Amelia J. Martyn Yenson, Karen D. Sommerville, Lydia K. Guja, David J. Merritt, Emma L. Dalziell, Tony D. Auld, Linda Broadhurst, David J. Coates, Lucy Commander, Andrew D. Crawford, Nathan J. Emery, Bryn Funnekotter, Zoe Knapp, Robert O. Makinson, Leonie Monks, Damian Wrigley, Catherine A. Offord
Societal Impact Statement Conservation seed banks maintain collections of many seed‐bearing plant species, providing germplasm and data to support management of wild populations. However, a proportion of plant species produce seeds that are difficult to collect, dry, store and utilise; these are known as ‘exceptional’ species. Here we tested a framework for identifying exceptional species, to document examples and provide case studies within the Australian flora. We present a workflow that may be used to identify additional exceptional species, and direct efforts to establish appropriate collection types (seeds and/or living collections, tissue culture or cryopreservation) for their ex situ conservation. Summary Seed banking is well established to contribute to the conservation of many seed‐bearing plant species ex situ for future use in restoration, translocation, agriculture and horticulture. In Australia, over 67% of currently listed threatened plants are represented in conservation seed banks. However, there are challenges to conserving the full extent of plant diversity in seed banks, with growing recognition that we need to think beyond conventional seed banking methods to conserve ‘exceptional’ plant species that are difficult to collect, store and germinate. We examine how the framework for identification of such species can be applied to the Australian flora, using examples from the recently published guidelines for ‘ Plant Germplasm Conservation in Australia ’ and case studies and data arising from the Australian Academy of Science Fenner Conference on the Environment ‘Exceptional Times, Exceptional Plants’ . We present a workflow to assist conservation decision‐makers and practitioners in identifying exceptional species and overcoming barriers to storage of germplasm, enabling appropriate ex situ collection types to be established via seeds, living collections, tissue culture, cryopreservation or a combination of these. Australia's seed conservation sector continues to expand, with increasing expertise, facilities and networks established to conserve a diversity of plant species; however, resolving the challenges relating to each exceptionality factor requires significantly more time, labour and collaboration than current capacity allows. Understanding the barriers to conservation and production of healthy plants, via germination or other methods of propagation, is a critical component of conserving species long‐term and ultimately returning plants to the landscape.
{"title":"Ex situ germplasm collections of exceptional species are a vital part of the conservation of Australia's national plant treasures","authors":"Amelia J. Martyn Yenson, Karen D. Sommerville, Lydia K. Guja, David J. Merritt, Emma L. Dalziell, Tony D. Auld, Linda Broadhurst, David J. Coates, Lucy Commander, Andrew D. Crawford, Nathan J. Emery, Bryn Funnekotter, Zoe Knapp, Robert O. Makinson, Leonie Monks, Damian Wrigley, Catherine A. Offord","doi":"10.1002/ppp3.10421","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10421","url":null,"abstract":"Societal Impact Statement Conservation seed banks maintain collections of many seed‐bearing plant species, providing germplasm and data to support management of wild populations. However, a proportion of plant species produce seeds that are difficult to collect, dry, store and utilise; these are known as ‘exceptional’ species. Here we tested a framework for identifying exceptional species, to document examples and provide case studies within the Australian flora. We present a workflow that may be used to identify additional exceptional species, and direct efforts to establish appropriate collection types (seeds and/or living collections, tissue culture or cryopreservation) for their ex situ conservation. Summary Seed banking is well established to contribute to the conservation of many seed‐bearing plant species ex situ for future use in restoration, translocation, agriculture and horticulture. In Australia, over 67% of currently listed threatened plants are represented in conservation seed banks. However, there are challenges to conserving the full extent of plant diversity in seed banks, with growing recognition that we need to think beyond conventional seed banking methods to conserve ‘exceptional’ plant species that are difficult to collect, store and germinate. We examine how the framework for identification of such species can be applied to the