Plant Genetic Resources For Food Research Articles

PGRFA Management of Outcrossing Plants Propagated by Seed: From On-Farm to Ex Situ Conservation and Some Italian Maize Case Studies

In this review, the main issues related to the conservation and valorization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA) will be primarily addressed. The conservation of PGRFA concerning outcrossing plants poses a significant challenge. For this reason, this review will cover the key challenges related to all stages, starting from in situ sampling, collection in the germplasm bank, and conservative reproductive methods. Integrated approaches involving the combined use of classical and molecular techniques will be described for the characterization of accessions. Within this framework, some successful Italian case studies focused on maize will be reported as well.

What Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture Are Available under the Plant Treaty and Where Is This Information?

Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) are the building blocks upon which global food and nutrition security depend and are key to plant breeding for more resistant crops, but how available are they? To understand what PGRFA are available under the mechanisms created by the International Plant Treaty’s access and benefit-sharing, we conducted a comparative analysis of the five largest sources of pooled global data concerning PGRFA, including data conserved by and available to users under the Plant Treaty’s access and benefit-sharing (ABS) mechanism. These data sources were the registry of notification letters maintained by the Plant Treaty Secretariat and four international PGRFA databases: Genesys, European Search Catalogue for Plant Genetic Resources (EURISCO), World Information and Early Warning System on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (WIEWS) and Global Information System on PGRFA (GLIS). Our analysis revealed that a comprehensive and consistent overview of the PGRFA available under the Plant Treaty’s ABS conditions is not available. The GLIS is the most logical longer-term candidate to promote the provision of up-to-date and comprehensive snapshots of what PGRFA the Plant Treaty framework make available, primarily because it provides a mechanism (digital objective identifiers) to link together information from a range of information sources, including Genesys, WIEWS and EUEISCO and other online publications, and data sets concerning PGRFA in the multilateral system. Successful adoption of the GLIS could be promoted by creating novel incentives endorsed by the Governing Body to encourage Contracting Parties, Article 15 organizations, and individuals to share information about the materials they are making available under the Plant Treaty, in addition to the capacity-building for some GLIS users that is also necessary. These incentives could be included among the package of measures currently being considered by the Plant Treaty’s Working Group to Enhance the Functioning of the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-Sharing.

The role of digital tools in supporting the implementation of the international treaty on plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in MERCOSUR countries

The role of digital tools in supporting the implementation of the international treaty on plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in MERCOSUR countries

Protection & Promotion of Traditional Knowledge of Marginalised Communities: A Legal Perspective

Marginalised rural communities, particularly in tropical countries such as those within Southeast Asia, are often aware of the use of indigenous herbs and agricultural products but concomitantly oblivious as to the means of protection and promotion of using their traditional knowledge. It is estimated that around 1,500 plant species have been widely used for traditional medicines in Southeast Asia. The paper will commence with a discussion of the meaning of “traditional knowledge”, adopting a utilitarian perspective. The paper focuses on the countries of Southeast Asia and provides a legal analysis of the protection of traditional knowledge provided under international treaties, namely: Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of International Property Rights (TRIPS); International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA); and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). To date, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has been unable to agree on the contents of an international legal instrument relating to intellectual property rights over genetic resources, traditional knowledge, and traditional culture. The legislative responses of the 11 nations of Southeast Asia are analysed. Much of the focus of international treaties is on protecting plant breeders’ rights over farmers’ rights, and this imbalance should be addressed. Governments should be proactive and amend their patent legislation to require patent applicants to declare their use of indigenous resources and knowledge. Examples of the development and promotion of traditional knowledge are briefly described.

Critical Review of the Increasing Complexity of Access and Benefit-Sharing Policies of Genetic Resources for Genebank Curators and Plant Breeders-A Public and Private Sector Perspective.

