Back into the wild—Apply untapped genetic diversity of wild relatives for crop improvement

Abstract

Deleterious effects of climate change and human activities, as well as diverse environmental stresses, present critical challenges to food production and the maintenance of natural diversity. These challenges may be met by the development of novel crop varieties with increased biotic or abiotic resistance that enables them to thrive in marginal lands. However, considering the diverse interactions between crops and environmental factors, it is surprising that evolutionary principles have been underexploited in addressing these food and environmental challenges. Compared with domesticated cultivars, crop wild relatives (CWRs) have been challenged in natural environments for thousands of years and maintain a much higher level of genetic diversity. In this review, we highlight the significance of CWRs for crop improvement by providing examples of CWRs that have been used to increase biotic and abiotic stress resistance/tolerance and overall yield in various crop species. We also discuss the surge of advanced biotechnologies, such as next‐generation sequencing technologies and omics, with particular emphasis on how they have facilitated gene discovery in CWRs. We end the review by discussing the available resources and conservation of CWRs, including the urgent need for CWR prioritization and collection to ensure continuous crop improvement for food sustainability.

Wild edible plants: Nutritional and toxicological characteristics, retrieval strategies and importance for today's society

“…Advanced biotechnological and molecular tools could facilitate the discovery of new genes and open new opportunities for plant breeding (Amirul et al, 2014). In fact, wild relatives maintain a much higher level of genetic diversity than domesticated cultivars (Zhang et al, 2017). Using omics-scale technologies and advanced techniques, genes of interest can be transferred from wild species to cultivated crops.…”

“…Using omics-scale technologies and advanced techniques, genes of interest can be transferred from wild species to cultivated crops. The development of novel crop varieties can help overcame critical challenges of food production related to the deleterious effects of climate change and human activities as well as diverse environmental stresses (Zhang et al, 2017). -In situ and ex situ conservation: Plant genetic resources strategies and techniques play an important role in wild species conservation and management.…”

Back to the Origin: In Situ Studies Are Needed to Understand Selection during Crop Diversification

“…Under climate change, these pressures are predicted to intensify (Hatfield et al, 2010). Perhaps because centers of origin tend to be the geographic source for the major diseases (Leppik, 1970) and insect pests of crops (Chen, 2016), they are also the source for genes for resistance (Harlan, 1976;Hijmans et al, 2003;Zhang et al, 2017), insect natural enemies (van den Bosch, 1971;van Driesche et al, 2008), and microbes (Philippot et al, 2013;Perez-Jaramillo et al, 2016) that help plants to resist pests and tolerate abiotic stress.…”

Genetic architecture of wild soybean (Glycine soja) response to soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines)

“…CWRs have been extensively studied for identification of genes associated with abiotic and biotic stress resistance, as well as crop improvement (Zhang et al 2016a). The wild soybean ( Glycine soja Sieb.…”