Genetic Diversity, Conservation and Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources

Dear Colleagues,

The relevance of plant genetic resources (PGR) in ensuring global food and nutrition security cannot be overstated. Since the dawn of agriculture, they have served as a solid foundation for crop development. Despite crop yields rising dramatically over the last few centuries, human interference in the environment and the introduction of new cultivars have put the resource basis of crop wild relatives (CWRs) at risk. Climate change, land degradation, soil erosion, pest and disease outbreaks, and genetic erosion, etc., are just a few of the issues affecting agriculture and food production today. Each of these issues has a detrimental impact on our ability to produce food in a sustainable manner. Daily food security is becoming more and more reliant on diminishing and disappearing natural resources. Increased PGR conservation and utilization are considered part of the answer to these difficulties as well as securing a wider range of resources for crop improvement. To address biotic and abiotic stresses, as well as other breeding objectives, such as increasing yield and quality, PGRs could provide valuable reserves for trait introgression. The conservation of PGRs is still an often underfunded study subject, despite their economic relevance to agriculture and the role that they have played in developing our food crops over generations. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in better understanding the diversity, distribution, and conservation status of PGRs. Consequently, Genes is inviting theoretical and applied contributions in the form of research articles and reviews on plant genetic resources in order to address the expanding demands of breeders and consumers.

Dr. Péter Poczai
Dr. András Cseh
Guest Editors

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