SOME POSSIBLE APPLICATIONS OF MOLECULAR GENETICS IN THE CONSERVATION OF WILD SPECIES FOR CROP IMPROVEMENT

Abstract

Summary - In recent years the possible use of wild relatives of crop species in plant breeding programs has been the subject of increased attention and this has stimulated the collection and ex situ maintenance of many wild plant species. These activities raise a number of questions concerning the number of wild species with which those interested in the conservation and utilization of plant genetic resources should be concerned, their relationships to crop species, the scale on which wild species' collection should be undertaken, the most suitable conservation methods for such material and the description of the genetic diversity available in these wider gene pools. Molecular genetic techniques have already provided useful information on such topics as the relationships between crop species and their wild relatives, the extent of genetic diversity in such species and genetic stability following ex situ storage. There remain significant opportunities for applying these techniques in studies of the distribution of genetic diversity in wild relatives of crop plants, and in the location, collection and maintenance of that diversity.