Australian flora, using examples from the recently published guidelines for ‘ Plant Germplasm Conservation in Australia ’ and case studies and data arising from the Australian Academy of Science Fenner Conference on the Environment ‘Exceptional Times, Exceptional Plants’ . We present a workflow to assist conservation decision‐makers and practitioners in identifying exceptional species and overcoming barriers to storage of germplasm, enabling appropriate ex situ collection types to be established via seeds, living collections, tissue culture, cryopreservation or a combination of these. Australia's seed conservation sector continues to expand, with increasing expertise, facilities and networks established to conserve a diversity of plant species; however, resolving the challenges relating to each exceptionality factor requires significantly more time, labour and collaboration than current capacity allows. Understanding the barriers to conservation and production of healthy plants, via germination or other methods of propagation, is a critical component of conserving species long‐term and ultimately returning plants to the landscape.","PeriodicalId":52849,"journal":{"name":"Plants People Planet","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135825287","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marianna Fenzi, Jean Foyer, Valérie Boisvert, Hugo Perales
Societal Impact Statement The problem of genetically modified maize contamination in Mexico is the result of both planned and unplanned consequences of scientific and political choices. We show how a risk management strategy based on the modernist dichotomy between “modern” and “native” has failed to protect Mexican landraces and has marginalized other forms of knowledge that are urgently needed to understand and support the fluidity of Mexican biocultural landscapes. Farmers' seed systems are a fundamental source of crop resilience and evolution. They can constitute safe pathways for creating new maize varieties able to withstand climate and societal changes. Summary In 2001, an alert on the contamination of Mexican maize landraces by genetically modified (GM) maize spurred new actions to conserve the world's biggest reservoir of maize genetic diversity. We analyze how the largest maize collection effort in Mexican history, and the definition of the conservation procedures employed in it, either involved or marginalized different approaches to this environmental problem. The article is grounded in the sociohistorical analysis of the controversy of GM maize contamination and brings together new historiographical perspectives on Mexican scientific and political interest in native maize. It also draws on ethnographic approaches, extended fieldwork, and analysis of data from Mexican government agencies. We show how different epistemological traditions have made the risk of GM maize contamination (in)visible and thereby generated normative choices. We illustrate how the GMO controversy brought the theme of native maize back onto the Mexican political and scientific agenda. The normativity that shaped the controversy in the 2000s influenced current knowledge and how the problem of GM maize introgression is still addressed today. The entanglements between biotechnology, native landraces, and farmers' practices are too dense to be “scientized” and kept separate to be made manageable as areas of purely technical “risk.” The result is a geography of maize infused with all sorts of temporalities and materiality, which escapes the bounds of technoscientific framings. This intricate environment‐making process calls for new collaborations among epistemic cultures to tackle the possible consequences of GMOs for agrobiodiversity, seed systems, and their resilience.
{"title":"Recalcitrant maize: Conserving agrobiodiversity in the era of genetically modified organisms","authors":"Marianna Fenzi, Jean Foyer, Valérie Boisvert, Hugo Perales","doi":"10.1002/ppp3.10426","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10426","url":null,"abstract":"Societal Impact Statement The problem of genetically modified maize contamination in Mexico is the result of both planned and unplanned consequences of scientific and political choices. We show how a risk management strategy based on the modernist dichotomy between “modern” and “native” has failed to protect Mexican landraces and has marginalized other forms of knowledge that are urgently needed to understand and support the fluidity of Mexican biocultural landscapes. Farmers' seed systems are a fundamental source of crop resilience and evolution. They can constitute safe pathways for creating new maize varieties able to withstand climate and societal changes. Summary In 2001, an alert