aspects of each collection site; secondly, illustration of the ecogeographical regions and subregions using GIS techniques to identify areas with the greatest likelihood of filling gaps in the collection; thirdly, development of an approach for the evaluation of genetic diversity by grouping accessions with a focus on outliers within the collection using principal component and cluster analyses. In this paper the importance of longitude as a geographical factor has been documented and the overall ecogeographical diversity in the germplasm collection of bladder clover has been screened.