Collecting Plant Genetic Resources from Remote and Isolated Marwah-Warwan Valley in Kishtwar district of Jammu & Kashmir, India

Abstract

Marwah-Warwan is an isolated, remote and neglected valley falling in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Considered as one of the last great wildernesses in the inner Himalayas, the valley is located in south-east of Jammu & Kashmir largely sandwiched between Anantnag district of Kashmir in the west and Suru valley of Kargil district of Ladakh in the east separated by lofty mountains. There are a total of 27 villages in the valley and several of these villages are still far from being connected by road. An exploration and germplasm collection programme was undertaken by ICAR-NBPGR first time in this remote region and eighty two (82) valuable germplasm accessions of diverse agri-horticultural crops belonging to 27 (15 cultivated & 12 wild) genera and 30 (15 cultivated & 15 wild) species have been collected from various sites falling in the altitudinal range of 2159 - 3529 masl. The germplasm collected included that of cereals, pseudocereals, minor millets, grain legumes, minor fruits/nuts and medicinal plants. The collected germplasm has been submitted for conservation in the National Gene Bank (NGB) which has so far negligible representation of crop genetic resources from this region. Besides, these collections assume importance especially when the area is increasingly being opened for outside world with the construction of roads and other developmental activities posing a challenge to local agro-biodiversity. Cultivation of paddy, barley and several minor crops has already started vanishing from the system. This article highlights information on the germplasm collected, cultivation practices, genetic erosion and future exploration potential in the region.