NOTICE: Hard copies of the Australian New Crops Newsletter are available from the publisher, Dr Rob Fletcher. Details of availability are included in the
Advice on Publications Available.Centre for Economic Botany
Royal Botanic Gardens
Kew UK
The Centre for Economic Botany maintains a large database on economic plants for arid and semi-arid lands entitled SEPASAL.
This database brings together diverse traditional and academic knowledge on useful plants of drylands to enable evaluation and assessment of plant species. At present the database contains information on approximately 6000 useful dryland species, excluding major crop species.
The data currently held in the database include:
Kew also maintains a Bibliographic database containing more than 150 000 references which can be accessed to provide additional information on a species' cultivation requirements, management, harvesting, yields, preparation, processing, economic importance and constraints to development.
Over the next three years it is planned to upgrade the database by increasing the number of species covered and by incorporating the following additional data:
Enquiries should be directed to:
SEPASAL
Centre for Economic Botany
Royal Botanic Gardens
Kew
Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE U.K.
Telephone: 081 940 1171
Facsimile: 081 332 5278
International Centre for Underutilized Crops (ICUC)
Southampton, UK
ICUC was launched in April 1988 following a recommendation of an International Symposium on New Crops for Food and Industry held in 1987 at Southampton in the UK.
At that time the development of underutilised crops was seen as a major gap in the activities of international agricultural organisations. Such crops were seen as having a major role in alternative cropping systems, crop diversification, development of value-added products and products for international uses, the sustained use of the environment and restoration of degraded lands.
Based at the Department of Biology at the University of Southampton the ICUC has, since its establishment, undertaken research on a number of crop genera including Digitaria, winged beans, Vigna, and Shea nut tree. It has also undertaken studies on alternative crops for drug growing areas in Asia and Latin America and prepared a policy report for FAO on the development of underutilised crops for crop diversification in Asia and the Pacific regions.
The ICUC is developing a database and a network of scientists engaged in new crops: current efforts are on tropical fruits and nuts. It is also developing an information system to identify priority economic crops in the field of tropical fruits and nuts. The Centre publishes a Newsletter which is presently being distributed to 406 members in 66 countries.
The ICUC has also organised several workshops to promote the development and utilisation of underutilised crops for sustainable agricultural systems in developing and developed counties. It also conducts training courses aimed at addressing the specific needs of scientists working on underutilised crops.
Enquiries should be directed to:
Director, International Centre for Underutilized Crops,
Department of Biology
School of Biological Sciences
University of Southampton.
Bassett Crescent East, Southampton, SO9 3TU, UK
Telephone: 0703 594229
Facsimile: 0703 594269
West Australian Nut and Tree Crop Association Inc. (WANATCA)
This association, has its headquarters at the Tree Crops Centre, Claremont, Western Australia and seeks to foster the production of nut and tree crops. The association holds quarterly meetings in West Perth, sponsors seminars and conducts Field Days. It publishes a quarterly magazine entitled 'Quandong' which, in addition to news on the local activities of the Association, features selected articles on tree crops from publications around the world. It also publishes the research publication 'WANATCA Yearbook'.
In the second issue of 'Quandong' for 1994 details are given of a proposed new project which is aimed at promoting the domestication, introduction, commercialisation and exploitation of a big range of lesser-known perennial plant species. The project is planned to be conducted by a group within the WANATCA to be known as the DICE group. The group will obtain seeds and propagation material of species believed to have development prospects and will distribute these to DICE group members free of charge. Members will be expected to grow the material and report on their results.
The contact address for the West Australian Nut and Tree Crop Association is:
PO Box 565, Subiaco
Western Australia 6008
Tel: 09 385 3400
Fax: 09 385 1612
International Facsimile: 61 9 385 1612)
Any claims made by authors in the Australian New Crops Newsletter are presented by the Editors in good faith. Readers would be wise to critically examine the circumstances associated with any claims to determine the applicability of such claims to their specific set of circumstances. This material can be reproduced, with the provision that the source and the author (or editors, if applicable) are acknowledged and the use is for information or educational purposes. Contact with the original author is probably wise since the material may require updating or amendment if used in other publications. Material sourced from the Australian New Crops Newsletter cannot be used out of context or for commercial purposes not related to its original purpose in the newsletter
Contact: Dr Rob Fletcher, School of Land and Food, The University of Queensland Gatton College, 4345; Telephone: 07 5460 1311 or 07 5460 1301; Facsimile: 07 5460 1112; International facsimile: 61 7 5460 1112; Email:
r.fletcher@mailbox.uq.edu.au[
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GK; latest update 6 June 1999 by: RF