Conservation, sustainable use and institutional capacities of genetic resources of cereals

Abstract

Plant genetic resources which are important for food and agriculture represent only a small part of total biodiversity, but their sustainable management is crucial for maintaining the most expressive genotypes of cultivated crops made by nature itself. In accordance with the requirements of species and possibilities of countries, plant genetic material for food and agriculture is mainly conserved in two ways: in situ or in natural habitats and on farms, as well as ex situ or in gene banks. Taking into account that cereals represent the basis of the world food security, the paper examined the genetic resources of these crops i.e., their state in ex situ preservation conditions. Desk research methodology was used to collect data on the number of samples in the largest collections of cereal germplasm worldwide, with the focus on the genetic resources of wheat and maize. It is estimated that there are more than 1,750 gene banks holding approximately 7.4 million samples of different gene material of plants significant for food and agriculture worldwide. Collections of the two main cereal crops - wheat and maize - make up as much as 15% of the global ex situ conserved germplasm.