Plant breeders develop competitive, high-yielding, resistant crop varieties that can cope with the challenges of biotic stresses and tolerate abiotic stresses, resulting in nutritious food for consumers worldwide. To achieve this, plant breeders need continuous and easy access to plant genetic resources (PGR) for trait screening, to generate new diversity that can be built into newly improved varieties. International agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and the Nagoya Protocol recognised the sovereign rights of countries over their genetic resources. Under the CBD/Nagoya Protocol, countries are free to establish specific national legislations regulating germplasm access and benefit-sharing to be negotiated bilaterally. Consequently, access to PGR became increasingly restricted and cumbersome, resulting in a decrease in germplasm exchange. The ITPGRFA attempted to ease this situation by establishing a globally harmonised multilateral system (MLS). Unfortunately, the MLS is (still) restricted to a limited number of food and forage crops, with very few vegetable crops. Easy and continuous access to genetic diversity combined with equitable and fair sharing of derived benefits is a prerequisite to breeding new varieties. Facilitated access contributes to sustainable crop production and food and nutrition security; therefore, access to and, consequently, use of PGRFA needs to be improved. Thus, the authors recommend, among others, expanding the scope of the ITPGRFA to include all PGRFA and making them and all related information accessible under a Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA) combined, if necessary, with a subscription system or a seed sales tax. Such a transparent, functional and efficient system would erase legal uncertainties and minimise transaction costs for conservers, curators and users of genetic resources, thus aiding plant breeders to fulfil their mission.

Compliance with the Nagoya protocol in the Southern African Development Community

The Nagoya Protocol (2010) provides an international framework for access and benefits sharing of genetic resources. In the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the means to deliver compliance with the principles of the Nagoya Protocol is through national-scale legislative and management frameworks. However, there may be differences between the policies and practices of individual countries within the SADC region that may limit the effectiveness of how the principles of the Nagoya Protocol are enacted. This study describes the legislative and management frameworks for enacting the principles of the Nagoya Protocol that are found in each of the sixteen SADC countries. Particular emphasis is placed on strategies for genetic and associated biological resource diversity and management, the role of stakeholders, local communities and traditional (indigenous) knowledge systems in each country. Results show that the legislative and management frameworks for managing the Nagoya Protocol are highly variable across the SADC region. There are also variable levels of engagement with the Access and Benefit-Sharing Clearing House (which relates to the implementation of the principles of the Nagoya Protocol), and with reporting to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture which is a requirement of compliance. This study makes recommendations for the sharing of best practices for access and benefit sharing, and for developing protocols for engagement with local communities and other stakeholders on genetic and biological resource exploitation across the SADC region.

Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture: novel materials for adapting to changing environmental conditions

Many present crop plants are in danger of failing due to extreme conditions induced by climate change. This along with a rapidly growing world population threatens global food security. In this paper, I provide an overview of different plant genetic resources, of possibilities to broaden their base by including crop wild relative species and other underutilized sources, and of conservation and characterization needs and tools. The increased environmental variability implies that we will need access to an even wider range of plant genetic resources than used today for breeding new crop varieties, which contain useful traits, such as pest and disease resistances and ability to withstand drought or extreme temperatures.

Prioritizing Colombian plant genetic resources for investment in research using indicators about the geographic origin, vulnerability status, economic benefits, and food security importance

Germplasm banks are the most significant repository for plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) worldwide. Despite their strategic importance, national germplasm banks of tropical megadiverse developing countries such as Colombia have extremely limited funds. Therefore, making strategic decisions about research investment is essential. Here, we designed a data-driven approach to build an index that sorts Colombian PGRFA into three groups: high, medium, or low priority, based on four pillars of information from open-access databases and aligned with the sustainable goals of no poverty and zero hunger: Geographic origin, vulnerability status, economic benefits, and food security importance. We analyzed 345 PGRFA using the index, separating them into two groups, 275 already conserved in the Colombian germplasm bank (BGVCOL group) and 70 not currently conserved in the BGVCOL (NCB group). We used fuzzy logic to classify each PGRFA by each pillar and integrate it to obtain a priority index. Missing data for native crops were frequent in the BGVCOL group. Therefore we adopted an imputation strategy to fill the gaps and calculated the uncertainty. After applying the index, PGRFA with higher priority were 24 (8.72%) from the BGVCOL (i.e., 15 potatoes, three tomatoes, two tree tomatoes, pineapple, cocoa, papaya, and yacon) and one from NCB (i.e., coffee). We concluded that this methodology successfully prioritized PGRFA in Colombia and shows the big holes of knowledge for future research and alternatives to improve this index. The versatility of this methodology could be helpful in other genebanks with budget limitations for research investment.

