Abstract Detail

Crops and Wild Relatives

Rong, Jun [1], Zhao, Yao [1], Li, Qin [1], Xiang, Xiaoguo [1], Chen, Jiakuan [1].

Crop wild relative conservation and utilization for Yangtze River Basin sustainability.

Crop wild relatives should belong to the dominant group of plants in local biodiversity during crop domestication. Crop domestication therefore could be an adaptation to local biodiversity pattern. Among crop domestication centers in the world, the Yangtze River Basin is unique for the domestications of aquatic crops (e.g. rice) and subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest crops (e.g. tea, citrus), representing the unique biodiversity patterns of floodplain wetlands and subtropical evergreen broadleaf forests in this region. The Yangtze River Basin is home to Chinese civilization. With long and dramatic human disturbances and ecosystem changes under climate change, the local biodiversity patterns alter tremendously in the Yangtze River Basin. Natural habitats of crop wild relatives become degraded and fragmented, and genetic diversity of crop wild relatives decreased dramatically. For instance, Asian cultivated rice wild relatives become endangered in the Yangtze River Basin. On the other hand, as an aquatic crop, cultivated rice needs a huge amount of water, which may be suitable historically during rice domestication and cultivation when water resources were plenty. However, water resources are limited now and current rice cultivation pattern may not be sustainable in the near future. More attentions shall be paid to the conservation and utilization of crop wild relatives for Yangtze River Basin sustainability. New crop domestication may be required to match with the changing local biodiversity pattern under climate change. The processes of crop domestication were slow and long in history, and still only a limited number of crops were domesticated. New crop domestication can be accelerated through in-depth researches on key agronomic trait variation of crop wild relatives. Currently, crop wild relatives have not been effectively protected and researches on genetic diversity of crop wild relatives are insufficient in the Yangtze River Basin. We will present case studies showing current status of crop wild relative conservation and utilization in the Yangtze River Basin, and discuss the main challenges for sustainability in this region and all through the world.

1 - Nanchang University, Institute of Life Science, Xuefu Road 999, Honggutan District, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330031, CHN

Keywords:
crop wild relatives
Yangtze River Basin
domestication
biodiversity
genetic diversity
genetic resource
germplasm
climate change
sustainability.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: CWR1, Crops and Wild Relatives
Location: Tucson D/Starr Pass
Date: Wednesday, July 31st, 2019
Time: 8:00 AM
Number: CWR1001
Abstract ID:146
Candidate for Awards:None