Mobilization of plant genetic resources from the territory of Astrakhan Province, Russia

Background. The vegetation in Astrakhan Province has for a long time attracted the interest of natural scientists. However, due to inaccessibility of a number of habitats and ‘landscape fluidity’ in the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain and the Volga estuary, not all of its areas have been explored comprehensively enough. The local vast resources of useful plants of arid steppes and deserts, including crop wild relatives (CWR), have until now remained unused. Studying and mobilizing valuable plant samples, forms and species from natural communities would help to preserve the bioresources of desertified steppes and deserts, and enhance their utilization in arid areas.

Methods. The collecting mission’s route passed through Chernoyarsky, Yenotaevsky, Narimanovsky, Krasnoyarsky, Kharabalinsky, Akhtubinsky, Privolzhsky, Kamyzyaksky, Limansky and Ikryaninsky districts of Astrakhan Province. With the itinerary-based method of surveying, the explorations were carried out from August 12 through August 30, 2017. The length of the route was 2,467 km. Coordinates of the collecting sites and altitudes above sea level were identified with a Garmin etrex 20x navigation device.

Results. The diversity of CWR and landraces was explored in various natural ecosystems of the Volga river basin. Sixty-eight phytocenoses were described, and 160 seed samples of 39 plant species (25 genera) were collected, representing old landraces and wild relatives of fodder, fruit, cereal, vegetable and fiber crops. Many of the collected plant forms and populations with valuable biological traits deserve to be included in introduction trials and breeding programs, especially those that may serve as sources of heat, drought and salt tolerance.

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