DIVERSITY OF LOCAL LANDRACES COLLECTED DURING 2009-2010 PERIOD AND THEIR REPRESENTATIVENESS IN ABANIAN GENEBANK

Diversity of 630 geo-observations representing local landraces (27 genera and 36 species) collected in Albanian territory during SEEDNet Project on Plant Genetic Resources (2009-2010), and their representativeness in genebank was carried out. The number of observations per species and per district, the area of occupancy, the diversity indices and the richness estimators were assessed using grids cells of 1 x 1 km of 10 x 10 km. The genetic representativeness of collected local landraces was detected creating the circular buffer zones with a 1 and 10 km radius around the genebank ex situ data, and circular buffer zones with a 1 km radius around the external SEEDNet collecting data. Geospatial analysis detects areas of high alpha diversity, similarity and differences between 10 principal regions of Albania. Combination of diversity indices as Simpson index (1-D), Shannon-Weiner, Brillouin, and alpha diversity index, found the areas of Elbasan, Korca, Tirana, Shkodra and Vlora regions were richer and more even than other areas. Cluster analysis using similarity method on correlation found higher similarity among Vlora and Gjirokastra, Fieri, Shkodra and Tirana regions (similarity index range from 49.61% to 64.22 %, and correlation coefficient range from 0.63 to 0.86). Comparisons methodology of genebank ex situ data with SEEDNet external data proved the presence of new alleles (12 genera, 17 species) in collected germplasm of local landraces, increasing their representativeness in genebank. The ecological areas of Tirana, Korca, Elbasan, Vlora and Shkodra regions, found as more relative stable ecosystem areas, should be used for the assessment of the current status of conservation of plant genetic resources and for the prioritization of potential ecological areas suitable for in situ conservation.