on the contamination of Mexican maize landraces by genetically modified (GM) maize spurred new actions to conserve the world's biggest reservoir of maize genetic diversity. We analyze how the largest maize collection effort in Mexican history, and the definition of the conservation procedures employed in it, either involved or marginalized different approaches to this environmental problem. The article is grounded in the sociohistorical analysis of the controversy of GM maize contamination and brings together new historiographical perspectives on Mexican scientific and political interest in native maize. It also draws on ethnographic approaches, extended fieldwork, and analysis of data from Mexican government agencies. We show how different epistemological traditions have made the risk of GM maize contamination (in)visible and thereby generated normative choices. We illustrate how the GMO controversy brought the theme of native maize back onto the Mexican political and scientific agenda. The normativity that shaped the controversy in the 2000s influenced current knowledge and how the problem of GM maize introgression is still addressed today. The entanglements between biotechnology, native landraces, and farmers' practices are too dense to be “scientized” and kept separate to be made manageable as areas of purely technical “risk.” The result is a geography of maize infused with all sorts of temporalities and materiality, which escapes the bounds of technoscientific framings. This intricate environment‐making process calls for new collaborations among epistemic cultures to tackle the possible consequences of GMOs for agrobiodiversity, seed systems, and their resilience.","PeriodicalId":52849,"journal":{"name":"Plants People Planet","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136024303","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Agricultural techniques are inherently connected to social organization. Under colonialism, broadly understood as foreign powers suppressing (parts of) a local population, escape agriculture offers a way to avoid despotism by producing food and other produce in independent and sustainable ways. Crop diversity plays an important role in escape agriculture, demonstrated here by the variation of rice varieties on Maroon farms in Suriname. Histories of Maroon agricultural practices, and similarly marginalized groups in (formerly) colonized regions, are informative for current interventions in agriculture. Agronomic support to marginalized groups will only be successful when addressing historically grown social disengagement. Rationale: Food is essential for successful marronage and produced by means of escape agriculture. Today, communities in the interior of Suriname continue to farm by following practices of escape agriculture. Our study traces the historical development of these farming practices, in particular the extensive cultivation of rice. Our aim is to show that the diversity of rice varieties used in their fields reveals the sophisticated farming techniques and social significance of escape agriculture. Methods: We visited about 60 farm plots upstream the main rivers of Suriname where we interviewed the person in charge about the rice varieties grown in their fields. We asked about origin, names, and characteristics of each rice variety. We also screened historical sources, primary and secondary, as well as anthropological accounts of these communities for historical evidence of rice cultivation and varietal diversity. Results: Plots were farmed primarily by women and contained a broad range of different rice varieties. Naming and origin stories show a clear reference to the escape from plantations and the leading role of women in farming and food security. In some fields, a small patch was reserved for a rice type with very dark grains, used mostly for ritual purposes. Results also show adoption of more recently introduced rice varieties. Conclusion: Rice plays a key role in escape agriculture as practiced by Maroon communities in Suriname. Rice varieties are used as agricultural markers of difference.
