Article
Ecology
Carina Isbell, Daniel Tobin, Travis Reynolds
Summary: This paper explores the motivations behind maintaining crop diversity among seed producers in Vermont, US. The findings indicate that seed producers maintain crop diversity not only for profit, but also for environmental, social, and cultural reasons, suggesting numerous avenues for encouraging crop diversity conservation within the US. The study also highlights the importance of understanding motivations for crop diversification through various theoretical lenses, which may be overlooked in current research, policies, and programs focused solely on monetary incentives.
ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jenny Hagenblad, Karolina Aloisi, Petter Marum, Linda Ohlund, Svein Oivind Solberg, Asmund Asdal, Anna Palme
Summary: This study examines the effects of in situ and ex situ conservation on genetic diversity in red clover. The findings suggest that both approaches lead to limited genetic changes, with overall genetic diversity remaining relatively stable.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jean Linsky, Emily E. D. Coffey, Emily Beech, Malin Rivers, Daniele Cicuzza, Sara Oldfield, Dan Crowley
Summary: Comprehensive Red List assessments have significant impacts on protected area designations, legislation, and global collaboration. However, assessments for many plant families are incomplete. Magnoliaceae is one of the most fully assessed families, and it is important to compare and update these assessments to guide conservation strategies.
PLANTS PEOPLE PLANET
(2023)
Review
Agronomy
M. U. Nduche, J. Magos Brehm, M. Parra-Quijano, N. Maxted
Summary: The study evaluated the conservation gap of priority crop wild relatives in West Africa using species distribution modelling, ecogeographic diversity, and complementary analyses. The analysis revealed that 64 taxa occurred in protected areas, 56 taxa were conserved ex situ, but 76.7% of the accessions were underrepresented with less than 50 accessions conserved ex situ. Potential hotspot areas with high diversity were identified in Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. The establishment of reserve sites, both within and outside protected areas, is crucial for the long-term conservation and utilization of crop wild relatives in the region.
GENETIC RESOURCES AND CROP EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hannes Dempewolf, Sarada Krishnan, Luigi Guarino
Summary: The resilience and sustainability of food systems rely on crop diversity, which is used by breeders and farmers to produce new varieties and respond to challenges. To meet changing demands, the global conservation system for crop diversity needs to keep pace by providing both biological materials and relevant information, while ensuring equitable access and benefit sharing.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Ankush Chandel, Ross Mann, Jatinder Kaur, Sally Norton, Jacqueline Edwards, German Spangenberg, Timothy Sawbridge
Summary: This study indicates that the initial drying of seeds affects the seed bacterial composition, recommending microbial isolation before drying to conserve these microbes. The standard seed storage condition of -20 degrees C is most suitable for the conservation of the bacterial seed microbiome.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Ismail Gokhan Deniz, Yasemin Ozdener Kompe, Ines Harzli, Erdi Can Aytar, Vildan Akin Mutlu, Demet Incedere Uysal
Summary: The most effective way to protect endangered terrestrial orchids is through reproduction and successful reintroduction. This study successfully reproduced and reintroduced Anacamptis sancta using a compatible fungal partner. It was found that ex vitro symbiotic seed germination can be an effective method for protecting endangered temperate orchids.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Valerie C. Pence, Emily Beckman Bruns, Abby Meyer, Hugh W. Pritchard, Murphy Westwood, Jean Linsky, Joachim Gratzfeld, Sara Helm-Wallace, Udayangani Liu, Malin Rivers, Emily Beech
Summary: With the alarming rate of plant species extinction, it is crucial to take action and combine in situ and ex situ conservation techniques. A new conceptual framework has been proposed to create a global Exceptional Status List. By evaluating over 23,000 seed plants using a semi-automated method, researchers identified 775 exceptional species, which represents less than 3% of the predicted exceptional species. Some of these exceptional species are threatened, and the families with the highest number of exceptional species include Dipterocarpaceae, Arecaceae, Rutaceae, and Fabaceae. Although some exceptional species are stored in ex situ collections, the majority of them have limited representation and are primarily found in living plant collections, with very few in cryobanks.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fernando Aramburu Merlos, Robert J. Hijmans
Summary: High levels of crop diversity are considered beneficial, but increasing diversity may face difficulties due to environmental constraints and reliance on a few major crops. This study introduces a theoretical framework of hierarchical levels of crop diversity, with environmental requirements limiting potential diversity and the demand for agricultural products constraining attainable diversity. By estimating global crop diversity using spatial distribution models and crop allocation algorithms, the study finds that attainable diversity is lower in temperate and continental regions compared to tropical and coastal regions. By filling diversity gaps, crop diversity could double on 84% of the world's agricultural land without changing global food production. The study suggests that specialization of farms and regions is the main reason for low levels of local crop diversity globally.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Simon Kallow, Bart Panis, Dang Toan Vu, Tuong Dang Vu, Janet Paofa, Arne Mertens, Rony Swennen, Steven B. Janssens
Summary: This study compared the genetic representation of seed collections with source populations for three wild relatives of bananas, showing that different species mating systems profoundly affected genetic representation in seed collections.
