This special issue results from a renewed call to demonstrate the value-in-use of conserving and supplying plant genetic resources conserved in genebanks to researchers, plant breeders, and farmers. We present these studies as a collective contribution to a relatively small body of literature that highlights not only the importance of crop plant diversity managed by genebanks but also the diversity of genebank functions and uses.
The special issue is of Food Security.
Here’s the running order:
- Valuing genebanks — Melinda Smale, Nelissa Jamora
- Conserving genetic resources for agriculture: economic implications of emerging science — Douglas Gollin
- The contribution of the International Rice Genebank to varietal improvement and crop productivity in Eastern India — Donald Villanueva, Melinda Smale, Nelissa Jamora, Grace Lee Capilit
- Dynamic conservation of genetic resources: Rematriation of the maize landrace Jala — Vanessa Ocampo-Giraldo, Carolina Camacho-Villa, Denise E. Costich
- Andean potato diversity conserved in the International Potato Center genebank helps develop agriculture in Uganda: the example of the variety ‘Victoria’ — Vivian Bernal-Galeano, George Norton, David Ellis, Noelle L. Anglin
- The contribution of the CIAT genebank to the development of iron-biofortified bean varieties and well-being of farm households in Rwanda — Stefania Sellitti, Kate Vaiknoras, Melinda Smale, Nelissa Jamora
- Use and benefits of tree germplasm from the World Agroforestry genebank for smallholder farmers in Kenya — Kavengi Kitonga, Nelissa Jamora, Melinda Smale, Alice Muchugi
- The tale of taro leaf blight: a global effort to safeguard the genetic diversity of taro in the Pacific — Sefra Alexandra, Nelissa Jamora, Melinda Smale, Michel E. Ghanem
- Transferring diversity of goat grass to farmers’ fields through the development of synthetic hexaploid wheat — Hafid Aberkane, Thomas Payne, Masahiro Kishi, Melinda Smale, Ahmed Amri
- ‘Warehouse’ or research centre? Analyzing public preferences for conservation, pre-breeding and characterization activities at the Czech genebank — Nicholas Tyack, Milan Ščasný
Kudos to my colleague Nelissa Jamora for making it happen.
The paper on the World Agroforestry genebank misses a trick. It explains the value and success of the two favourite woody legumes – Calliandra and Gliricidia species – in Kenya. It misses the fact that both are introduced from tropical America. “Introduced species do better”: known to Purseglove fifty years ago.
So the World Agroforestry genbank functions as a plant introduction centre. Just as the successful US system was a Plant Introduction model. The original USDA numbering as PI was `Plant Introduction’ since changed to `Plant Inventory’, thereby hiding the massive value of introduced plants to US agriculture and forestry.