{"title":"The role of crop diversity in escape agriculture; rice cultivation among Maroon communities in Suriname","authors":"H. Maat, Nicholaas Pinas, T. V. van Andel","doi":"10.1002/ppp3.10435","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10435","url":null,"abstract":"Agricultural techniques are inherently connected to social organization. Under colonialism, broadly understood as foreign powers suppressing (parts of) a local population, escape agriculture offers a way to avoid despotism by producing food and other produce in independent and sustainable ways. Crop diversity plays an important role in escape agriculture, demonstrated here by the variation of rice varieties on Maroon farms in Suriname. Histories of Maroon agricultural practices, and similarly marginalized groups in (formerly) colonized regions, are informative for current interventions in agriculture. Agronomic support to marginalized groups will only be successful when addressing historically grown social disengagement.\u0000\u0000Rationale: Food is essential for successful marronage and produced by means of escape agriculture. Today, communities in the interior of Suriname continue to farm by following practices of escape agriculture. Our study traces the historical development of these farming practices, in particular the extensive cultivation of rice. Our aim is to show that the diversity of rice varieties used in their fields reveals the sophisticated farming techniques and social significance of escape agriculture.\u0000Methods: We visited about 60 farm plots upstream the main rivers of Suriname where we interviewed the person in charge about the rice varieties grown in their fields. We asked about origin, names, and characteristics of each rice variety. We also screened historical sources, primary and secondary, as well as anthropological accounts of these communities for historical evidence of rice cultivation and varietal diversity.\u0000Results: Plots were farmed primarily by women and contained a broad range of different rice varieties. Naming and origin stories show a clear reference to the escape from plantations and the leading role of women in farming and food security. In some fields, a small patch was reserved for a rice type with very dark grains, used mostly for ritual purposes. Results also show adoption of more recently introduced rice varieties.\u0000Conclusion: Rice plays a key role in escape agriculture as practiced by Maroon communities in Suriname. Rice varieties are used as agricultural markers of difference.\u0000","PeriodicalId":52849,"journal":{"name":"Plants People Planet","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47065009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
B. M. Diop, M. C. Guèye, Christian Leclerc, M. Deu, L. Zekraoui, Caroline Calatayud, R. Rivallan, Justin Raymond Kaly, Momar Cissé, Marie Piquet, Omar Diack, A. Ngom, Angélique Berger, Ibrahima Ndoye, K. Ndir, Y. Vigouroux, N. Kane, A. Barnaud, C. Billot
Fonio (Digitaria exilis—Kippist—Stapf) is a neglected cereal crop that plays a crucial role in the food and nutritional security of sub‐Saharan populations. Currently threatened with extinction in many countries, fonio, like other minor species, could help give insights into the history of African agriculture and provide clues to past social interactions. Highlighting and preserving genetic diversity that can be used to develop improved varieties improves food security. By recognizing the role of indigenous people and local communities (IPLCs) in agrobiodiversity creation and management, this study provides support for strengthening the rights of rural communities and promoting their food and seed sovereignty as outlined in the United Nations UNDROP Declaration. Fonio (Digitaria exilis) is a neglected cereal crop that plays a crucial role in the food and nutritional security of sub‐Saharan populations. It is an excellent candidate to diversify agricultural and food systems beyond Africa because of its adaptability and hardiness. However, fonio is threatened with extinction and the factors that organize its genetic diversity remain unknown, despite the fact that this knowledge is necessary to define conservation strategies and uses to achieve sustainable agriculture. Here, we combined social anthropology and population genetics analysis of 158 fonio landraces, thereby generating insight into the genetic diversity, population structure and evolutionary history of fonio cultivation in Senegal. We noted a spatial structure of genetic diversity at two embedded levels, with the first corresponding to the genetic differentiation between ethnic groups and the second to the demographic history of the Mande and Atlantic Congo linguistic families. Selection and seed exchange practices have contributed to shaping fonio genetic diversity at the ethnic level, while the migration of Fulani people over the last 500 years has fragmented the Mandinka kingdom, hence leaving a fonio diversity imprint. Our study highlighted that social factors are pivotal in structuring diversity and should be taken into greater consideration in research and conservation projects to dovetail local and regional scales. It also showed that neglected species such as fonio—which are seldom used in breeding and dissemination programmes—are key markers of the history of African agriculture.
