Researchers are using chip-based technology to monitor gene-banks and high-value species.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources and the Asia Program of CIFOR-ICRAF have initated a collaborative project to test modern microchip-based technology to monitor tree germplasm maintained in different National Active Germplasm Sites.

The project, Chip-based Technology for Real-time and RFID-based Passive Monitoring of Gene-bank and High-value Agroforestry Species, grew from a review of available technologies conducted by the two organizations. They then decided to test the efficacy, economic feasibility and effectiveness of using sensor microchips for real-time monitoring (‘chip-based’) and radio-frequency identification (RFID) passive monitoring of woody perennial and fruit-tree germplasm. The germplasm is in field gene-banks located at the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore; Central Agroforestry Research Institute, Jhansi; and at the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources’ gene-bank site in New Delhi.

Kuldeep Singh, director of the Bureau, envisioned that this technology for real-time monitoring of germplasm maintained in field gene-banks will be of great help.

‘This technology is the need of the future,’ said Shiv Dhyani, India country coordinator for CIFOR-ICRAF, at the launch of the project at the Bureau’s site at Issapur Farm Delhi on 6 September 2021. ‘It is very timely to pilot and validate its protocol. In the world of digitization, remote monitoring of trees and their management becomes imperative to maintain the richly diverse pool of genetic material.’

The project is tagging 150 trees with microsensor chips and another 90 with RFID-passive tags, feeding the information into a database of tree germplasm. The RFID protocol has the capability to precisely identify and locate tagged trees, revisiting them automatically at intervals. The database will be linked to a dedicated mobile app to facilitate geo-referencing and updating information to a server. CIFOR-ICRAF draws on its global experience in monitoring agroforestry field gene-banks using geo-informatic techniques, for example, in Cameroon.

‘The sensor chip-based real-time monitoring of trees will have a wider, global applicability both in agroforestry and forestry endeavours and will facilitate cultivation of high-value tree species without worries of illegal and unauthorised harvesting,’ said Javed Rizvi, director of CIFOR-ICRAF’s Asia Program. ‘CB IoT Technologies Pvt Ltd, based in Bangalore, is the technical partner in this project, which is an excellenat example of CIFOR-ICRAF’s increasing partnership with the private sector in Asia.’

The alarming speed of loss of biodiversity necessitates innovative approaches to protect genetic pools in field gene-banks, species nearing extinction and safeguarding high-value germplasm and trees. It is essential to conserve forestry, agroforestry and horticultural trees for their genetic resources, especially, conservation in field gene-banks. Globally, field gene-banks conserve genetic material of breeding lines, cultivated species, commercial varieties and clones, special genetic stock, landraces and wild species, mostly through a highly manual and human-dependent mechanism. Trees have labels applied manually, which are often lost or damaged, necessitating a lot more manual work in relabeling. Also, erroneous labelling can occur if some trees die. Protecting high-value tree species, such as sandalwood (Santalum album), is also a huge challenge.

‘Using this new approach to monitor gene-banks is a first of its kind in India,’ said Singh. ‘This initiave goes very well, hand in hand, with the Government of India’s call for digitaization in agriculture.’

India’s National Active Germplasm Sites maintain a large number of perennial species, including major agroforestry tree species, in both exotic and indigenous collections. Some of the major species are Azadirachta indica, Casuarina equisetifolia, Dalbergia sissoo, Melia dubia, Moringa oleifera, Parkia roxburghii, Prosopis cineraria, Syzygium cumini, Tamarindus indica and Tectona grandis.

Several key agroforestry tree species at each location have been selected for the project, with individual trees at different biological stages: Aegle marmelus, Artocarpus heterophyllus, Azadirachta indica, Mangifera indica, Millettia pinnata, Moringa oleifera, Musa paradisiaca, Psidium guajava, Punica granatum, Syzygium cumini, Tamarindus indica and Ziziphus mauritiana.

Natural and existing tree diversity is needed now and in the future for maintaining biodiversity and developing new clones to enhance food security, sustainable timber-pulp production, bioenergy, restoration of degraded lands, and enhancing ecosystem services at landscape scale. Technological solutions such as those being trialled can significantly reduce labour, improve monitoring and secure the conserved germplasms in fields.