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Journal ArticleDOI

A prioritized crop wild relative inventory to help underpin global food security

TL;DR: The Harlan and de Wet inventory of globally important crop wild relative (CWR) taxa as discussed by the authors contains 1667 taxa, divided between 37 families, 108 genera, 1392 species and 299 sub-specific taxa.
About: This article is published in Biological Conservation.The article was published on 2013-11-01. It has received 255 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Crop wild relative & Ex situ conservation.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A comprehensive analysis of tomato evolution based on the genome sequences of 360 accessions provides evidence that domestication and improvement focused on two independent sets of quantitative trait loci (QTLs), resulting in modern tomato fruit ∼100 times larger than its ancestor.
Abstract: The histories of crop domestication and breeding are recorded in genomes. Although tomato is a model species for plant biology and breeding, the nature of human selection that altered its genome remains largely unknown. Here we report a comprehensive analysis of tomato evolution based on the genome sequences of 360 accessions. We provide evidence that domestication and improvement focused on two independent sets of quantitative trait loci (QTLs), resulting in modern tomato fruit ∼100 times larger than its ancestor. Furthermore, we discovered a major genomic signature for modern processing tomatoes, identified the causative variants that confer pink fruit color and precisely visualized the linkage drag associated with wild introgressions. This study outlines the accomplishments as well as the costs of historical selection and provides molecular insights toward further improvement.

678 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that a systematic effort is needed to improve the conservation and availability of crop wild relatives for use in plant breeding, using occurrence information collected from biodiversity, herbarium and gene bank databases.
Abstract: The wild relatives of domesticated crops possess genetic diversity useful for developing more productive, nutritious and resilient crop varieties. However, their conservation status and availability for utilization are a concern, and have not been quantified globally. Here, we model the global distribution of 1,076 taxa related to 81 crops, using occurrence information collected from biodiversity, herbarium and gene bank databases. We compare the potential geographic and ecological diversity encompassed in these distributions with that currently accessible in gene banks, as a means to estimate the comprehensiveness of the conservation of genetic diversity. Our results indicate that the diversity of crop wild relatives is poorly represented in gene banks. For 313 (29.1% of total) taxa associated with 63 crops, no germplasm accessions exist, and a further 257 (23.9%) are represented by fewer than ten accessions. Over 70% of taxa are identified as high priority for further collecting in order to improve their representation in gene banks, and over 95% are insufficiently represented in regard to the full range of geographic and ecological variation in their native distributions. The most critical collecting gaps occur in the Mediterranean and the Near East, western and southern Europe, Southeast and East Asia, and South America. We conclude that a systematic effort is needed to improve the conservation and availability of crop wild relatives for use in plant breeding.

390 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Genome analysis results in discovery of useful alleles in CWR and identification of regions of the genome in which diversity has been lost in domestication bottlenecks.
Abstract: Plant breeders require access to new genetic diversity to satisfy the demands of a growing human population for more food that can be produced in a variable or changing climate and to deliver the high-quality food with nutritional and health benefits demanded by consumers. The close relatives of domesticated plants, crop wild relatives (CWRs), represent a practical gene pool for use by plant breeders. Genomics of CWR generates data that support the use of CWR to expand the genetic diversity of crop plants. Advances in DNA sequencing technology are enabling the efficient sequencing of CWR and their increased use in crop improvement. As the sequencing of genomes of major crop species is completed, attention has shifted to analysis of the wider gene pool of major crops including CWR. A combination of de novo sequencing and resequencing is required to efficiently explore useful genetic variation in CWR. Analysis of the nuclear genome, transcriptome and maternal (chloroplast and mitochondrial) genome of CWR is facilitating their use in crop improvement. Genome analysis results in discovery of useful alleles in CWR and identification of regions of the genome in which diversity has been lost in domestication bottlenecks. Targeting of high priority CWR for sequencing will maximize the contribution of genome sequencing of CWR. Coordination of global efforts to apply genomics has the potential to accelerate access to and conservation of the biodiversity essential to the sustainability of agriculture and food production.

289 citations


Cites background from "A prioritized crop wild relative in..."

  • ...Conservation of CWRs in situ (Henry et al., 2010; Wambugu et al., 2013) can also be guided by analysis of the genomes of wild populations....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change (AAC) project as mentioned in this paper aims to collect and protect the genetic diversity of a portfolio of plants with the characteristics required for adapting the world's most important food crops to climate change.
Abstract: The main objective of the“Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change” project is to collect and protect the genetic diversity of a portfolio of plants with the characteristics required for adapting the world's most important food crops to climate change. The initiative also aims to make available this diversity in a form that plant breeders can readily use to produce varieties adapted to the new climatic conditions that farmers, particularly in the developing world, are already encountering. Such adaptation is a key component of securing the world's future food production. This paper serves to inform interested researchers of this important initiative and encourage collaboration under its umbrella.

278 citations


Cites methods from "A prioritized crop wild relative in..."

