As readers will be aware, FAO's Forestry Department initiated in 1979 a project for the conservation and better utilization of genetic resources of arboreal species of arid and semi-arid zones. The progress of this project was reported in Forest Genetic Resources Information No. 12 (pp. 32–35).
The main purpose of the project has been to act as a catalyst for gathering genetic information on arid and semi-arid zone species, and to aid countries in the practical application of any results which may become available from it. The countries actively cooperating in 1981–1984 in the exploration/collection, conservation and evaluation phases were: Chile, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, Senegal and Sudan. Seed collection was also carried out by CSIRO, Australia; Land Development Authority, Israel; Commonwealth Forestry Institute, Oxford (Central American species); and Centre Technique Forestier Tropical, France (West African species). Seed storage facilities have been provided by the DANIDA Forest Seed Centre in Humlebaek, Denmark.
The first phase of the project has mainly involved systematic collection of well-documented seedlots of Acacia, Atriplex, Cercidium and Prosopis species. By the end of 1984, 213 provenances of 31 species, subspecies and varieties had been collected by the cooperators in the project. Initially seed distribution was confined to the eight cooperating countries, where evaluation trials are already in progress to determine intra-specific genetic variation and its adaptation to varying environmental conditions.
From mid 1985, distribution of seed for testing in statistically sound field trials will be extended also to other developing countries which have sites with less than 500 mm of annual rainfall and/or a dry season of more than six months.
Any organization interested in acquiring research quantities of seed should write to the Director, Forest Resources Division, Forestry Department, FAO, Via delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy, specifying the species and subspecies requested for testing. The total number of seedlots specified should, generally, not exceed 25.
Requests should be accompanied by the following information:
Do you wish to establish the trials on more than one site, and if so, how many ?
What are the latitude, longitude, altitude and climatic and soil conditions of each proposed experimental site ?
Have species or provenance trials of tropical Acacia and Prosopis species already been successfully established in the areas proposed ? Will locally collected seed be included as “controls” in the trials and, if so, what species, provenance ?
It is planned to distribute seed twice a year, in June/July and in December. Which of these dates is more convenient for you ? (Please also be sure to specify with greatest accuracy the name of the receiver and the address).
Are any import permits required for research quantitites of tree seed ?
Seed distribution will be subject to availability of sufficient stocks of the species/subspecies specified.
In addition to the species listed in Table 1, seed of the Australian Acacia aneura is available on request from Division of Forest Research, CSIRO Canberra. See the article on pp.21–29 of this issue.
Table 1. SUMMARY OF ARID ZONE SEEDLOTS AVAILABLE
| Species | No. of provenances | Country of origin | Latitude (range) | Longitude (range) | Altitude (m) | Annual rainfall (mm) | |
| 1. | Acacia albida | 4 | Senegal | 14°56'N – 15°20'N1 | 16°21'W – 16°47'W1 | 32 – 40 1 | 600 – 700 1 |
| 2. | A. berlandieri | 7 | Mexico | 25°51'N – 26°45'N1 | 101°00'W – 101°32'W1 | 800 – 1250 1 | 300 – 902 1 |
| 3. | A. caven | 4 | Chile | 31°33'S – 33°48'S | 70°28'W – 71°06'W | 550 – 850 | 357 – 580 |