{"title":"Ethnolinguistic and genetic diversity of fonio (Digitaria exilis) in Senegal","authors":"B. M. Diop, M. C. Guèye, Christian Leclerc, M. Deu, L. Zekraoui, Caroline Calatayud, R. Rivallan, Justin Raymond Kaly, Momar Cissé, Marie Piquet, Omar Diack, A. Ngom, Angélique Berger, Ibrahima Ndoye, K. Ndir, Y. Vigouroux, N. Kane, A. Barnaud, C. Billot","doi":"10.1002/ppp3.10428","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10428","url":null,"abstract":"Fonio (Digitaria exilis—Kippist—Stapf) is a neglected cereal crop that plays a crucial role in the food and nutritional security of sub‐Saharan populations. Currently threatened with extinction in many countries, fonio, like other minor species, could help give insights into the history of African agriculture and provide clues to past social interactions. Highlighting and preserving genetic diversity that can be used to develop improved varieties improves food security. By recognizing the role of indigenous people and local communities (IPLCs) in agrobiodiversity creation and management, this study provides support for strengthening the rights of rural communities and promoting their food and seed sovereignty as outlined in the United Nations UNDROP Declaration.\u0000Fonio (Digitaria exilis) is a neglected cereal crop that plays a crucial role in the food and nutritional security of sub‐Saharan populations. It is an excellent candidate to diversify agricultural and food systems beyond Africa because of its adaptability and hardiness. However, fonio is threatened with extinction and the factors that organize its genetic diversity remain unknown, despite the fact that this knowledge is necessary to define conservation strategies and uses to achieve sustainable agriculture.\u0000Here, we combined social anthropology and population genetics analysis of 158 fonio landraces, thereby generating insight into the genetic diversity, population structure and evolutionary history of fonio cultivation in Senegal.\u0000We noted a spatial structure of genetic diversity at two embedded levels, with the first corresponding to the genetic differentiation between ethnic groups and the second to the demographic history of the Mande and Atlantic Congo linguistic families. Selection and seed exchange practices have contributed to shaping fonio genetic diversity at the ethnic level, while the migration of Fulani people over the last 500 years has fragmented the Mandinka kingdom, hence leaving a fonio diversity imprint.\u0000Our study highlighted that social factors are pivotal in structuring diversity and should be taken into greater consideration in research and conservation projects to dovetail local and regional scales. It also showed that neglected species such as fonio—which are seldom used in breeding and dissemination programmes—are key markers of the history of African agriculture.\u0000","PeriodicalId":52849,"journal":{"name":"Plants People Planet","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48120903","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Peter Martin, Joanne Russell, John Wishart, Lawrie K. Brown, Michael Wallace, Pietro P. M. Iannetta, Timothy S. George
Societal Impact Statement Bere is an ancient barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) that was once widely grown in northern Britain, where its ability to grow on poor soils and under challenging climatic conditions made it a valuable staple. By the end of the 20th century, Bere had largely been replaced by higher‐yielding modern varieties and only survived in cultivation on a few Scottish islands. This article reviews the recent revival of Bere, driven by its use in high‐value food and drink products and multidisciplinary research into its genetics, valuable sustainability traits and potential for developing resilient barley varieties. Summary In Britain, modern cereal varieties have mostly replaced landraces. A remarkable exception occurs on several Scottish islands where Bere, an ancient 6‐row barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.), is grown as a monocrop or in mixtures. In the Outer Hebrides, the mixture is grown for animal feed, and cultivating it with traditional practices is integral to the conservation of Machair, an important coastal dune ecosystem. In Orkney, Bere is grown as a monocrop, and in situ conservation has recently been strengthened by improved agronomy and new markets for grain to produce unique foods and beverages from beremeal (flour) and malt. In parallel, a recently assembled collection of British and North European barley landraces has allowed the genotypic and phenotypic characterisation of Bere and several associated multidisciplinary studies. Genotyping demonstrated Bere's unique identity compared with most other barleys in the collection, indicating an earlier introduction to Scotland than the Norse settlement (c. 9th century AD ) suggested previously. Valuable traits found in some Bere accessions include disease resistance, an early heading date (reflecting a short period from sowing to harvest), the ability to grow on marginal, high pH soils deficient in manganese and tolerance to salinity stress. These traits would have been important in the past for grain production under the region's challenging soil and Atlantic‐maritime climatic conditions. We discuss these results within the context of Bere as a genetic, heritage and commercial resource and as a future source of sustainability traits for barley improvement.
