Conserving Wheat Genetic Resources

Abstract

Wheat genetic resources (WGR) are represented by wheat crop wild relatives (WCWR) and cultivated wheat varieties (landraces, old and modern culti­vars). The conservation and accessibility of WGR are fundamental due to their: (1) importance for wheat breeding, (2) cultural value associated with traditional food products, (3) significance for biodiversity conservation, since some WCWR are endangered in their natural habitats. Two strategies are employed to conserve WGR: namely in situ and ex situ conservation. In situ conservation, i.e. the conservation of the diversity at the location where it is found, consists in genetic reserves for WCWR and on farm programs for landraces and old cultivars. Ex situ conservation of WGR consists in the storage of dry seeds at cold temperatures in germplasm banks. It is currently the most employed conservation strategy for WGR because it allows the long-term storage of many samples in relatively small spaces. Due to the great num­ber of seed samples of WGR and associated passport data stored in genebanks, it is increasingly important for the management of ex situ collections to: (1) employ efficient database systems, (2) understand seed longevity of the seed accessions, (3) setup safety backups of the collections at external sites.