Mobilizing Crop Biodiversity

McCouch, S and Navabi, K and Abberton, M and Anglin, N L and Barbieri, R L and Baum, M and Bett, K and Booker, H and Brown, G L and Bryan, G J and Cattivelli, L and Charest, D and Eversole, K and Freitas, M and Ghamkhar, K and Grattapaglia, D and Henry, R and Valadares Inglis, M C and Islam, T and Kehel, Z and Kersey, P J and Kresovich, S and Marden, E and Mayes, S and Ndjiondjop, M N and Nguyen, H T and Paiva, S and Papa, R and Phillips, P W B and Rasheed, A and Richards, C and Rouard, M and Amstalden Sampaio, M J and Scholz, U and Shaw, P D and Sherman, B and Staton, S E and Stein, N and Svensson, J and Tester, M and Montenegro Valls, J F and Varshney, R K and Visscher, S and von Wettberg, E and Waugh, R and Wenzl, P W B and Rieseberg, L H (2020) Mobilizing Crop Biodiversity. Molecular Plant (TSI). pp. 1-12. ISSN 1674-2052

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Abstract

Over the past 70 years, the world has witnessed extraordinary growth in crop productivity, 1 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 (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 (Harlan, 1972). 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 preserve 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

Item Type: Article
Divisions: Research Program : Genetic Gains
CRP: UNSPECIFIED
Uncontrolled Keywords: Crop diversity, Crop Productivity
Subjects: Others > Crop Yield
Others > Agriculture-Farming, Production, Technology, Economics
Depositing User: Mr Arun S
Date Deposited: 04 Sep 2020 09:28
Last Modified: 04 Sep 2020 09:28
URI: http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/11581
Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2020.08.011
Projects: UNSPECIFIED
Funders: UNSPECIFIED
Acknowledgement: UNSPECIFIED
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