Global ex situ Conservation of Palms: Living Treasures for Research and Education

Abstract

Under the old taxon Principes, palms were once the Princes of the Kingdom Plantae. First on Engler’s list, they occupy a cherished place to botanists, and remain treasured centerpieces of many gardens. In turn, botanic gardens have put forward a decades-long effort to conserve these widely admired plants, keeping a number of palm species from extinction. Living palm collections also have critical value for comparative ecological studies. In this paper we highlight successful ex situ conservation programs for palms, review how the promising new field of collections genetics can guide ex situ conservation of palms, conduct a family-wide gap analysis for living collections in the Arecaceae, and provide an in-depth case study of ex situ conservation of the genus Sabal. These analyses highlight ways in which gardens can advance palm conservation following four recommendations: collect, cultivate, communicate, and collaborate.

Applicability of Smart Tools in Vegetable Disease Diagnostics

“…Thus, with libraries of volatile mixtures similar to those continuously supplemented for regular metabolomics analysis [233,234] produced upon infection, simple tools might be available for farmers in the future to conduct large-scale analyses of crops, including vegetables. Some authors [235,236] have reported on the practical utilization of eNose for palm tree disease detection. Borowik et al [237] reported on the successful utilization of eNose for the detection of Phytophtora in Quercus acorn and later, with an improved chamber, Ciboria batschiana [238].…”

Species richness and phytogeographic affinities of rattan genus Korthalsia in Malaysia

“…In addition, existing specimens of the 2014 and 2015 sampling in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, and Borneo were added to the effort. Voucher specimens were made according to standard palm preparation guidelines (Griffith et al 2021) and deposited at the Royal Botanic Garden Kew and Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kepong herbaria. The distribution of Korthalsia in Sabah was extracted from Pesiu (2019), and updates for Perak were from Rozali et al (2021).…”

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“…Due to lack of evidence to the contrary, Orania sylvicola is currently considered native and Critically Endangered in Singapore (Lindsay et al, 2022). The native status of the species needs confirmation, and if the species is truly native, the population structure of the species can guide species recovery work, such as through the identification of the most genetically diverse individuals for propagation and ex-situ conservation (Griffith et al, 2021).…”