Gene banks for wild and cultivated sunflower genetic resources

Authors: TERZIC, SRETEN - Institute Of Field And Vegetable Crops; BONIFACE, MARIE-CLAUDE - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA); MAREK, LAURA - Iowa State University; ALVAREZ, DANIEL - Instituto De Clima Y Agua (INTA); BAUMANN, KARIN - Leibniz Institute Of Plant Genetics And Crop Plant Research; GAVRILOVA, VERA - Vavilov Institute; JOITA-PACUREANU, MARIA - National Institute Of Research And Development For Food Bioresources; SUJATHA, MULPURI - Indian Council Of Agricultural Research (ICAR); VALKOVA, DANIELA - Agricultural University Of Bulgaria; VELASCO, LEONARDO - Agricultural Institute Of Spain; Hulke, Brent; JOCIC, SINISA - Institute Of Field And Vegetable Crops; LANGLADE, NICOLAS - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA); MUNOS, STEPHANE - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA); RIESEBERG, LOREN - University Of British Columbia; Seiler, Gerald; VEAR, FELICITY - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA)

Submitted to: OCL - Oilseeds & fats, Crops and Lipids
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/29/2020
Publication Date: 3/6/2020
Citation: Terzic, S., Boniface, M., Marek, L., Alvarez, D., Baumann, K., Gavrilova, V., Joita-Pacureanu, M., Sujatha, M., Valcova, D., Velasco, L., Hulke, B.S., Jocic, S., Langlade, N., Munos, S., Rieseberg, L., Seiler, G.J., Vear, F. 2020. Gene banks for wild and cultivated sunflower genetic resources. OCL - Oilseeds & fats, Crops and Lipids. 27(9):1-14. https://doi.org/10.1051/ocl/2020004.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/ocl/2020004

Interpretive Summary: Scientific gene banks have been in existence for over 100 years, and are a source of important seeds and other plant parts that can be used for scientific discovery and crop improvement. This review discusses the contents of major gene banks throughout the world for sunflower and sunflower relatives (Helianthus species). Historic uses of the seeds are detailed, including their prominent use in increasing disease resistance in sunflower plant varieties around the world. Current and future uses include genetic mapping, plant variety development with an expanded list of traits, as well as continued work on disease resistance. Information on how to obtain seeds from the gene banks is included in the text.

Technical Abstract: Modern breeding of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) started 100 years ago and has increased the number and the diversity of cultivated accessions. In addition, for more than 50 years, wild sunflowers and other Helianthus species have been collected in North America where they are all originated. Collections of both cultivated and wild forms are maintained in gene banks in many of the countries where sunflower is an important crop, with some specificity according to the availability of the germplasms and to local research and breeding programmes. Cultivated material includes land races, open pollinated varieties, synthetics and inbred lines. The majority of wild accessions are ecotypes of wild Helianthus annuus, but also the 51 other species of Helianthus and some related genera. The activities of three gene banks, in USA, France and Serbia, are described in detail, completed by data from six other countries. Past and future uses of the genetic resources for environmental adaptation and breeding are discussed in relation to genomic and improved phenotypic knowledge of the cultivated and wild accessions available in the seed banks.