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Abstract Detail


Society for Economic Botany/BSA Economic Botany Section

Witherup, Colby [1], Zerega, Nyree [2], Zuberi, M. Iqbal [3].

Measuring and preserving diversity in a Bangladeshi food crop: Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus, Moraceae).

Artocarpus heterophyllus (Jackfruit) is one of two economically important crops in the genus Artocarpus (with A. altilis, or breadfruit) in the mulberry family (Moraceae). Jackfruit is a monoecious tree that produces the largest tree-borne fruit structure in the world. It is found in cultivation at low elevations throughout Southeast Asia and has been introduced in the Philippines, Australia, and throughout Africa and the Neotropics. Jackfruit is the national fruit of Bangladesh, a country whose natural areas are severely threatened by overpopulation and climate change, but very few studies have focused on jackfruit there. In Bangladeshi villages, jackfruit trees are grown in almost every yard, but it is feared that genetic variation is being lost due to deforestation, a decline in seed propagation, and the introduction of high-yielding, uniform cultivars. Loss of crop diversity is an issue of international concern. The demand for genetic material for breeding new adapted cultivars relies on diverse germplasm from both wild and modified sources. In Southeast Asia, international organizations (Global Facilitation Unit for Underutilized Species, International Centre for Underutilized Crops, International Plant Genetic Resources Institute) are looking to under-utilized crops like jackfruit to provide a new level of food security and income. Leaf samples and ethnobotanical data were collected from several sites throughout Bangladesh in July 2010. Using microsatellite analysis, my research will give a broad view of jackfruit diversity in Bangladesh. By analyzing my lab results in connection to my ethobotanical data, I will investigate claims of genetic erosion and attempt to identify possible causes.

Broader Impacts:


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Related Links:
Artocarpus Pages - Jackfruit


1 - Chicago Botanic Garden/Northwestern University, Plant Science, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL, 60022, USA
2 - Northwestern University, Program In Biological Sciences, 2205 Tech Drive, 2-144 Hogan Hall, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
3 - University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, 6205, Bangladesh

Keywords:
Jackfruit
Bangladesh
Tropical Agriculture
microsatellites
Crop Genetics
ethnobotany.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 14
Location: Maryland Room/Chase Park Plaza
Date: Monday, July 11th, 2011
Time: 1:45 PM
Number: 14002
Abstract ID:211


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