Advances in Research on Plant Genetic Resources of Mexico :: Ecology Ecological Nature Mexico Essays

Advances in Research on Plant Genetic Resources of Mexico We read in this book that in Mexico can be found 30,000 of the 250,000 species of higher plants so far described. Between 5,000 to 7,000 of Mexican species are deemed to be of economic use, and of these, 1,000 to 1,500 are edible. According to a conservative estimate cited here, 10% of genera and 52% of species found in Mexico are endemic. This makes Mexico, a country that ranks 14th globally in terms of territorial extension, the fourth country in terms of biodiversity. It is therefore evident that an understanding of Mexican flora, in conjunction with effective strategies for use and preservation, is of first importance for our plant-dependant, agricultural world. Contributors to this work argue for this and more: 1) the urgency of halting degradation of biological and cultural environments that are closely tied to the use and preservation of many important ecotypes, 2) the significance of social issues that affect the viability of ways of life that have created, and that maintain, important stores of the world's genetic diversity, 3) the need for coordinated strategies and action between national initiatives and those of international germplasm agencies. It is satisfying to see Mexican scientists earnestly wrestling with such issues. The book consists of the proceedings of the third meeting on Mexican biodiversity (8-9 February, 1990), organized jointly by the Mexican Society of Plant Genetics (SOMEFI) and the Botanical Garden of Mexico's national university (UNAM). Strongly represented are top researchers from UNAM's Biology department, from the agricultural university of Chapingo, from the national agricultural research agency (INIFAP), and from the PostGraduate College, Mexico's premiere institutions for the study of ecological and agricultural sciences. Significantly, the book is dedicated to one of the foremost authorities on Mexican flora and traditional farming systems, Efraim Hernà ¡ndez Xolocotzi, who was to die a year after presenting the lead paper at this conference. The proceedings have been well edited for book format. Text is in Spanish, with a summary provided for each chapter in Spanish and excellent English. The book is organized into six major sections, including papers on the general philosophy of biodiversity preservation, regional studies, basic studies, the policies of international preservation societies, and a succinct summary of the discussions of the symposium. However, the pith of the book is the third section, consisting of depth reviews of current germplasm status for several major species of useful Mexican plants, including: Zea, Phaseolus, Amaranthus, Capsicum, Cucurbita, Physalis, Sechium, Persea, Crataegus, Agave, and several medicinal species.