Genetic resources of fodder crops in Croatia: current state and future prospects

Abstract

Plant breeding as an important discipline in agriculture started in Croatia during the last decades of XIX century at several institutions and farms, but was mainly focused on arable grains, but to less extent to fodder, and other crops. The efforts in the research, collecting and evaluation of genetic resources of fodder crops started in the second half of XX century, but were interrupted and ceased by the war in 1990-ies, with a part of material being lost. The activities started almost from scratch by establishing the Croatian Gene Bank in early 1990ties that existed only for few years. A new National Plant Gene Bank was established in 2004 as a network working in synergy with the SEEDNet programme, and was directed by National Plant Genetic Resources Programme based on the valid international treaties on biodiversity, and conducted according to good practice in genetic resources maintenance and research, with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and EU funds. The paper presents the short outline of the research of the genetic resources of fodder crops.