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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 #390843
Research Project: Efficient and Effective Preservation and Management of Plant and Microbial Genetic Resource Collections

Location: Agricultural Genetic Resources Preservation Research

Title: Envisaging an effective global long-term agrobiodiversity conservation system that promotes and facilitates use

Author
item LUSTY, CHARLOTTE - The Crop Trust
item SACKVILLE-HAMILTON, RUARAIDH - The Crop Trust
item GUARINO, LUIGI - The Crop Trust
item Richards, Christopher
item JAMORA, NELISSA - The Crop Trust
item HAWTIN, GEOFFREY - Bioversity International

Submitted to: Plants
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/4/2021
Publication Date: 12/14/2021
Citation: Lusty, C.M., Sackville-Hamilton, R., Guarino, L., Richards, C.M., Jamora, N., Hawtin, G. 2021. Envisaging an effective global long-term agrobiodiversity conservation system that promotes and facilitates use. Plants. 10(12). Article e2764. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10122764.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10122764

Interpretive Summary: Genebanks were established out of a recognized need not just to provide genetic variation to support breeding objectives but to prevent crop diversity from being lost entirely for future users. Such conservation objectives may have led, over the past few decades, to a gradually diminishing connection between genebanks and current users of diversity. While there continues to be large-scale distribution of germplasm from genebanks to recipients worldwide, relatively little is known or published about the detailed trends in the demand for genebank materials. Meanwhile, the rapid expansion of the applications and uses of modern genomic technologies and approaches is, undoubtedly, having a transformational impact on breeding, research and the demand for certain genetic resources and associated data. These trends will require genebanks to be responsive and to adapt. They also provide important opportunities for genebanks to reorganize and become more efficient individually and as a community. Ultimately, future challenges and opportunities are likely to drive more demand for genetic diversity and provide an important basis for genebanks to gear up.

Technical Abstract: Genebanks were established out of a recognized need not just to provide genetic variation to support breeding objectives but to prevent crop diversity from being lost entirely for future users. Such conservation objectives may have led, over the past few decades, to a gradually diminishing connection between genebanks and current users of diversity. While there continues to be large-scale distribution of germplasm from genebanks to recipients worldwide, relatively little is known or published about the detailed trends in the demand for genebank materials. Meanwhile, the rapid expansion of the applications and uses of modern genomic technologies and approaches is, undoubtedly, having a transformational impact on breeding, research and the demand for certain genetic resources and associated data. These trends will require genebanks to be responsive and to adapt. They also provide important opportunities for genebanks to reorganize and become more efficient individually and as a community. Ultimately, future challenges and opportunities are likely to drive more demand for genetic diversity and provide an important basis for genebanks to gear up.