MUSCAT: Since its establishment in 2012, Oman Animal and Plant Genetic Resources Centre of The Research Council (TRC) seeks to promote recognition, sustainable exploitation and valuation of genetic diversity inherent in Oman’s animals, plants and microorganisms.
It also promotes the sustainable use of knowledge across economic sectors and social segments and creates value from world-class research and practical innovation.
OAPGRC statistics point out that there are more than 130 types of coral reefs, 5 types of turtles and more than 1,200 types of plants, 527 types of bird, 10 types of cattle and more than 1,200 types of fisheries in the Sultanate.
“OAPGRC has implemented a number of studies and researches on animal, plant, micro and marine organisms in the Sultanate,” said Dr Nadia bint Abu Bakr al Saadiah, Executive Director of OAPGRC in a statement to ONA.
She pointed out that the key projects, studies and researches carried out by the centre in 2017 include establishing a laboratory for scientific experiments and researches and a bank for preserving the genetic resources in cooperation with Nizwa University.
Some genetic resources have been obtained from international genetic banks including the agricultural crops samples that have been collected from the Sultanate during the last three decades of the last century.
The reproduction of these seeds will be carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
The centre has also completed the Genetic Resource Information Platform (GRIP) database for the different types of plants in the Sultanate.
“The centre also implemented a fungus survey project in the Sultanate in cooperation with SQU. It also initiated research studies in cooperation with a number of public organisations for a number of projects, the most important of which are the genetic characteristics of the Oryx in collaboration Environment Preservation Bureau and a project for studying the genetic description for insects in cooperation with SQU,” Nadia said.
“The availability of a genetic bank will help in safeguarding the animal and plant genetic resources and their sustainability for the future generations,” she furthered.
OAPGRC in cooperation with SQU is implementing a project for collecting fungus from the different parts of the Sultanate to benefit from SQU labs and experience in this field.
“The study will help us in protecting the different agricultural plants and the fungus that may be used in pest-control instead of using pesticides,” she continued.
The centre also provides the Scientific Café which explains the role played by the centre. It also launched the biodiversity idea marathon ‘Manafea’ programme in 2018 which aims at providing opportunities for businesses related to biodiversity. — ONA
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