| 4. | A. farnesiana | 14 | Mexico | 23°36'N – 26°45'N1 | 100°50'W – 101°32'W1 | 880 – 1500 1 | 300 – 402 1 |
| 5. | A. nilotica | 1 | Yemen, PDR | 14°50'N | 45°50'E | - | - |
| A. nilotica | 7 | Pakistan | 24°41'N – 33°50'N | 67°57'E – 73°30'E | 14 – 550 | 100 – 750 | |
| 6. | A. nilotica var. adansonii | 1 | Senegal | - | - | - | - |
| 7. | A. nilotica var. jacquemontii | 1 | Pakistan | - | - | - | - |
| 8. | A. nilotica var. tomentosa | 4 | Senegal | 15°42'N – 16°39'N | 13°16W – 15°42'W1 | 4 – 16 1 | 300 1 |
| A. nilotica var. tomentosa | 3 | Sudan | 13°00'N – 15°36'N | 32°33'E – 33°56'E | 330 – 430 | 165 – 588 | |
| 9. | A. nilotica ssp. adstringens | 2 | Sudan | 12°55'N – 13°10'E | 30°14'E – 30°25'E | 570 | 365 – 380 |
| 10. | Acacia nilotica ssp. indica | 15 | India | 11°55'N – 30°15'N | 69°48'E – 79°09'E | 80 – 760 | 450 – 969 1 |
| 11. | A. nilotica ssp. indica var. cupressiformis | 8 | India | 18°32'N – 30°15'N | 73°35'E – 77°47'E | 200 – 559 | 400 – 974 1 |
| 12. | A. nilotica ssp. indica var. jaquemontii | 11 | India | 11°39'N – 31°00'N | 69°48'E – 83°30'E | 55 – 650 | 349 – 1958 |
| 13. | A. nilotica ssp. indica var. vediana | 6 | India | 18°32'N – 24°00'N | 73°35'E – 77°47'E | 282 – 559 | 400 – 877 1 |
| 14. | A. nilotica ssp. nilotica | 2 | Sudan | 14°N – 15°36'N | 32°05'E – 32°33'E | 330 – 500 | 165 1 |
| 15. | A. raddiana | 1 | Israel | 30°47'N | 35°12'W | 100 | 40 |
| A. raddiana | 5 | Senegal | 15°00'N – 16°55'N | 15°∞'W – 16°23'W | 6 – 8 1 | - | |
| 16. | A. senegal | 7 | India | 25°90'N – 28°30'N | 70°72'E – 79°30'E | 175 – 260 | 164 – 450 1 |
| A. senegal | 4 | Pakistan | 24°21'N – 25°00'N 1 | 67°∞'E – 70°47'E 1 | 14 – 200 | 200 – 204 1 | |
| A. senegal | 10 | Senegal | 14°46'N – 15°59'N 1 | 14°20'W – 16°01'W 1 | 39 – 58 1 | 309 – 400 1 | |
| A. senegal | 2 | Sudan | 12°30'N – 13°10'N | 30°14'E – 34°05'E | 440 – 570 | - | |
| A. senegal | 1 | Yemen, PDR | 13°25'N | 40°40'E | 500 | 200 – 250 | |
| 17. | A. tortilis | 3 | India | 25°45'N – 29°55'N | 71°23'E – 74°53'E | 177 – 224 | 310 – 380 1 |
| A. tortilis | 1 | Israel | 30°47'N | 35°12'W | 100 | 40 | |
| Acacia tortilis | 1 | Yemen, PDR | 13°25'N | 46°40'E | 200 | 150 | |
| 18. | A. tortilis var. raddiana | 4 | Sudan | 13°48'N – 15°50'N | 30°12'E – 33°10'E | 330 – 500 | 165 – 300 1 |
| 19. | A. tortilis var. spirocarpa | 3 | Sudan | 15°30'N – 15°50'N | 32°15'E – 32°33'E | 330 – 400 | 150 – 165 |
| 20. | Atriplex repanda | 7 | Chile | 30°24'S – 33°29'S | 70°54'W – 71°31'W | 10 – 730 | 100 – 465 |
| 21. | Cercidium microphyllum | 1 | Mexico | 26°00'N | 110°23'W | - | 0.4 |
| 22. | C. praecox | 1 | Mexico | 23°53'N | 110°17'W | - | 3 |
| 23. | Prosopis sp. | 7 | Mexico | 23°09'N – 27°15'N 1 | 110°04'W – 112°52'W 1 | - | 0.6 – 3.4 |
| Prosopis sp. | 1 | Chile | - | - | - | - | |
| 24. | P. chilensis | 6 | Chile | 30°42'S – 33°17'S | 70°57'W – 71°58'W | 475 – 650 1 | 150 – 306 |
| 25. | P. cineraria | 9 | India | 10°46'N – 28°45'N | 69°48'E – 79°03'E | 80 – 338 | 310 – 876 1 |
| P. cineraria | 9 | Pakistan | 24°00'N – 32°00N | 68°00'E – 72°00'E | 30 – 330 | 125 – 300 | |
| P. cineraria | 1 | Yemen, PDR | 13°00'N | 45°10'E | 15 | 60 | |
| 26. | P. flexuosa | 2 | Chile | - | - | - | - |
| 27. | Prosopis glandulosa var. juliflora | 1 | Mexico | 26°45'N | 101°32'W | 880 | - |
| 28. | P. glandulosa var. torreyana | 12 | Mexico | 24°49'N – 26°51'N 1 | 100°20'W – 102°10'W 1 | 538 – 1650 1 | - |
| 29. | P. juliflora | 1 | Mexico | 24°13'N | 104°28'W | 890 | - |
| 30. | P. pallida | 17 | Peru | 4°50'S – 16°05'S | 72°30'W – 80°48'W | 0 – 610 | 0 – 70 |
| 31. | P. tamarugo | 6 | Chile | 19°55'S – 20°35'S | 69°35'W – 69°50'W | 978 – 1150 | (0) |
1 Data missing for some of the provenances
