Collaborative Survey and Collection of Vegetable Genetic Resources in Myanmar, 2019 and 2020

Exploration and collection surveys were conducted from November 2 to November 15, 2019, and from December 26, 2019, to January 7, 2020, under a collaboration between the Tokyo University of Agriculture (TUA), Japan and the Department of Agriculture Research, Myanmar. The first survey was conducted in the northern part of the Sagaing region, and the second in the southern part of Sagaing region, the mountainous area of Nay Pyi Taw, and Shan State. For both surveys, genetic resources were collected from farmlands, farm houses, and local markets. In November 2019, 27 accessions were collected, including 17 samples of Brassica juncea, 4 of the B. oleracea L. Alboglabra group, 3 Brassica sp., and 3 Raphanus sativus L. specimens. From December 2019 to January 2020, 104 samples were collected: 34 Brassica juncea, 7 of the B. oleracea L. Alboglabra group, and 7 Raphanus sativus L. Root and tuber crops, such as Dioscorea spp. and Colocasia esculenta L. Schott, as well as one Xanthosoma sagittifolium, Amorphophallus spp., accounted for 15, 29, and 12 accessions, respectively. The collected genetic resources were divided between the Myanmar Seed Bank and the TUA for the PGRAsia Project, and 50 % were exported to Japan as per the Standard Material Transfer Agreement. The exported seeds and tubers will be multiplied and evaluated in Japan and will be available at the NARO Genebank, Japan for research, breeding, and educational purposes.