{"title":"Back to the future: Using ancient Bere barley landraces for a sustainable future","authors":"Peter Martin, Joanne Russell, John Wishart, Lawrie K. Brown, Michael Wallace, Pietro P. M. Iannetta, Timothy S. George","doi":"10.1002/ppp3.10432","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10432","url":null,"abstract":"Societal Impact Statement Bere is an ancient barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) that was once widely grown in northern Britain, where its ability to grow on poor soils and under challenging climatic conditions made it a valuable staple. By the end of the 20th century, Bere had largely been replaced by higher‐yielding modern varieties and only survived in cultivation on a few Scottish islands. This article reviews the recent revival of Bere, driven by its use in high‐value food and drink products and multidisciplinary research into its genetics, valuable sustainability traits and potential for developing resilient barley varieties. Summary In Britain, modern cereal varieties have mostly replaced landraces. A remarkable exception occurs on several Scottish islands where Bere, an ancient 6‐row barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.), is grown as a monocrop or in mixtures. In the Outer Hebrides, the mixture is grown for animal feed, and cultivating it with traditional practices is integral to the conservation of Machair, an important coastal dune ecosystem. In Orkney, Bere is grown as a monocrop, and in situ conservation has recently been strengthened by improved agronomy and new markets for grain to produce unique foods and beverages from beremeal (flour) and malt. In parallel, a recently assembled collection of British and North European barley landraces has allowed the genotypic and phenotypic characterisation of Bere and several associated multidisciplinary studies. Genotyping demonstrated Bere's unique identity compared with most other barleys in the collection, indicating an earlier introduction to Scotland than the Norse settlement (c. 9th century AD ) suggested previously. Valuable traits found in some Bere accessions include disease resistance, an early heading date (reflecting a short period from sowing to harvest), the ability to grow on marginal, high pH soils deficient in manganese and tolerance to salinity stress. These traits would have been important in the past for grain production under the region's challenging soil and Atlantic‐maritime climatic conditions. We discuss these results within the context of Bere as a genetic, heritage and commercial resource and as a future source of sustainability traits for barley improvement.","PeriodicalId":52849,"journal":{"name":"Plants People Planet","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135048221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
G. Ballesteros, K. Newsham, I. Acuña‐Rodríguez, C. Atala, C. Torres‐Díaz, M. Molina‐Montenegro
Climate change is predicted to increase drought and soil salinity in Mediterranean‐type ecosystems (MTEs), posing a significant threat to global food security. Genetic modification of crops to counteract this threat is expensive and has not met with universal support, and alternatives are hence needed to enhance crop production in MTEs. Here, fungal endophytes from the Atacama Desert, High Andes and Antarctica inoculated onto three crops were found to alleviate the negative effects of drought and salinity on plant performance. The study concludes that extremophile endophytes might be used to enhance crop performance as the climate of MTEs changes over future decades. Climate change will curtail the ability to provide sufficient food for our rapidly expanding population. Improvements to crop production in changing environments, particularly Mediterranean‐type ecosystems (MTEs), which are increasingly subjected to drought and salinisation, are hence urgently needed. Here, we explored the possibility that fungal endophytes from extreme environments can be used to enhance crop yield, survival and tolerance to environmental stresses. Plants of lettuce, tomato and bell pepper were inoculated with up to six species of endophytic fungi isolated from the Atacama Desert, the High Andes and Antarctica. They were then exposed in the field for up to 120 days in each of three summers to current climatic conditions or to a future climate scenario simulating increased drought and soil salinisation. Compared with uninoculated plants, the yield and survival of inoculated crops were increased by up to two‐fold under the future climate scenario. These effects were in part attributable to the improved water balance of inoculated crops exposed to drought and salinisation. The inocula also increased the concentrations of total phenols and proline in leaves and decreased lipid peroxidation when plants were subjected to increased aridity and salinity. A mixed inoculum of six endophytes from the extreme environments conferred the most beneficial effects on crop performance, with a commercially available inoculum having fewer positive effects on crops. We conclude that the inoculation of crops with endophytes from extreme environments may be a viable solution to sustaining crop production in MTEs exposed to rapid climate change.
