Cocoa Genetic Resources and Their Utilization in Palm-Based Cropping Systems of India

Cool-season grain legume improvement in Australia—Use of genetic resources

Crop and Pasture Science ◽

10.1071/cp13071 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 64 (4) ◽

pp. 347 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

K. H. M. Siddique ◽

W. Erskine ◽

K. Hobson ◽

E. J. Knights ◽

A. Leonforte ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Resources ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Ascochyta Blight ◽

Black Spot ◽

Field Pea ◽

Direct Result ◽

Mycosphaerella Pinodes ◽

Grain Legume ◽

Cool Season ◽

The Past

The cool-season grain legume industry in Australia, comprising field pea (Pisum sativum L.), chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), faba bean (Vicia faba L.), lentil (Lens culinaris ssp. culinaris Medik.), and narrow-leaf lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.), has emerged in the last 40 years to occupy a significant place in cropping systems. The development of all major grain legume crops—including field pea, which has been grown for over 100 years—has been possible through large amounts of genetic resources acquired and utilised in breeding. Initially, several varieties were released directly from these imports, but the past 25 years of grain legume breeding has recombined traits for adaptation and yield for various growing regions. Many fungal disease threats have been addressed through resistant germplasm, with varying successes. Some threats, e.g. black spot in field pea caused by Mycosphaerella pinodes (Berk. and Blox.) Vestergr., require continued exploration of germplasm and new technology. The arrival of ascochyta blight in chickpea in Australia threatened to destroy the chickpea industry of southern Australia, but thanks to resistant germplasm, it is now on its way to recovery. Many abiotic stresses including drought, heat, salinity, and soil nutritional toxicities continue to challenge the expansion of the grain legume area, but recent research shows that genetic variation in the germplasm may offer new solutions. Just as the availability of genetic resources has been key to successfully addressing many challenges in the past two decades, so it will assist in the future, including adapting to climate change. The acquisition of grain legume germplasm from overseas is a direct result of several Australians who fostered collaborations leading to new collection missions enriching the germplasm base for posterity.

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Seed storage of plant genetic resources

Seed Science Research ◽

10.1017/s0960258500003056 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 71-75 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Andrew Praciak

Keyword(s):

Genetic Resources ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Plant Genetic Resources ◽

Genetic Erosion ◽

Seed Storage ◽

Multiple Cropping ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

New Crops ◽

New Genes ◽

Breeding Programmes

The need to conserve plant genetic resources can no longer be in doubt. The destruction of natural habitats, the replacement of multiple cropping systems with monocultures, the replacement of traditional varieties with uniform high-yielding cultivars all lead to genetic erosion and the loss of crop and plant diversity. Genetic resources are vital for crop breeding programmes as sources of new genes for, for example, disease and pest resistance. They are also vital as sources of pharmaceutical and novel industrial and food products. In their own right they may have potential as new crops.

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Genetic resources of oilseed Brassica and related species in Gansu Province, China

Plant Genetic Resources ◽

10.1079/pgr200446 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 167-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Wancang Sun ◽

Qiyuan Pan ◽

Zigang Liu ◽

Yaxiong Meng ◽

Tao Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Resources ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Gansu Province ◽

Cultivated Plants ◽

Centre Of Origin ◽

Centre Of Diversity ◽

Cultural Exchanges ◽

Long Time ◽

History Of ◽

Ancient Silk Road

Vavilov (1935) described China as the earliest and largest independent centre of origin of cultivated plants. Gansu Province occupies the geographic centre of China. With an area of 454,000 km2, latitudes ranging from 32°3′N to 42°57′N and elevations varying from 500 to 6200 m, the province has an extremely diverse climate and topography. Stretching 1653 km along the ancient Silk Road, Gansu also has a long history of agriculture (6000 years) and for centuries was exposed to dynamic cultural exchanges between the East and the West. The unique combination of these conditions allowed rapeseed to be introduced from Europe and the Middle East, to evolve over a long time of cultivation and to diversify to adapt to many types of ecological conditions and cropping systems in Gansu. Currently, rich genetic resources exist in Gansu for Brassica rapa, B. juncea, B. chinensis and Eruca sativa. Eight landraces are described to demonstrate the diversity of rapeseed genetic resources in Gansu. It is generally recognized that B. chinensis originated in China. Information provided in this paper suggests that Gansu and its adjacent regions could also be a centre of diversity for B. rapa and B. juncea.

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