by
Jim Ball, Secretary,
International Poplar Commission,
Forest Resources Development Branch,
FAO, Via delle Terme di Caracalla,
I-00100 Rome, Italy.
The International Poplar Commission (IPC) is one of the Statutory Bodies of FAO. Despite its name, its responsibilities relate to the willows as well as to poplars. The functions of the IPC are to study the scientific, technical, social and economic aspects of poplar and willow cultivation, to promote the exchange of ideas and material between research workers, producers and users, to arrange joint research programmes, to stimulate the organization of congresses and study tours, to report and make recommendations to the FAO Conference, and to make recommendations to National Poplar Commissions, through the appropriate channels.
The IPC meets in Session every four years. Between Sessions its affairs are run by an Executive Committee, which meets every two years. Working Parties fulfil the functions of the IPC to study and exchange ideas on all aspects of the cultivation of the Salicaceae, and make recommendations to the Executive Committee and Sessions in their fields of expertise. The Working Parties cover Diseases, Insect Pests, Logging and Utilization, Breeding and Selection and Biomass Production Systems. There is also a Sub-Committee on Poplar and Willow Identification and Varietal Control. For those interested in more detail of the work and background of the ICP the paper “History of the International Poplar Commission (IPC), 1947–1992” by Viart and Fugalli, is available from the Secretariat.
The 19th Session of the IPC was held in Zaragoza, Spain in September 1992. A report of the Session with a list of all the papers presented to the Working Party meetings is available from the Secretariat.
An important recommendation of the Working Party on Breeding and Selection related to the conservation of the genetic resources of the Salicaceae. In its discussions the Working Party took regard of growing demands for wood throughout the world and noted that the improvement of poplar and willow growing stock could help to meet these demands without increasing pressure on already endangered forest ecosystems. The Working Party stressed the importance of genetic diversity in such improvement, but recognised that there was a high risk that the genetic reserves represented by native stands of several species of the Salicaceae might be lost in the near future due to the destruction of their native habitats and/or due to introgression by genetically uniform cultivated varieties. Furthermore, the Working Party stressed that several species that have so far been little explored may have considerable potential for use in arid or semi-arid areas or sub-tropical zones.
The Working Party therefore recommended that the IPC, through FAO, should address to member and non-member countries a formal invitation to adopt appropriate measures to ensure that existing genetic resources of poplar and willow species, in natural and man-made stands, be properly conserved. The Working Party further recommended that the IPC, with the active contribution of its subsidiary bodies, should support those activities that are already undertaken for the collection of germplasm of the Salicaceae in several countries, with particular regard to:
establishing of links between existing programmes,
improving the exchange of information and material between scientific institutions worldwide,
designing model programmes around Populus deltoides and P. nigra in consideration of their great importance in breeding programmes and the existing threats of genetic pollution from cultivated varieties.
Other matters of interest to poplar and willow breeders were as follows. The Working Parties on Diseases, Insect Pests and Biomass all stressed the need for joint approaches with tree breeders in breeding for pest and disease resistance. The Sub-Committee on Nomenclature and Registration presented the first International Catalogue of Poplar Cultivars (available from the Secretariat).
FAO has been supporting this new interest in the use of poplars and willows in arid and semi-arid areas and sub-tropical zones through various commissioned studies. The following are available from the Secretariat.
“Mini-monograph on Populus euphratica” by M. Viart
“Options for development of the Salicaceae in subtropical regions” - studies by Wang Shi Ji and Antonio Padro
“The selection of poplars for planting in tropical and subtropical countries” - paper by L.D. Pryor for the 19th Session of the IPC.
Forest Genetic Resources Information no. 21. FAO, Rome (1993)