{"title":"Extreme environments as sources of fungal endophytes mitigating climate change impacts on crops in Mediterranean‐type ecosystems","authors":"G. Ballesteros, K. Newsham, I. Acuña‐Rodríguez, C. Atala, C. Torres‐Díaz, M. Molina‐Montenegro","doi":"10.1002/ppp3.10415","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10415","url":null,"abstract":"Climate change is predicted to increase drought and soil salinity in Mediterranean‐type ecosystems (MTEs), posing a significant threat to global food security. Genetic modification of crops to counteract this threat is expensive and has not met with universal support, and alternatives are hence needed to enhance crop production in MTEs. Here, fungal endophytes from the Atacama Desert, High Andes and Antarctica inoculated onto three crops were found to alleviate the negative effects of drought and salinity on plant performance. The study concludes that extremophile endophytes might be used to enhance crop performance as the climate of MTEs changes over future decades.\u0000Climate change will curtail the ability to provide sufficient food for our rapidly expanding population. Improvements to crop production in changing environments, particularly Mediterranean‐type ecosystems (MTEs), which are increasingly subjected to drought and salinisation, are hence urgently needed. Here, we explored the possibility that fungal endophytes from extreme environments can be used to enhance crop yield, survival and tolerance to environmental stresses.\u0000Plants of lettuce, tomato and bell pepper were inoculated with up to six species of endophytic fungi isolated from the Atacama Desert, the High Andes and Antarctica. They were then exposed in the field for up to 120 days in each of three summers to current climatic conditions or to a future climate scenario simulating increased drought and soil salinisation.\u0000Compared with uninoculated plants, the yield and survival of inoculated crops were increased by up to two‐fold under the future climate scenario. These effects were in part attributable to the improved water balance of inoculated crops exposed to drought and salinisation. The inocula also increased the concentrations of total phenols and proline in leaves and decreased lipid peroxidation when plants were subjected to increased aridity and salinity. A mixed inoculum of six endophytes from the extreme environments conferred the most beneficial effects on crop performance, with a commercially available inoculum having fewer positive effects on crops.\u0000We conclude that the inoculation of crops with endophytes from extreme environments may be a viable solution to sustaining crop production in MTEs exposed to rapid climate change.\u0000","PeriodicalId":52849,"journal":{"name":"Plants People Planet","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48831463","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jay Delves, Joaquina Albán‐Castillo, A. Cano, Carmen Fernández Aviles, E. Gagnon, P. Gonzáles, Sandra Knapp, Blanca León, J. L. Marcelo‐Peña, C. Reynel, Rocío del Pilar Rojas Gonzáles, Eric F. Rodríguez Rodríguez, T. Särkinen, R. Vásquez Martínez, P. Moonlight
Herbaria can be considered plant libraries, each holding collections of dried specimens documenting plant diversity in space and time. For many plant species, these are our only evidence of their existence and the only means of assessing their conservation status. Specimens in all herbaria, especially those in small and often under‐resourced herbaria in megadiverse countries, are key to achieving accurate estimates of the conservation status of the world's plant species. They are also part of a country's shared heritage and critical contributions to knowledge of the world's diversity. Internationally agreed targets to assess the conservation status of all plant species rely largely on digitised distribution data from specimens held in herbaria. Using taxonomically curated databases of herbarium specimen data for the mega‐diverse genera Begonia (Begoniaceae) and Solanum (Solanaceae) occurring in Peru, we test the value added from including data from local herbaria and herbaria of different sizes on estimations of threat status using International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria. We find that the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) has litter data from Peruvian herbaria and adding these data influences the estimated threat status of these species, reducing the numbers of Critically Endangered and Vulnerable species in both genera. Similarly, adding data from small‐ and medium‐sized herbaria, whether in‐country or not, also improves the accuracy of threat assessments. A renewed focus on resourcing and recognising the contribution of small and in‐country herbaria is required if we are to meet internationally agreed targets for plant conservation. We discuss our case study in the broader context of democratising and increasing participation in global botanical science.
