Diversity wealth

1989/07/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Nekazaritza

If you go to the Azkue dictionary and look at the word “apple”, you will find the names of the more than forty varieties of apple: beef, spuro, arrow, bolin apple, reineta, gorranche, pear, dog and field apple, among others. However, if you head to the Brogdale Experimental Horticulture Center in Kent, England, you will find over 1,900 apple varieties.

And apart from apples, 500 species of pear, 350 species of plums, 220 species of cherries and 320 species of blackberries, brooches and the like. There are also smaller collections of the family of grapes and hazelnuts (nuts, hazelnuts and almonds).

The Brogdale center is a magnificent genetic treasure of temperate climate fruit trees and approaches everyone in search of genetic material.

Unfortunately the future of the center is in grave danger due to the policy of the government of Margaret Thatcher. According to plans, the center will close in March next year. The reason for this decision is that the British government does not subsidize investigations that may have significant commercial use.

We hope that in this case the Government will reject the decision not to subsidize, since the disappearance of the center of Brogdal will mean a great loss of world genetic heritage.