Biotechnological interventions for sustainable conservation of plant genetic resources in the scenario of climate change

Abstract

Climate change is an unequivocal fact and its impacts are already perceptible today. Climate change will profoundly alter the present conditions of agriculture in almost all countries with variable severity from region to region. On one hand unpredicted changes in climatic parameters are likely to threaten the production and productivity of economically important plant species particularly that of food crops, at the same time agriculture productivity requires significant increase to meet the expected growth in demand for food by the ever increasing world population. Conservation and sustainable use of diversity present in plant genetic resources and traditional knowledge of germplasm within and among plant species represent economic, scientific and societal value which has tendency to solve the food security problems erupt due to expanding global population. An advance made in biotechnology field such as in vitro culture technology, cryopreservation and molecular markers technology has generated significant contributions to improve the methods of conservation of rare and endangered plant genetic resources and traditional knowledge of germplasm and their valuable management in an effective way. A strategic and forward vision for conservation of plant genetic resources and traditional knowledge of germplasm and sustainable use of plant resources in the 21st century is of far reaching significance for sustainable development.

A Review on Seed Storage Technology: Recent Trends and Advances in Sustainable Techniques for Global Food Security

“…Seed banks also play a vital role in scientific research and education by providing a repository of genetic material for study (Salgotra et al, 2019). This allows researchers to study the genetic basis of traits, investigate how plants have evolved, and explore how different species relate to one another (Figure 1).…”

“…Biotechnology provides targeted interventions to improve the long-term storage of seeds and ensure their viability and vigor over long periods (Salgotra et al, 2019). Key approaches include bioactive compounds, such as antioxidants and desiccants, which can be applied through seed coating or encapsulation to protect seeds from oxidative damage and dehydration during storage (Siddiqui et al, 2023).…”

Applications of Biotechnology for Characterization of Plants and Pests as the Key Components of Plant Protection and Production Strategies: A Review

“…Endemic plant species are usually more vulnerable to anthropogenic threats and natural changes and, therefore, hold a higher extinction risk. To this effect, various conservation strategies need to be practiced such as ex-situ conservation exercised in botanic gardens (Mounce et al, 2017), in-situ conservation (Heywood, 2015;Whitlock et al, 2016), cryopreservation (Kaviani, 2011;Streczynski et al, 2019;Coelho et al, 2020) and biotechnological methods such as in-vitro preservation in TC collection including short-, medium-, and long-term strategies (Rao, 2004;Rajasekharan and Sahijram, 2015;Yohannes and Woldesemaya, 2017;Salgotra et al, 2019;Coelho et al, 2020). The DNA bank is an efficient, simple and long-term method used in conserving genetic resource for biodiversity.…”

Micropropagation of Endemic Endangered Taxa of the Italian Flora: Adenostyles alpina subsp. macrocephala (Asteraceae), as a Case Study

“…In situ conservation alone may not always be practical due to several constraints, including reduced area size for target-taxa preservation, low genetic diversity, personnel expenses, and vulnerability to natural uncertainties. [ 8 ]. In these cases, ex situ programs can support in situ conservation and, sometimes, are the only conservation strategies possible [ 9 ].…”