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
Biodiversity Conservation
Valerie C. Pence, Abby Meyer, Jean Linsky, Joachim Gratzfeld, Hugh W. Pritchard, Murphy Westwood, Emily Beckman Bruns
Summary: The multiple and complex risks to plant species survival necessitate the use of both ex situ and in situ conservation strategies. Seed banking is the most efficient method for long-term conservation, but some species cannot be stored this way. Limitations of seed banking include insufficient seed availability, intolerant or short-lived seeds, seeds sensitive to storage, and seeds with complex dormancies. To conserve exceptional species, a multi-disciplinary approach involving cryobiotechnology, seed biology, plant physiology, plant ecology, and horticulture is required alongside living collections. Immediate international action is needed to address the conservation needs of exceptional plant species.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Janet Rizner Backs, Sean Hoban, Mary V. Ashley
Summary: Research shows that the ex situ collection of Q. hinckleyi, though small, has high allelic diversity capturing about 57% of the wild population's allelic diversity. The ex situ plants contain 22 new alleles contributing 13% of the species' total allelic diversity and have unique genotypes, making up 15% of the species' genotypic variation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLANT SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Horticulture
Shivani Singh, Anuradha Agrawal, Rajeev Kumar, Robert Thangjam, Kattukkunnel Joseph John
Summary: The seeds of Musa balbisiana exhibit 'orthodox' storage behavior, with the potential for short-term conservation at 25 degrees C, medium-term conservation at -20 degrees C, and long-term conservation at -196 degrees C. Different moisture and temperature conditions affect the storage and regeneration potential of the seeds, highlighting the importance of suitable conservation strategies for long-term protection and utilization of this genetic resource.
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Elisabetta Daga, Marilena Budroni, Chiara Multineddu, Sofia Cosentino, Maura Deplano, Paolo Romano, Roberta Comunian
Summary: The MBDS project, funded by the Italian Ministry, aimed to survey, catalogue, and manage microbial resources in three Sardinian collections. A federated database was designed to provide online access to over 21,000 isolates from different matrices, with around 2000 isolates currently available. The MBDS database is proposed as a model for other Italian collections to improve management and sustainability.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lionel N. Di Santo, Jill A. Hamilton
Summary: By evaluating genetic differentiation of populations, it was found that geographic and environmental distances play a crucial role in capturing population genetic diversity and differentiation. Prioritizing population collections based on these distances can optimize the genetic variation captured ex situ.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Lionel N. Di Santo, Monica Polgar, Storm Nies, Paul Hodgkiss, Courtney A. Canning, Jessica W. Wright, Jill A. Hamilton
Summary: This study investigates the population- and family-level seed trait variability in Torrey pine seed collections. The results show substantial structure within and among populations, with differences in seed morphology but similar seedling emergence. To optimize genetic diversity, maximizing the number of maternal families sampled within each population is necessary.
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
Plant Sciences
Diego A. A. Sotomayor, David Ellis, Alberto Salas, Rene Gomez, Rosa A. A. Sanchez, Fredesvinda Carrillo, Carolina Giron, Violeta Quispe, Norma C. C. Manrique-Carpintero, Noelle L. L. Anglin, Cinthya Zorrilla
Summary: Crop wild relatives (CWRs) are valuable sources of novel genes due to their high variability in response to stresses. However, they are threatened by factors like land-use changes and climate change. In Peru, a comprehensive wild potato collection was conducted after 20 years, resulting in the collection of 322 wild potato accessions for ex situ conservation and further genetic improvement research.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Zhiqiang Xiao, Teng Yang, Shitong Wang, Xinzeng Wei, Mingxi Jiang
Summary: The study found that the genetic diversity of ex situ populations of these five plant species is comparable to their wild-source populations. There is a weak genetic structure among ex situ and wild-source populations for each species. The results suggest that ex situ living plant collections may have comparable genetic diversity compared with their corresponding wild-source populations.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Xiao Zhao, Hui Chen, Jianyong Wu, Hai Ren, Jianhe Wei, Pengcheng Ye, Qin Si
Summary: Ex situ conservation of botanical gardens is an important approach to protect threatened plants. This study analyzed the status and problems of ex situ conservation of China's threatened higher plants in botanical gardens and proposed suggestions for future development. The results showed that while these botanical gardens had protected a significant number of threatened species, there were still gaps in the conservation of bryophytes and pteridophytes. The distribution of ex situ conservation of threatened species was inconsistent with their natural habitat. It is recommended to strengthen information management, increase the proportion of threatened species, and prioritize the conservation of species with few collections and low safety.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