  • ...The collation of CWR taxa for over 173 crop gene pools into a checklist has been the first step undertaken by the project, through collaboration with the University of Birmingham, UK (Vincent et al. 2013)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review highlights the significance of crop wild relatives for crop improvement by providing examples of CWRs that have been used to increase biotic and abiotic stress resistance/tolerance and overall yield in various crop species, and discusses the surge of advanced biotechnologies, such as next‐generation sequencing technologies and omics.
Abstract: Deleterious effects of climate change and human activities, as well as diverse environmental stresses, present critical challenges to food production and the maintenance of natural diversity. These challenges may be met by the development of novel crop varieties with increased biotic or abiotic resistance that enables them to thrive in marginal lands. However, considering the diverse interactions between crops and environmental factors, it is surprising that evolutionary principles have been underexploited in addressing these food and environmental challenges. Compared with domesticated cultivars, crop wild relatives (CWRs) have been challenged in natural environments for thousands of years and maintain a much higher level of genetic diversity. In this review, we highlight the significance of CWRs for crop improvement by providing examples of CWRs that have been used to increase biotic and abiotic stress resistance/tolerance and overall yield in various crop species. We also discuss the surge of advanced biotechnologies, such as next-generation sequencing technologies and omics, with particular emphasis on how they have facilitated gene discovery in CWRs. We end the review by discussing the available resources and conservation of CWRs, including the urgent need for CWR prioritization and collection to ensure continuous crop improvement for food sustainability.

270 citations


Cites background from "A prioritized crop wild relative in..."

  • ...For various reasons, some national or local inventories are focused only on major crops (Berlingeri & Crespo, 2012; Khoury et al., 2013; Landucci et al., 2014; Maxted & Kell, 2009; Vincent et al., 2013)....

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  • ...Global initiatives (Dempewolf et al., 2014; Vincent et al., 2013) have increased CWR conservation efforts and should be complemented by regional and national actions (Meilleur & Hodgkin, 2004)....

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References
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Journal ArticleDOI
01 Feb 2008-Science
TL;DR: Results indicate South Asia and Southern Africa as two regions that, without sufficient adaptation measures, will likely suffer negative impacts on several crops that are important to large food-insecure human populations.
Abstract: Investments aimed at improving agricultural adaptation to climate change inevitably favor some crops and regions over others. An analysis of climate risks for crops in 12 food-insecure regions was conducted to identify adaptation priorities, based on statistical crop models and climate projections for 2030 from 20 general circulation models. Results indicate South Asia and Southern Africa as two regions that, without sufficient adaptation measures, will likely suffer negative impacts on several crops that are important to large food-insecure human populations. We also find that uncertainties vary widely by crop, and therefore priorities will depend on the risk attitudes of investment institutions.

2,820 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is found that of the four main elements of food security, i.e., availability, stability, utilization, and access, only the first is routinely addressed in simulation studies, indicating the potential for further negative impacts beyond those currently assessed with models.
Abstract: This article reviews the potential impacts of climate change on food security. It is found that of the four main elements of food security, i.e., availability, stability, utilization, and access, only the first is routinely addressed in simulation studies. To this end, published results indicate that the impacts of climate change are significant, however, with a wide projected range (between 5 million and 170 million additional people at risk of hunger by 2080) strongly depending on assumed socio-economic development. The likely impacts of climate change on the other important dimensions of food security are discussed qualitatively, indicating the potential for further negative impacts beyond those currently assessed with models. Finally, strengths and weaknesses of current assessment studies are discussed, suggesting improvements and proposing avenues for new analyses.

1,764 citations


Additional excerpts

  • ...Furthermore, in the light of the potentially adverse impacts of climate change on agricultural production (Schmidhuber and Tubiello, 2007; Lobell et al., 2008; Palm et al., 2010), there is a rising awareness of the need to ensure global food security (IPCC, 2007; FAO, 2008)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
01 Aug 1971-Taxon
TL;DR: An attempt is made to provide a framework in which both taxonomy and infraspecific classification can operate with a minimum of confusion.
Abstract: The methods of formal taxonomy have not been very satisfactory for the classification of cultivated plants. As a result, the people who deal with cultivated plants the most have developed their own informal and intuitive classifications based on experience as to what constitutes useful groupings. An attempt is made to provide a framework in which both systems can operate with a minimum of confusion. The structure of the total available gene pool is characterized by assigning taxa to primary, secondary and tertiary gene pools. At the infraspecific level, cultivars are grouped into races and subraces in an informal way without rigid rules for the use of terms.

946 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The rapidly growing world population and increased human activity threaten many of these species, including species that provide humans with essential medicines and other diverse, useful products.
Abstract: A ll ecosystems and human societies depend on a healthy and productive natural environment that contains diverse plant and animal species. The earth's biota is composed of an estimated 10 million species of plants, animals, and microbes (Pimm et al. 1995). In the United States, there are an estimated 750,000 species, of which small organisms, such as arthropods and microbes, make up 95%.1 Although approximately 60% of the world's food supply comes from rice, wheat, and corn (Wilson 1988), as many as 20,000 other plant species have been used by humans as food. Some plants and animals provide humans with essential medicines and other diverse, useful products. For instance, some plants and microbes help to degrade chemical pollutants and organic wastes and recycle nutrients throughout the ecosystem. The rapidly growing world population and increased human activity threaten many of these species. The current extinction rate of species ranges from approximately 1000 to 10,000 times higher than natural extinction rates (Kellert and Wilson

651 citations


Additional excerpts

  • ...With a global estimated value of $115 billion annually for the introduction of new genes from CWR to crops (Pimentel et al., 1997), it might be expected that CWR would already be effectively conserved and readily available for use by breeders....

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