Augmentation of Plant Genetic Diversity in Synecoculture: Theory and Practice in Temperate and Tropical Zones

Abstract

Natural vegetation forms a complex fractal structure of ecological niche distribution, in contrast to human-managed monoculture landscape. For the sustainable management of diverse plant genetic resources, including crop and wild species, the introduction of such ecologically optimum formation is important to compensate for the biodiversity loss and achieve higher ecological state that can provide sufficient ecosystem services for increasing human population. In this chapter, we first develop a conceptual and theoretical framework for the implementation and management of self-organized niche structures and develop an adaptive strategy of sustainable food production resulting from the statistical nature of ecosystem dynamics called power law. Second, we construct the integrative measures for the management of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in ecological optimum that incorporate both phylogenic and phase diversities as important functional indicators of plant communities. This formalization leads to the extension of conventional concepts of biodiversity and ecosystem services toward human-assisted operational ecological diversity and utility and provides the definition and property of potentially realizable and utilizable plant genetic resources in the augmented ecosystems beyond natural preservation state. Finally, case studies from the synecoculture project in temperate and tropical zones are reported in reference to the developed framework, which draws out legislative requirements for future protection and propagation of plant genetic resources. The necessity of supportive information and communication technologies is also demonstrated. This article contains theoretical foundation and the results of the proof of concept experiments that are essential to establish a novel developmental and legislative framework for the sustainable use of plant genetic resources, overarching the protection of the natural environment and agricultural production mainstreaming biodiversity.