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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fort Collins, Colorado » Center for Agricultural Resources Research » Agricultural Genetic Resources Preservation Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #379144
Research Project: Efficient and Effective Preservation and Management of Plant and Microbial Genetic Resource Collections

Location: Agricultural Genetic Resources Preservation Research

Title: Mobilizing crop biodiversity

Author
item MCCOUCH, SUSAN - Cornell University
item NAVABI, ZAHRA-KATY - University Of Saskatchewan
item ABBERTON, MICHAEL - International Institute Of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
item ANGLIN, NOELLE - International Potato Center
item BARBIERI, ROSA LIA - Embrapa Genetic Resources
item BAUM, MICHAEL - International Center For Agricultural Research In The Dry Areas (ICARDA)
item BETT, KIRSTIN - University Of Saskatchewan
item BOOKER, HELEN - University Of Guelph
item BROWN, GERALD - Saskatoon Research Center
item BRYAN, GLENN - The James Hutton Institute
item CATTIVELLI, LUIGI - Crea - Research Centre For Genomics And Bioinformatics
item CHAREST, DAVID - Genome Science Centre-Canada
item EVERSOLE, KELLYE - International Maize & Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)
item FREITAS, MARCELO - Embrapa Genetic Resources
item GHAMKHAR, KIOUMARS - Agresearch
item GRATTAPAGLIA, DARIO - Embrapa Genetic Resources
item HENRY, ROBERT - Queensland University - Australia
item INGLIS, MARIA - Embrapa Genetic Resources
item ISLAM, TOFAZZAL - Institute Of Biotechnology And Genetic Engineering (IBGE)
item KEHEL, ZAKARIA - International Center For Agricultural Research In The Dry Areas (ICARDA)
item KERSEY, PAUL - Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
item KING, GRAHAM - Southern Cross University
item KRESOVICH, STEPHEN - Cornell University
item MARDEN, EMILY - University Of British Columbia
item MAYES, SEAN - Nutrition For The Future
item NDJIONDJOP, MARIE - Africa Rice Center (AFRICARICE)
item NGUYEN, HENRY - University Of Missouri
item PAIVA, SAMUEL - Embrapa Genetic Resources
item PAPA, ROBERTO - University Of Ancona
item PHILLIPS, PETER - University Of Saskatchewan
item RASHEED, AWAIS - International Maize & Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)
item Richards, Christopher
item ROUARD, MATHIEU - Bioversity International
item SAMPAIO, AMSTALDEN - Embrapa Genetic Resources
item SCHOLZ, UWE - Leibniz Institute Of Plant Genetics And Crop Plant Research
item SHAW, PAUL - The James Hutton Institute
item SHERMAN, BRAD - University Of Queensland
item STATON, S. EVAN - University Of British Columbia
item STEIN, NILS - Leibniz Institute Of Plant Genetics And Crop Plant Research
item SVENSSON, JAN - Nordic Genetic Resource Centre (NORDGEN)
item TESTER, MARK - King Abdullah University Of Science And Technology
item VALLS, JOSE - Embrapa Genetic Resources
item VARSHNEY, RAJEEV - International Crops Research Institute For Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) - India
item VISSCHER, STEPHEN - University Of Saskatchewan
item VON WETTBERG, ERIC - University Of Vermont
item WAUGH, ROBBIE - The James Hutton Institute
item WENZL, PETER - International Center For Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
item RIESBERG, LOREN - University Of British Columbia

Submitted to: Molecular Plant
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/10/2020
Publication Date: 10/5/2020
Citation: McCouch, S., Navabi, Z., Abberton, M., Anglin, N., Barbieri, R., Baum, M., Bett, K., Booker, H., Brown, G.L., Bryan, G.J., Cattivelli, L., Charest, D., Eversole, K., Freitas, M., Ghamkhar, K., Grattapaglia, D., Henry, R., Inglis, M., Islam, T., Kehel, Z., Kersey, P., King, G., Kresovich, S., Marden, E., Mayes, S., Ndjiondjop, M., Nguyen, H., Paiva, S., Papa, R., Phillips, P., Rasheed, A., Richards, C.M., Rouard, M., Sampaio, A., Scholz, U., Shaw, P., Sherman, B., Staton, S., Stein, N., Svensson, J., Tester, M., Valls, J., Varshney, R., Visscher, S., Von Wettberg, E., Waugh, R., Wenzl, P., Riesberg, L. 2020. Mobilizing crop biodiversity. Molecular Plant. 13(10):1341-1344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2020.08.011.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2020.08.011

Interpretive Summary: A global system of genebanks (e.g. www.genebanks.org/genebanks/) was established in the 1970s to conserve the abundant genetic variation found in traditional “landrace” varieties of crops and in crop wild relatives (Harlan, 1972). While preserving crop variation is a critical first step, the time has come to make use of this variation to breed more resilient crops. The DivSeek International Network (https://divseekintl.org/) is a scientific, not-for-profit organization that aims to accelerate such efforts.

Technical Abstract: Over the past 70 years, the world has witnessed extraordinary growth in crop productivity, enabled by a suite of technological advances, including higher yielding crop varieties, improved farm management, synthetic agrochemicals, and agricultural mechanization. While this “Green Revolution” intensified crop production, and is credited with reducing famine and malnutrition, its benefits were accompanied by several undesirable collateral effects (Evenson and Gollin, 2003; Pingali, 2012). These include a narrowing of agricultural biodiversity, stemming from increased monoculture and greater reliance on a smaller number of crops and crop varieties for the majority of our calories. This reduction in diversity has created vulnerabilities to pest and disease epidemics, climate variation, and ultimately to human health (Inoue et al., 2017; Khoury et al., 2014; Oury et al., 2012). The value of crop diversity has long been recognized (Vavilov, 1992). A global system of genebanks (e.g. www.genebanks.org/genebanks/) was established in the 1970s to conserve the abundant genetic variation found in traditional “landrace” varieties of crops and in crop wild relatives (Harlan, 1972). While preserving crop variation is a critical first step, the time has come to make use of this variation to breed more resilient crops. The DivSeek International Network (https://divseekintl.org/) is a scientific, not-for-profit organization that aims to accelerate such efforts.