Abstract
Storing seed collections of crop wild relatives, wild plant taxa genetically related to crops, is an essential component in global food security. Seed banking protects genetic resources from degradation and extinction and provides material for use by breeders. Despite being among the most important crops in the world, banana and plantain crop wild relatives are largely under‐represented in genebanks. Nevertheless, banana crop wild relative seed collections are in fact held in different countries, but these have not previously been part of reporting or analysis. To fill this gap, we firstly collated banana seed accession data from 13 institutions in 10 countries. These included 537 accessions containing an estimated 430,000 seeds of 56 species. We reviewed their taxonomic coverage and seed storage conditions including viability estimates. We found that seed accessions have low viability (25% mean) representing problems in seed storage and processing. Secondly, we surveyed 22 institutions involved in banana genetic resource conservation regarding the key constraints and knowledge gaps that institutions face related to banana seed conservation. Major constraints were identified including finding suitable material and populations to collect seeds from, lack of knowledge regarding optimal storage conditions and germination conditions. Thirdly, we carried out a conservation prioritization and gap analysis of Musaceae taxa, using established methods, to index representativeness. Overall, our conservation assessment showed that despite this extended data set banana crop wild relatives are inadequately conserved, with 51% of taxa not represented in seed collections at all; the average conservation assessment showing high priority for conservation according to the index. Finally, we provide recommendations for future collecting, research, and management, to conserve banana and plantain crop wild relatives in seed banks for future generations.
Highlights
Crop domestication is a process of genetic erosion: from wild ancestors to landraces, and to modern cultivars (Spillane & Gepts, 2000; van de Wouw et al, 2010)
The present study aims to (1) present the status of banana seed conservation by aggregating data from multiple institutions and countries; (2) identify the constraints to seed banking observed by a wide range of institutions across the sector; and (3) systematically assess the coverage of collections according to species distributions and provide prioritization for targeted future sampling
We have presented a picture of the status of banana seed conservation and identified clear priorities, both for future collecting efforts and to improve the quality and management of collections
Summary
Crop domestication is a process of genetic erosion: from wild ancestors to landraces, and to modern cultivars (Spillane & Gepts, 2000; van de Wouw et al, 2010). Their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels” (Target 2.5, UN General Assembly, 2015); and the Convention on Biological Diversity, Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, and Target 9 that aimed to conserve “...70 percent of the genetic diversity of crops including their wild relatives and other socio-economically valuable plant species...” (CBD, 2012) It is clear, that ex situ conservation of CWRs plays an important role in addressing some of the principal challenges faced by humanity and the planet. The present study aims to (1) present the status of banana seed conservation by aggregating data from multiple institutions and countries; (2) identify the constraints to seed banking observed by a wide range of institutions across the sector; and (3) systematically assess the coverage of collections according to species distributions and provide prioritization for targeted future sampling
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