Crop wild relatives (CWR) have contributed to crop domestication for millennia, but nowadays due also to human over exploitation of plants and other environmental resources they are threatened and hence they need protection to guaranty plant evolution and food supply for future human generations. At the moment, definition and identification of CWR inside plant community is made according to the taxon group and the gene pool concepts, though in this way the effect of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is ignored. A third concept considering the HGT could improve both definition and identification of CWR. The number of CWR identified by the taxon group concept (broad sense) is much larger than the one identified by the gene pool concept (narrow sense), which means that only a very small percentage of the CWR identified with the former concept can be used by breeders. The Italian flora consists of 7953 taxa. Analyzing the vascular plant database, only 113 species share all the gene pools and therefore can be considered CWR in the narrow sense. In Italy there are 1400 endemic vascular plants, of which 70 are CWR in the broad sense and 10 in the narrow sense. The status of in situ and ex situ conservation of CWR understood in the narrow sense is presented and discussed, stressing the point that conservation and utilization is not a scientific problem, but a political one. This point is supported by the “ecological economy” and “sustainable development” concepts, besides the human rights. Since at the moment, starvation is not due to shortage, but to bad distribution and waste of food, CWR relatives are more important for the conservation of biodiversity and as sources of genes to cope climate change than enhancing crop yield. The legislation that obstacles agrobiodiversity conservation and use should be changed and/or improved. Concluding, actions and proposal to shape the future existence, function and contribution of CWR to biodiversity and food security are indicated.
Crop wild relatives: know how past and present to improve future research, conservation and utilization strategies, especially in Italy: a review
Perrino E. V.
;
2020-01-01
Abstract
Crop wild relatives (CWR) have contributed to crop domestication for millennia, but nowadays due also to human over exploitation of plants and other environmental resources they are threatened and hence they need protection to guaranty plant evolution and food supply for future human generations. At the moment, definition and identification of CWR inside plant community is made according to the taxon group and the gene pool concepts, though in this way the effect of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is ignored. A third concept considering the HGT could improve both definition and identification of CWR. The number of CWR identified by the taxon group concept (broad sense) is much larger than the one identified by the gene pool concept (narrow sense), which means that only a very small percentage of the CWR identified with the former concept can be used by breeders. The Italian flora consists of 7953 taxa. Analyzing the vascular plant database, only 113 species share all the gene pools and therefore can be considered CWR in the narrow sense. In Italy there are 1400 endemic vascular plants, of which 70 are CWR in the broad sense and 10 in the narrow sense. The status of in situ and ex situ conservation of CWR understood in the narrow sense is presented and discussed, stressing the point that conservation and utilization is not a scientific problem, but a political one. This point is supported by the “ecological economy” and “sustainable development” concepts, besides the human rights. Since at the moment, starvation is not due to shortage, but to bad distribution and waste of food, CWR relatives are more important for the conservation of biodiversity and as sources of genes to cope climate change than enhancing crop yield. The legislation that obstacles agrobiodiversity conservation and use should be changed and/or improved. Concluding, actions and proposal to shape the future existence, function and contribution of CWR to biodiversity and food security are indicated.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
