Plant Genetic Resources and Biotechnology

Dear Colleagues,

Plant Genetic Resources (PGRs) have been acknowledged as the natural basis for sustainability, food security, and a pivotal pillar for food sovereignty. As a result, during the last decades, there has been an increasing interest across scholars in collecting, characterizing and utilizing cultivars, traditional varieties, landraces, as well as Crop Wild Relatives (CWRs). 

Starting from Vavilov, the pioneer Russian botanist that founded germplasm collections, numerous expeditions have shaped a legacy for PGRs conservation, defining the work of plant breeders and agronomists across countries and eras. Nowadays, the value of germplasm safeguarding is well manifested, and several collections in the form of seeds, pollen, stems, DNA, etc., are preserved globally. 

Conventionally, plant genetic resources characterization has been conducted by using morphological descriptors or even biochemical markers such as allozymes and isozymes. Nonetheless, such schemes often tend to be challenging; since such traits are heavily influenced by environmental or developmental factors, while also abiding by selection pressure and specific phenotypes. The advance of genetic/molecular markers has offered a platform for a more robust characterization, thus creating a revolution of novel applications, aiding germplasm classification, evaluation of genetic diversity, gene mapping, Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) identification, pleiotropic genes’ delineation, Marker Assisted Selection (MAS), backcrossing facilitation, and acceleration of breeding programs. The advent of cutting-edge high-throughput technologies has further expanded the description/exploitation of PGRs under the prism of ‘Omics’ approaches (i.e., Pangenomics, Comparative genomics, Proteomics, Metabolomics, etc.).

Currently, we stand in the epoch of applied biotechnology and a dynamic revolution regarding the means of PGRs valorization is occurring. The necessity for breeders to identify hereditable genes from CWRs, followed by numerous selection cycles for introgression, has been superseded. Likewise, crosses from the tertiary genetic pool can be archived via embryo rescue methods, as well as a fusion of protoplasts. Additionally, genetic engineering and particularly directed modification methodologies (TALEN and CRISPR/Cas genome editing) have transformed the genetic landscape, since only the information of a gene’s sequence is currently needed to create novel lineages.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide a vehicle for scholars to present concepts and relevant studies (original research, opinions, perspectives, and reviews) across all aspects of the Plant Genetic Resources field (collection, characterization, and utilization) under the prism of Biotechnology.

Dr. Nikolaos Nikoloudakis
Dr. Angelos Kyratzis
Guest Editors

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