International agreements and the plant genetics research community: A guide to practice

Plant genetic resources (PGR), including collections held in national and international gene banks, provide access to a wide array of genetic diversity and are critical to genomics research, conservation efforts, and applied breeding. Yet, there is a general lack of awareness in the research community about the rules and treaties that govern the use of PGR, about access and benefit sharing obligations contained in international treaties and/or national laws, and about how best to comply with potentially applicable requirements. This article provides a brief history and overview of three key international agreements, namely the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Nagoya Protocol, and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which collectively address responsibilities and obligations related to the use of much of the world’s PGR. By highlighting the coverage and key considerations of each agreement, the article provides a guide for those who use PGR in plant genetics research to better understand when and how international agreements apply, and—where the rules are unclear—to suggest best practices for compliance with existing agreements.

Collecting wild potato species (Solanum sect. Petota) in Peru to enhance genetic representation and fill gaps in ex situ collections.

Crop wild relatives (CWRs) are important sources of novel genes, due to their high variability of response to biotic and abiotic stresses, which can be invaluable for crop genetic improvement programs. Recent studies have shown that CWRs are threatened by several factors, including changes in land-use and climate change. A large proportion of CWRs are underrepresented in genebanks, making it necessary to take action to ensure their long-term ex situ conservation. With this aim, 18 targeted collecting trips were conducted during 2017/2018 in the center of origin of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), targeting 17 diverse ecological regions of Peru. This was the first comprehensive wild potato collection in Peru in at least 20 years and encompassed most of the unique habitats of potato CWRs in the country. A total of 322 wild potato accessions were collected as seed, tubers, and whole plants for ex situ storage and conservation. They belonged to 36 wild potato species including one accession of S. ayacuchense that was not conserved previously in any genebank. Most accessions required regeneration in the greenhouse prior to long-term conservation as seed. The collected accessions help reduce genetic gaps in ex situ conserved germplasm and will allow further research questions on potato genetic improvement and conservation strategies to be addressed. These potato CWRs are available by request for research, training, and breeding purposes under the terms of the International Treaty for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) from the Instituto Nacional de Innovacion Agraria (INIA) and the International Potato Center (CIP) in Lima-Peru.

International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change: A Synopsis of Coordinated National Crop Wild Relative Seed Collecting Programs across Five Continents.

The Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change Project set out to improve the diversity, quantity, and accessibility of germplasm collections of crop wild relatives (CWR). Between 2013 and 2018, partners in 25 countries, heirs to the globetrotting legacy of Nikolai Vavilov, undertook seed collecting expeditions targeting CWR of 28 crops of global significance for agriculture. Here, we describe the implementation of the 25 national collecting programs and present the key results. A total of 4587 unique seed samples from at least 355 CWR taxa were collected, conserved ex situ, safety duplicated in national and international genebanks, and made available through the Multilateral System (MLS) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Plant Treaty). Collections of CWR were made for all 28 targeted crops. Potato and eggplant were the most collected genepools, although the greatest number of primary genepool collections were made for rice. Overall, alfalfa, Bambara groundnut, grass pea and wheat were the genepools for which targets were best achieved. Several of the newly collected samples have already been used in pre-breeding programs to adapt crops to future challenges.

Impacts of International and National Regulatory Frameworks on Guaranteeing Farmers’ Right in Brazil

As guardians of agrobiodiversity, farmers must have their rights to these resources recognized, rewarded, and supported by their unparalleled contributions in the development of landraces of cultivated plants and domestic animals. Thus, it is worth questioning to what extent multilateral treaties that deal with the use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture would ensure the protection of these rights. With this objective, we evaluated legal and administrative multilateral, and national mechanisms for the protection of Farmers’ Rights—FR regarding the sharing of benefits generated by the access to genetic resources and its implications for the conservation of agrobiodiversity. We conducted analyzes of official documents on norms, treaties, decrees, and regulations which enabled the understanding of the elements constituted by the agrobiodiversity conservation system. We demonstrated that the evaluated international regimes do not guarantee the FR but propose that the National States take decisions to implement them according to the needs of the country. The State, the competent bodies, and the Brazilian RD&I organizations must take effective measures and review the laws that should regulate FR, enabling the real participation of farmers in decision-making on conservation and the sharing of benefits derived from agrobiodiversity.

Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in Chile: Progress in conservation, characterization and uses

Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in Chile: Progress in conservation, characterization and uses

Digitising biopiracy? The global governance of plant genetic resources in the age of digital sequencing information

Historical concerns over the exploitation of the Global South’s genetic biodiversity framed the importance of creating global governance mechanisms to ensure fair access to and benefit-sharing of genetic resources worldwide. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Plant Treaty) came into existence over the past three decades to redress the centuries of genetic exploitation of the Global South. Both of the treaties explicitly regulate and facilitate the exchange of physical genetic material. The recent emergence of relevant digital technologies, such as digital sequencing information (DSI), could make both treaties irrelevant. This article analyses the current state of the CBD and Plant Treaty as it relates to global agricultural research in light of DSI. I argue that DSI presents less of a threat to exacerbating historical gene flows than it does to the further displacement of public sector research by the private sector. The article then suggests looking at the lessons from open-source approaches to counter the privatisation of DSI and related gene flows. I draw on 11 key informant interviews with country negotiators involved with the CBD and Plant Treaty as well as a review of official reports from both frameworks.

Impact of the European Union’s Seed Legislation and Intellectual Property Rights on Crop Diversity

Crop diversity results from farmers’ selection and exchange of seeds. The crop diversity erosion observed over the last century can be attributed to the transition from traditional to industrial farming practices. Farmers’ seed varieties have been replaced by a few privately owned, high-yielding varieties. The resulting uniformity is jeopardizing food security, further exacerbated by climate change. Both the international framework and the EU legislation perpetuate the root cause of crop diversity erosion. The EU only authorizes on the internal market varieties that are distinct, uniform, stable, and of ‘satisfactory value for cultivation and use’. Non-complying seeds, meaning traditional heterogeneous varieties, are banned. Furthermore, the few authorized varieties are open to privatization through either a Community Plant Variety Right or patents on biotechnological inventions. The exchange, access, and use of these seeds are strictly restricted. Although the EU provides derogations in certain cases, the legal space created is too narrow to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA). seed, plant reproductive material, intellectual property, commons, agriculture, food security, EU.

Cryopreservation methods for in vitro potato crops: an overview

Potato is considered as one of the most important agricultural crops in the world. The genetic resources of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L. ssp. tuberosum) and similar cultivated varieties are preserved by storing tubers or plants in vitro and cryopreservation. Arrays of worldwide scientific research centers utilize the cryopreservation method to preserve plant genetic resources. It is used especially for those plants that are reproduced by vegetative method; it is impossible to preserve genetic identity of their material when propagating by seeds. Currently, international standards of gene banks have been developed (FAO, Gene bank Standards for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, 2014) for the long shelf life of samples of vegetative propagated plants and vegetable crops at ultra-low temperatures. These standards have been discussed by scientists from many countries in the world. It is connected with the fact that no cryopreservation methods are standardized for a particular plant object. Present overview provided information on various methods of cryopreservation of potatoes for long-term storage of the gene pool of vegetative reproduction. The most updated methods included quick–freeze: encapsulation-dehydration, vitrification, slow programmable freezing, encapsulation-vitrification, and droplet-vitrification. All these biotechnological methods made it possible to obtain healthy potato material, which was free from viral and fungal infections. They also facilitate to obtain test tube plants in large quantities, as well as to create large cryocollections of valuable forms of cultivated plant crops.

Sharing the Benefits of Asteroid Mining

AbstractNear‐Earth asteroids (NEAs) hold metal reserves that could sustain global consumption for millennia. Unresolved questions of technological and economic feasibility notwithstanding, NEA mining could ensure the accessibility and affordability of key strategic resources, contribute to sustainability transitions and displace environmentally and socially harmful terrestrial mining. Based on implicit and explicit normative commitments towards the common heritage principle in international space law, we develop the outlines of a regime for the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits resulting from NEA mining. For doing so, we analyze the linkages between institutional design and regime effectiveness for benefit‐sharing regimes in the areas of deep‐sea mining and plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. Attempting to control for differences in problem structure, we transpose this analysis to the case of NEA mining, where an effective benefit‐sharing regime would revolve around the following elements: standardized exploration and exploitation contracts, back‐end benefit‐sharing as a percentage of commercial profits, research exemptions, compliance mechanisms for preventing and reducing space pollution, as well as a reserve banking system for mining claims. For the contemporary political debate on space resources, we thus aim to provide a feasible alternative to the exclusive appropriation of space resources through private property rights.

