Plant domestication and utilization: The case of the pampa biome

Abstract

The domestication of plants, as a bio-cultural process, is a continuous phenomenon intrinsically associated with the use of plants. Traditional and scientific knowledge constitute the basis of the various uses of plants from in situ harvesting to complete domestication of crops. One of the most important challenges of our time is to achieve the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources of landraces, species in the process of domestication and species used in situ. The in situ conservation of agricultural biodiversity is a basic element for the development of more sustainable agroecosystems, the adaptation to climate change, the conservation of ecosystem services and to ensure local food security-a conception that is strongly linked to the local development and the protection of cultural and biological diversity. Through case studies from the Pampa Biome we will discuss the valorization of plant genetic resources through new domestication, the promotion of the use of scientifically developed best management practices for in situ conservation, the widening of the germplasm base for breeding programs, plant breeding for stress tolerance, the development of participatory plant breeding programs and the development of high quality products.