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)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Angela Rosa Piergiovanni
Summary: The collection and conservation of chickpea and lentil germplasm is significant as they serve as staple foods for millions of people. ICRISAT holds the largest collection of chickpeas, while ICARDA stores the main lentil collection. Virtual genebanks have become powerful tools for germplasm users. The worldwide collections of chickpea and lentil have strengths and drawbacks, with core collections being useful, but there is a lack of origin and biological status information for a significant portion of the accessions.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yong-Bi Fu, Gregory W. Peterson, Carolee Horbach
Summary: Conserving millions of plant germplasm accessions in genebanks worldwide is crucial for securing future food supply. However, long-term conservation also comes with genetic costs. By studying several crop collections, we found that there were deleterious and adaptive mutations present, and that the number of deleterious mutations increased while the number of adaptive mutations decreased with longer storage time. This has implications for understanding mutational dynamics and genetic costs in conserved germplasm and for long-term germplasm management.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
F. J. White, A. Ensslin, S. Godefroid, A. Faruk, T. Abeli, G. Rossi, A. Mondoni
Summary: Billions of seeds from wild species are stored in seed banks worldwide. Use of these seeds for plant translocation faces obstacles such as funding and resource limitations. A survey of 104 seed banks in 34 countries found that over 70% had used their collections for translocations, but only 11 had no constraints. Lack of funding and resources limit the full potential for translocation activities.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Cesar A. Ordonez-Salanueva, Alma Orozco-Segovia, Efisio Mattana, Elena Castillo-Lorenzo, Patricia Davila-Aranda, Hugh W. Pritchard, Tiziana Ulian, Cesar M. Flores-Ortiz
Summary: The study investigated the thermal requirements and sensitivities of two pine tree species, predicting their germination and early establishment behaviors under future climate change scenarios. The thermal requirements were found to be similar between the two species at different developmental stages, but seedling survival varied at different temperatures.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Eduardo Fernandez-Pascual, Angelino Carta, Andrea Mondoni, Lohengrin A. Cavieres, Sergey Rosbakh, Susanna Venn, Annisa Satyanti, Lydia Guja, Veronica F. Briceno, Filip Vandelook, Efisio Mattana, Arne Saatkamp, Haiyan Bu, Karen Sommerville, Peter Poschlod, Kun Liu, Adrienne Nicotra, Borja Jimenez-Alfaro
Summary: Assumptions about the germination ecology of alpine plants are currently based on individual species and local studies, but a meta-analysis of primary data across four continents suggests that most alpine plants have similar seed germination patterns, with strong requirements for cold stratification and positive responses to temperature and light cues.
Article
Plant Sciences
Anne M. Visscher, Alba Latorre Frances, Maggie Yeo, Jie Yan, Louise Colville, Pablo Gomez Barreiro, Hugh W. Pritchard
Summary: This study investigated the mechanisms underlying interspecific differences in seed thermotolerance in desert Cactaceae species. It was found that enhanced dry seed thermotolerance is realized through enhanced recovery from heat stress during imbibition, particularly during critical stages in the plant life cycle. The study highlights the importance of heat-responsive gene expression patterns in contributing to higher dry seed thermotolerance in extremophile Cactaceae species.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Rosemary J. Newton, Berin D. E. Mackenzie, Byron B. Lamont, Pablo Gomez-Barreiro, Richard M. Cowling, Tianhua He
Summary: A mechanistic understanding of fire-driven seedling recruitment is crucial for effective conservation management of fire-prone vegetation, particularly with rare and threatened taxa. The study focused on Leucadendron genus and identified three germination syndromes based on direct fire cues. Seed storage location was found to be the most reliable predictor of germination syndromes, supporting propagation and conservation initiatives for this iconic fynbos genus and other fire-prone shrubs.
Article
Plant Sciences
Efisio Mattana, Pablo Gomez-Barreiro, Nizar Youssef Hani, Khaled Abulaila, Tiziana Ulian
Summary: The study investigated the germination responses of the secondary capitula of Gundelia tournefortii from East Mediterranean mountain populations. Results showed that temperature and plant morphology play a crucial role in controlling seed germination timing, with cold stratification enhancing germination rates. The findings highlight the presence of mechanical and hormonal components of physiological seed dormancy, which can be valuable for plant propagation programs and food security in the East Mediterranean region.
