Species for medicinal and social use with an emphasis on theobroma cacao l. (cacao), nicotiana tabacum l. (tobacco), actaea racemosa l. (black cohosh), and humulus lupulus l. (hops)

Authors: MCCOY, JOE-ANN - North Carolina Arboretum; YOUNG, JOHANNA - North Carolina Arboretum; NIFONG, JESSICA - North Carolina State University; Hummer, Kim; De Noma, Jeanine; AVENDANO-ARRAZATE, CARLOS - Instituto Nacional De Investigaciones Forestales Y Agropecuarias (INIFAP); Greene, Stephanie; KANTAR, MICHAEL - University Of Hawaii

Submitted to: North American Crop Wild Relatives
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/13/2018
Publication Date: 4/2/2019
Citation: McCoy, J., Young, J.H., Nifong, J.M., Hummer, K.E., De Noma, J.S., Avendano-Arrazate, C.H., Greene, S.L., Kantar, M.B. 2019. Species for medicinal and social use with an emphasis on theobroma cacao l. (cacao), nicotiana tabacum l. (tobacco), actaea racemosa l. (black cohosh), and humulus lupulus l. (hops). North American Crop Wild Relatives. Springer. 2:645-692. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97121-6_19.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97121-6_19

Interpretive Summary: The increasing challenges to agricultural production brought about in the coming decades by climate change, added to the biotic and abiotic stresses already present, will necessitate the use of novel genes from wild plant genetic resources to find solutions. The purpose of this book is to highlight the most important wild plant genetic resources that grow in North America, and focuses on Canada, the United States and Mexico; three major countries whose combined area covers most of the continent. A thorough understanding of the species that occupy North America, including their distributions, potential value to agriculture, and conservation statuses and needs, will give agricultural and conservation practitioners the basic knowledge they need to take steps to conserve our natural heritage of wild plants important to food and agriculture. This volume reviews efforts, challenges and opportunities to conserve agriculturally important wild species from a national perspective. An additional chapter presents Native American tribal perspectives in the United States. Chapters then discuss various aspects of wild plant genetic resource conservation.

Technical Abstract: The increasing challenges to agricultural production brought about in the coming decades by climate change, added to the biotic and abiotic stresses already present, will necessitate the use of novel genes from wild plant genetic resources to find solutions. The combined efforts of both the agricultural and the natural resource communities are critical to locate, conserve, manage and make available these invaluable species for food and agricultural security of future generations. The purpose of this book is to highlight the most important wild plant genetic resources that grow in North America, and focuses on Canada, the United States and Mexico; three major countries whose combined area covers most of the continent. A thorough understanding of the species that occupy North America, including their distributions, potential value to agriculture, and conservation statuses and needs, will give agricultural and conservation communities the basic knowledge they need to take steps to conserve our natural heritage of wild plants important to food and agriculture. This volume reviews efforts, challenges and opportunities to conserve agriculturally important wild species from a national perspective. An additional chapter presents Native American tribal perspectives in the United States, providing a glimpse into the management and regulation of plant genetic resources by indigenous peoples and First Nations through a set of case studies of several tribal governments. The following chapters discuss various aspects of wild plant genetic resource conservation since managing genetic resources of wild plants involves additional considerations beyond those required for domesticated crops and likewise, wild genetic resource conservation differs from managing plant species that are rare and endangered. There are over 20,000 wild plant species in North America, and all deserve to flourish. However, a small fraction, because of their genetic proximity to agriculturally important crops, deserves to be recognized, celebrated, conserved, and made available to support food and agricultural security.