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Exploring the genetic treasure trove: Why have farmers relied on wild crops for millennia?
Many farmers grow not only their main crops but also wild plants next to their fields, which have great value. These plants, called crop wild relatives (CWR), are closely genetically related to the crops we eat every day. Throughout history, farmers have used these wild relatives to improve crop quality and yields, and this practice remains vital today.
Wild relatives of crops are important resources for agricultural production and sustainable agroecosystems.
The value of wild relatives of crops
Wild relatives of crops have accumulated a wealth of beneficial traits through selection in nature, which can be introduced into crops through hybridization. With climate change and ecosystem instability, CWR is considered one of the important resources to ensure food security.
The importance of wild relatives of crops was recognized as early as the 20th century by Russian botanist Nikolai Vavilov.
CWR protection and sustainable use
Many of our wild relatives are threatened with loss of their natural habitats as human activities increase. Their living space is shrinking due to the destruction of the natural environment. For example, the wild relatives of many important fruits, nuts, and industrial crops are disappearing due to deforestation. The industrialization of agriculture has led to a significant reduction in CWR within traditional agricultural ecosystems. Therefore, the conservation of CWR and its sustainable use are important for improving agricultural production, enhancing food security and maintaining a healthy environment.
Previous studies have shown that 29% of the world's wild relative plant species are completely missing from gene banks, and more than 70% of species require further collection.
Examples
Wild relatives of various grains, vegetables and fruits can be found, providing nutritional value and adapting to harsh environmental conditions. Here are some examples:
- Grains: Wheat (Triticum aestivum) and ancient wheat (Triticum monococcum), rice (Oryza sativa) and southern wild rice (Oryza rufipogon).
- Vegetables: Carrot (Daucus carota) and wild carrot (Daucus gracilis), spinach (Spinacia oleracea) and Turkish spinach (Spinacia turkestanica).
- Fruits: Apples (Malus domestica) and Siberian apples (Malus sieversii), bananas (Musa acuminata) and wild bananas (Musa balbisiana).
The importance of CWR in modern agriculture is demonstrated by farmers and breeders who have improved crop yields and disease resistance by introducing these traits into cultivation systems through selection.
Possibility of overcoming challenges
For future agriculture, the use of CWR offers a viable path to meet the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. However, the protection and research of these wild relatives requires the joint efforts of countries around the world. How to effectively protect these plants and how to transform their genetic resources into stable and reliable crop production will be a major challenge we face.
Smart conservation and utilization of CWR is fundamental to ensuring global food security and eradicating poverty.
So, in future agricultural development, how can we make better use of these gene treasures to cope with the increasingly severe global food crisis?