PLANT GROWTH REGULATION
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Efisio Mattana, Tiziana Ulian, Hugh W. Pritchard
Summary: A comprehensive valuation of seeds' natural capital value is crucial for halting and reversing the loss of biodiversity and habitats. Seeds play a vital role not only in terms of economic value but also at the species and ecosystem level. Challenges still remain in utilizing seeds for nature conservation and sustainable development.
TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Bokary Allaye Kelly, Sidi Sanogo, Sory Ibrahim Sidibe, Paolo Ceci, Elena Castillo-Lorenzo, Tiziana Ulian
Summary: The study showed that Adansonia digitata tall bare-roots had a high survival rate of 98% after three months in farm fields at Bankass, Mali, and still maintained an 82% survival rate after 15 months. Planting this type of tall bare-root plants resulted in better survival and growth compared to container seedlings and short bare-roots.
ENVIRONMENT DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Elinor Breman, Daniel Ballesteros, Elena Castillo-Lorenzo, Christopher Cockel, John Dickie, Aisyah Faruk, Katherine O'Donnell, Catherine A. Offord, Samuel Pironon, Suzanne Sharrock, Tiziana Ulian
Summary: The importance of plant diversity conservation and the role of botanic gardens and seed banks in this task are emphasized in the text. It highlights the need for additional research and conservation measures, such as cryopreservation, to ensure long-term conservation of exceptional species, and the significance of networks and data sharing for integrated conservation efforts.
Article
Plant Sciences
Salvador Sampayo-Maldonado, Cesar A. Ordonez-Salanueva, Efisio Mattana, Michael Way, Elena Castillo-Lorenzo, Patricia D. Davila-Aranda, Rafael Lira-Saade, Oswaldo Tellez-Valdes, Norma Rodriguez-Arevalo, Tiziana Ulian, Cesar M. Flores-Ortiz
Summary: The study determined the optimal temperatures for seed germination of Swietenia macrophylla, with germination rate peaking at 37.3°C and decreasing at ceiling temperature (52.7°C) and base temperature (12.8°C). The thermal time needed for 50% germination was approximately 190°Cd, which could be accumulated in 20 days in the current scenario. The CCSM4 model projected an increase in potential species distribution by 12.3% to 18.3% compared to the current scenario. Temperature plays a crucial role in the seeds' physiological processes and affects their distribution.
Review
Plant Sciences
Rafal M. Gutaker, Caspar C. C. Chater, Jemima Brinton, Elena Castillo-Lorenzo, Elinor Breman, Samuel Pironon
Summary: By domesticating edible wild plants and utilizing advances in genomics and gene editing technologies, we can increase the stability of our food systems against environmental variability and climate change. Neodomestication allows for the rapid generation of new crops by selecting candidates based on climatic parameters, thus increasing food security. Conservation and characterization of edible species play a key role in this process, and the utilization of genetic resources should be carried out ethically and with benefit-sharing in mind.
CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Horticulture
Pablo Gomez Barreiro, Efisio Mattana, David Coleshill, Elena Castillo-Lorenzo, Sidi Sanogo, Paul Wilkin, Tiziana Ulian
Summary: This study investigated the nutlet dormancy and thermal requirements for germination of Mesosphaerum suaveolens and Cantinoa americana, two pesticidal plants used by farmers in West Africa. The results showed that both species have non-deep physiological dormancy, and further studies are needed to clarify the water imbibition uptake for C. americana. Both species showed a positive photoblastic response, with optimal seed germination temperatures well suited to tropical climates. However, differences in nutlet morphology between the two species resulted in distinct patterns of water imbibition.
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Angelino Carta, Efisio Mattana, John Dickie, Filip Vandelook
Summary: Seeds and genome sizes show evolutionary correlation influenced by life forms in angiosperms. Different life forms have different optimal values and covariance relationships for seed mass and genome size evolution. The strongest evolutionary correlation between seed mass and genome size is found in annuals, serving as an adaptation to complete their life cycle quickly under favorable environmental conditions.
SEED SCIENCE RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Byron B. Lamont, Pablo Gomez Barreiro, Rosemary J. Newton
Summary: Fire plays a crucial role in promoting seed germination in fire-prone vegetation. Leucadendron, a member of the Proteaceae family, displays three different syndromes for smoke-heat dormancy-release/germination. The thickness of the seed coat is a key factor in water uptake and germination, independent of seed-storage location or morphology.
SEED SCIENCE RESEARCH
(2022)
