[KM15] Genetic diversity - agriculture plants
Key message
Since 2011, the total number of varieties listed in the National List of Varieties for stubble cereals (common wheat), maize and potato decreased, while the total number of oilseed varieties increased, also due to domestic varieties listed as conservation varieties. For other crops the number of varieties remained unchanged. For rye, triticale and oats, the share of the five most common varieties is 100%. For other crops, the share of five most common varieties for each species range from 30% for potatoes to 80% for barley.
Definition
The indicator presents the number and the share of varieties for each species or group of agricultural plants. It indicates the genetic diversity of each species of agricultural plants, the pressure of prevalent genotypes and varieties on genetic diversity in the system of agricultural production in Slovenia from 1997 to 2019. The indicator defines only the diversity in crop production and not the situation in the complete agricultural ecosystem.
Charts
Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection, 2019
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2008 | 2009 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Small grains (common wheat) |
108 |
108 |
129 |
126 |
116 |
135 |
135 |
136 |
136 |
59 |
48 |
37 |
37 |
35 |
27 |
19 |
20 |
19 |
13 |
| Root crops – potato |
50 |
50 |
62 |
58 |
61 |
60 |
60 |
60 |
58 |
59 |
62 |
33 |
21 |
20 |
12 |
12 |
12 |
12 |
13 |
| Root crops – sugar beet |
21 |
21 |
20 |
20 |
21 |
18 |
18 |
18 |
13 |
5 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Maize |
111 |
111 |
133 |
156 |
157 |
184 |
184 |
189 |
234 |
250 |
150 |
151 |
158 |
157 |
116 |
122 |
99 |
93 |
100 |
| Fodder crops - grass |
66 |
66 |
75 |
78 |
75 |
76 |
76 |
69 |
66 |
21 |
21 |
24 |
26 |
36 |
27 |
27 |
30 |
27 |
28 |
| Fodder crops - grass (decorative) |
34 |
34 |
44 |
45 |
46 |
50 |
50 |
49 |
53 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
9 |
| Fodder crops – legume crops |
48 |
48 |
49 |
46 |
40 |
42 |
42 |
41 |
66 |
12 |
12 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
14 |
16 |
16 |
16 |
16 |
| Fodder crops – other fodder crops (incl. grain legumes, vetch and green manure plants) |
62 |
62 |
71 |
65 |
56 |
60 |
60 |
50 |
43 |
9 |
11 |
11 |
12 |
11 |
10 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
8 |
| Fodder crops (excl. decorative) - total |
176 |
176 |
195 |
189 |
171 |
178 |
178 |
160 |
175 |
42 |
44 |
50 |
54 |
64 |
51 |
50 |
53 |
50 |
52 |
| Industrial plants (excl. sugar beet) – oil plants |
37 |
37 |
39 |
34 |
34 |
30 |
30 |
22 |
24 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
8 |
8 |
10 |
16 |
23 |
27 |
| Industrial plants (excl. sugar beet) – fibre crops |
8 |
8 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
9 |
9 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Industrial plants (excl. sugar beet) – hops |
12 |
12 |
13 |
13 |
13 |
14 |
14 |
14 |
14 |
15 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
17 |
18 |
20 |
21 |
23 |
23 |
| Industrial plants (excl. sugar beet) - other |
10 |
10 |
10 |
6 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Industrial plants (excl. sugar beet) - total |
67 |
67 |
70 |
62 |
60 |
57 |
57 |
48 |
48 |
22 |
22 |
23 |
24 |
25 |
26 |
30 |
37 |
46 |
50 |
Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection, 2019
| Maize [%] | Potato [%] | Common wheat [%] | Barley [%] | Rye [%] | Triticale [%] | Oats [%] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 41 | 58.40 | 93 | 87 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 2000 | 46 | 50.80 | 64.40 | 85.20 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 2011 | 35 | 40 | 40 | 65 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 2015 | 35 | 35 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 2019 | 35 | 30 | 60 | 80 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Goals
- Maintaining biological diversity and diversity of varieties in plant production
Comment
Genetic diversity of varieties and species of agricultural plants is a part of global biodiversity. With higher intensity of farming, the production of traditional, old varieties, and species is decreasing and related to that - genetic and species variety as well. The reason for this is the use of small number of modern varieties, intended for intensive farming production, which are mainly originating from the same source and thus limit genetic diversity.
In the period 2012 to 2019 the total number of common wheat varieties on the list of varieties has significantly decreased. The main reason is to avoid paying fees for each registered variety on the National List of Varieties. The total number varieties in production ranged between 40 and 50. In the same period, the production of wheat in Slovenia was based on variety Alixan which was sown on 25-30% of all arable land for wheat production. For rye, triticale and oats, the proportion of the five most common varieties is 100%.
In the period 2012 to 2019 the total number of maize varieties on the National List of Varieties decreased from 150 to 100. In maize production the share of five most dominant varieties was 35%.
The potato variety structure changed considerably in the last twenty years. Before 1989, domestic varieties, bred in Slovenia, prevailed. After the spread of virus PVYNTN (after 1990), the assortment of potato varieties almost completely changed, and domestic varieties almost disappeared from production. The share of domestic varieties began to increase again after 2004, when new potato varieties resistant to the Y virus were entered in the National List of varieties. In last years, the proportion of the most widely used variety Desiree has been declining. The share of the five most dominant potato varieties has been on a declining trend since 1997 and has fallen to around 30% in 2019.
Seed production of domestic varieties of fodder plants has declined greatly in recent years. Since 2004, within the framework of the Rural Development Program, the production of autochthonous and traditional varieties of agricultural plants has been promoted. Since 2011, the total number of grass and clover varieties on the National List of Varieties has increased slightly.