Article
Plant Sciences
Fekadu Gadissa, Temesgen Bedassa Gudeta
Summary: The research aimed to test the performance of 150 ex-situ conserved Ethiopian barley landraces collected from Arsi and Bale highlands. Results showed good germination rates and varying traits frequencies among the landraces, highlighting the importance of considering environmental effects in genetic selection. High phenotypic coefficients of variation compared to genotypic coefficients suggest significant environmental influence on trait variation. Further testing and molecular marker systems are needed for yield improvement and conservation of Ethiopian barley landraces in the face of current erratic climate change.
Article
Plant Sciences
K. Endoh, N. Itahana, M. Matsushita, H. Yamada, M. Ubukata
Summary: The study demonstrated the high desiccation tolerance of Morus boninensis seeds, with open-pollinated dried seeds capable of cryopreservation at low moisture content for maintaining high germination rates. External seed production provided a feasible resource for reintroduction and restoration programmes for Morus boninensis.
Article
Agronomy
Marcelo B. Medeiros, Jose F. M. Valls, Aluana G. Abreu, Gustavo Heiden, Suelma Ribeiro-Silva, Solange C. B. R. Jose, Izulme R. I. Santos, Alexandre M. A. Passos, Marilia L. Burle
Summary: This study assessed the ex situ and in situ conservation status of crop wild relatives in Brazil, conducted germplasm collection expeditions, and achieved medium priority conservation status for most species, with high priority for Ipomoea grandifolia. The total accessions collected nearly doubled the previous records, showing the importance of efforts to conserve ex situ crop wild relatives in Brazil.
Article
Forestry
Yalbeiry Labarca-Rojas, J. Esteban Hernandez-Bermejo, Francisca Herrera-Molina, Marta Hernandez-Clemente, Jose L. Quero
Summary: This study evaluates the genetic diversity of more than 600 specimens of an ex-situ, 10-year-old collection of argan trees in southern Iberian Peninsula and aims to promote its cultivation in suitable regions throughout the Mediterranean basin. It was found that the genetic diversity of this Iberian collection is highly representative of the wild population's diversity in their natural range. Therefore, these cultivated varieties can serve as a complementary conservation tool and serve as a starting point for cultivation programs in a wide range of territories.
TREES-STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Xiaotong Liu, Senwen Tan, Xiaojun Song, Xueping Wu, Gang Zhao, Shengping Li, Guopeng Liang
Summary: Global studies have shown that crop rotation can significantly increase soil organic carbon (SOC) content. The response of SOC content to crop rotation is influenced by climate, soil texture, and agronomic factors. The effect of crop rotation varies in different climate types, and neutral soils with loamy texture and appropriate initial SOC and total nitrogen levels are beneficial for increasing SOC content. Moreover, factors such as the number of rotation cycles, rotation length, nitrogen fertilization rate, and agronomic practices like no-till, straw retention, and organic fertilization also affect SOC content.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Svein O. Solberg, Magnus Goransson, Mikael A. Petersen, Flemming Yndgaard, Simon Jeppson
BIOCHEMICAL SYSTEMATICS AND ECOLOGY
(2016)
Article
Agronomy
Axel Diederichsen, Svein O. Solberg, Simon Jeppson
GENETIC RESOURCES AND CROP EVOLUTION
(2013)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kamil Demski, Simon Jeppson, Ida Lager, Agnieszka Misztak, Katarzyna Jasieniecka-Gazarkiewicz, Malgorzata Waleron, Sten Stymne, Antoni Banas
Article
Plant Sciences
Simon Jeppson, Kamil Demski, Anders S. Carlsson, Li-Hua Zhu, Antoni Banas, Sten Stymne, Ida Lager
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2019)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Asghar Shirani, Tasha Joy, Ida Lager, Jenny Lindberg Yilmaz, Hong-Lei Wang, Simon Jeppson, Edgar B. Cahoon, Kent Chapman, Sten Stymne, Diana Berman
TRIBOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
(2020)
