Abstract
Africa is home to important centers of origin and diversity of crop wild relatives (CWR), including many species adapted to adverse agroecological conditions, namely drought and poor soils. Plant genetic resources from Cabo Verde Islands have been poorly explored for their potential to supplement the genetic pool of cultivated species. In this paper we identify Cabo Verde’s CWR from the Poaceae family and provide a checklist of priority CWR taxa, highlighting those of particular conservation concern and the areas which should be the focus of the most intensive conservation efforts in these islands. Our results revealed that Cabo Verde archipelago is an important center of CWR diversity of West African crop millets, namely fonio (e.g., white fonio, Digitaria exilis, and black fonio, Digitaria iburua) and other African millets [e.g., pearl millet (Cenchrus americanus = Pennisetum glaucum), teff millet (Eragrostis tef), finger millet (Eleusine coracana), barnyard millet (Echinochloa colona), proso millet (Panicum miliaceum), and foxtail millet (Setaria italica)], which represent a diverse group of cereal crops, and important components in agriculture and food security of this country. Also, hotspot areas of diversity for in situ conservation were identified in Cabo Verde, as well as several populations occurring under extreme habitats conditions that are well adapted to drylands and poor soils. The evaluation of their potential for new ecologically important adaptive characteristics associated with tolerance to abiotic stresses is discussed. The survey of international Germplasm Banks revealed that very few accessions from Cabo Verde are conserved, contributing to the loss of genetic diversity of plant genetic resources in this archipelago. Particularly, the diversity of millets and the associated indigenous knowledge are critical for the food security and cultural identity of many poor farmers in Cabo Verde.
Highlights
Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) are those species growing in natural habitats that are genetically related to food, fodder and forage crops, medicinal plants, condiments, ornamental and forestry species used by humankind (Maxted et al, 2006)
The inventory of the Poaceae family revealed that ca. 123 native and introduced taxa occur in Cabo Verde Islands
Twenty-six species are CWR, including five native species (Eleusine indica, Eragrostis cilianensis, Eragrostis ciliaris, Setaria pumila, and Setaria verticillata) that are widespread in the archipelago, occurring in more than 7 islands, and seven species (Avena barbata, Avena sativa, Digitaria eriantha, Hordeum vulgare, Imperata cylindrica, Panicum laetum, and Sorghum arundinaceum) that occur only in a single island (Figure 1)
Summary
Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) are those species growing in natural habitats that are genetically related to food, fodder and forage crops, medicinal plants, condiments, ornamental and forestry species used by humankind (Maxted et al, 2006). As actual or potential gene donors, CWR have a wide range of important genetic traits due to their widespread adaptation to different habitats and to continuous in situ evolution and because they have not undergone domestication processes (Vincent et al, 2013; Zhang et al, 2017). The Global Crop Diversity Trust has proposed projects like the “Global initiative to collect, conserve, and use crop wild relatives” (Dempewolf et al, 2014), and the 2030 agenda of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), implemented in 2015 by the United Nations, advocates the promotion of sustainable agriculture (SDGs2) by reinforcing resilience and adaptation to climate change (SDGs13) and preventing desertification and protection of biodiversity (domesticated and wild species) (SDGs15) (Sonesson et al, 2016). Some CWR may be passively conserved in situ due to strategies targeting other species, namely in protected areas, but specific conservation linked to CWR remains necessary
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