RECORDING, PRESERVATION, IMPROVEMENT AND USE OF AUTOCHTHONOUS GENETIC RESOURCES OF PLANTS IN THE REGION OF KORÇA

Korça, although a small area on the surface, stands out for its climatic, land and orthographic diversity. This has made that the genetic diversity, both in spontaneous and cultivated plants per area unit, to be quite wide. After the industrial revolution, there has been an exploitation on a large scale which has led to the narrowing of this biodiversity and in some cases, to their disappearance Collection is the first step in conservation of genetic resources. This includes a series of activities from germplasm exploration, collection of field materials, processing, documentation, to submission for storage Plant exploration was carried out at the time of flowering. At this stage was also determined, the most suitable deadline for the second visit during which the materials will be collected. Most germplasm collections were based on seed collection. Through the study, we identified resources with important genetic values of cultivars and autochthonous populations of the Korça region, such as corn, beans, tomatoes, peppers, onions, cabbage, leeks, watermelons, melons, fodder peas, apples, pears, walnuts, chestnut etc. The next important step is the introduction into the schemes of genetic improvement of seed production of plant forms, especially those that are of interest to farmers. From an economic point of view, this project made a contribution to the reduction of genetic erosion.