Plant genetic resources in crop improvement

Abstract

The use of plant genetic resources (PGR) in crop improvement, followed by adoption, cultiva- tion and consumption or marketing of the improved cultivars by farmers, is one of the most sustainable methods to conserve valuable genetic resources for the future, and simultaneously to increase agricultural production and food security. The objective of this review is to sum- marize issues related to the use of PGR in crop improvement. Specific topics are: definition of genetic resources for crop improvement; information sources on the internet; documen- tation and evaluation of PGR; access to PGR, equitable sharing of profits, and material transfer agreements; impediments to the use of PGR in crop improvement; classical methods of using PGR in crop improvement (introgression, incorporation, prebreeding and wide crosses); use of landraces in breeding for specific adaptation to stress environments; utility of molecular mar- kers and genomic research for using PGR in crop improvement (diversity assessment, mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL) and marker-assisted selection (MAS), advanced backcross QTL analysis and introgression libraries, association studies and direct allele selection); and gene transfer. Practical examples or experimental results are given for most aspects.