Crop Wild Relatives (CWRs) Threatened and Endemic to Italy: Urgent Actions for Protection and Use.

Simple SummaryCrop wild relatives (CWRs) are wild plants with an indirect use derived from their relatively close genetic relationship to a crop and have contributed to crop domestication for millennia. Nowadays, due to human overexploitation of plants and other environmental resources, they are threatened and hence need protection to guarantee plant evolution and food supply for the future of human generations. This concept is especially true for endemic CWRs, which have a greater risk of genetic erosion and/or extinction and need more urgent, specific targeted actions. In this study, the Italian threatened and endemic CWRs, often exclusive of one administrative region, are discussed based on the Annex I Priority crops of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA, FAO).An updated overview of the 29 threatened crop wild relatives (CWRs) endemic to Italy is presented, namely: Arrhenatherum elatius subsp. nebrodense, Barbarea rupicola, Brassica baldensis, Brassica glabrescens, Brassica macrocarpa, Brassica rupestris subsp. hispida, Brassica rupestris subsp. rupestris, Brassica tardarae, Brassica trichocarpa, Brassica tyrrhena, Brassica villosa subsp. bivonana, Brassica villosa subsp. brevisiliqua, Brassica villosa subsp. drepanensis, Brassica villosa subsp. tineoi, Brassica villosa subsp. villosa, Daucus broteroi, Daucus carota subsp. rupestris, Daucus nebrodensis, Diplotaxis scaposa, Festuca centroapenninica, Lathyrus apenninus, Lathyrus odoratus, Malus crescimannoi, Phalaris arundinacea subsp. rotgesii, Vicia brulloi, Vicia consentina, Vicia giacominiana, Vicia ochroleuca subsp. ochroleuca, Vicia tenuifolia subsp. elegans. Data concerning geographical distribution, ecology (including plant communities and habitats of the Directive 92/43/EEC), genetics (chromosome number, breeding system, and/or the existence of gene pools), threat status at the national and international level (Red Lists), key plant properties, and in situ and ex situ conservation were analyzed and shown. At present, most of the listed endemic CWRs, 23 out of 29, have no gene pool at all, so they are CWRs only according to the taxon group and not according to the gene pool concept. In addition, there is a serious lack of data on the ex situ conservation in gene banks, with 16 species identified as high priority (HP) while 22 taxa have high priority (A) for in situ conservation. With the aim of their protection, conservation, and valorization, specific and urgent actions are recommended.

Forage resources and animals’ feeding in southern groudnut bassin and eastern regions of Senegal

Rainfall disturbances, a consequence of the effects of climate change, aggravated by anthropogenic pressure on vegetation, are leading to the progressive disappearance of several adapted local plant species in the so-called "groundnut basin" and eastern Senegal. Also, the clearing of land for agriculture potentiates and amplifies this degradation. At this rate, the loss of most of the local plant, forage and forest resources will follow. As part of a multi-species census and collection of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, an inventory of available forage resources in the groundnut basin and eastern Senegal was made. This inventory was made by field observations triangulated with interview data. The results show that the methods and level of exploitation of natural forage resources and crop residues differ from one area to another. The natural rangeland, which still constitutes the essential part of domestic ruminants feed in these regions, is in continuous degradation. In fact, this rangeland in groundnut basin is not very diversified like southern area, with a low index of quality and volume of pastures. Crop residues are abundant but not very varied. They represent an interest for the breeders of this zone and their sale prices can sometimes exceed those of the harvested products. This is a snapshot of the situation, valid for a given time. This situation is dynamic and can change significantly from one moment to the next. Nevertheless, the results obtained will make it possible to conceive methods of conservation and production of the identified species; in order to identify the best methods of management and sustainable use.