{"title":"Small and in‐country herbaria are vital for accurate plant threat assessments: A case study from Peru","authors":"Jay Delves, Joaquina Albán‐Castillo, A. Cano, Carmen Fernández Aviles, E. Gagnon, P. Gonzáles, Sandra Knapp, Blanca León, J. L. Marcelo‐Peña, C. Reynel, Rocío del Pilar Rojas Gonzáles, Eric F. Rodríguez Rodríguez, T. Särkinen, R. Vásquez Martínez, P. Moonlight","doi":"10.1002/ppp3.10425","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10425","url":null,"abstract":"Herbaria can be considered plant libraries, each holding collections of dried specimens documenting plant diversity in space and time. For many plant species, these are our only evidence of their existence and the only means of assessing their conservation status. Specimens in all herbaria, especially those in small and often under‐resourced herbaria in megadiverse countries, are key to achieving accurate estimates of the conservation status of the world's plant species. They are also part of a country's shared heritage and critical contributions to knowledge of the world's diversity.\u0000Internationally agreed targets to assess the conservation status of all plant species rely largely on digitised distribution data from specimens held in herbaria.\u0000Using taxonomically curated databases of herbarium specimen data for the mega‐diverse genera Begonia (Begoniaceae) and Solanum (Solanaceae) occurring in Peru, we test the value added from including data from local herbaria and herbaria of different sizes on estimations of threat status using International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria.\u0000We find that the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) has litter data from Peruvian herbaria and adding these data influences the estimated threat status of these species, reducing the numbers of Critically Endangered and Vulnerable species in both genera. Similarly, adding data from small‐ and medium‐sized herbaria, whether in‐country or not, also improves the accuracy of threat assessments.\u0000A renewed focus on resourcing and recognising the contribution of small and in‐country herbaria is required if we are to meet internationally agreed targets for plant conservation. We discuss our case study in the broader context of democratising and increasing participation in global botanical science.\u0000","PeriodicalId":52849,"journal":{"name":"Plants People Planet","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46157973","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Thomas Kaczmarek, Sandrine Causse, Suleiman D. Abdul, Solomon Abraham, E. Achigan-Dako, C. Adje, Joseph Adjebeng‐Danquah, R. Agyare, Louise Akanvou, Y. Bakasso, M. B. Barry, S. K. Bonsu, Caroline Calatayud, Soukeye Conde, M. Couderc, Stephen N. Dachi, Tely Diallo, B. M. Diop, M. Deu, M. C. Guèye, Abdou R. Ibrahim Bio Yerima, Abdul-Rashid Issah, N. Kane, Yeremakhan Keita, James Kombiok, A. Ngom, J. Noyer, Katina F Olodo, H. Oselebe, J. Pham, Marie Piquet, D. Puozaa, R. Rivallan, S. Saidou, Emmanuel Sekloka, T. K. Tengey, E. Uyoh, Sylvie Vancoppenolle, Y. Vigouroux, L. Zekraoui, Christian Leclerc, A. Barnaud, C. Billot
The use of neglected and underutilized species (NUS) in agrosystems is a potential solution to the challenges arising from global change. These species could contribute to the equitable diversification of agricultural systems. Providing knowledge on their genetic diversity and fostering access to data and results is essential for the development of strong collaborative future research. The study addressed these issues by assessing the diversity of the largest fonio (Digitaria exilis) collection existing to date. Associated with a user‐friendly Shiny application (https://shinyapps.southgreen.fr/app/foniodiv), our results reinforce research efficiency and broaden the prospects for all actors involved in enhancing fonio and indigenous crops as valuable resources for the future.
{"title":"Towards conservation and sustainable use of an indigenous crop: A large partnership network enabled the genetic diversity assessment of 1539 fonio (Digitaria exilis) accessions","authors":"Thomas Kaczmarek, Sandrine Causse, Suleiman D. Abdul, Solomon Abraham, E. Achigan-Dako, C. Adje, Joseph Adjebeng‐Danquah, R. Agyare, Louise Akanvou, Y. Bakasso, M. B. Barry, S. K. Bonsu, Caroline Calatayud, Soukeye Conde, M. Couderc, Stephen N. Dachi, Tely Diallo, B. M. Diop, M. Deu, M. C. Guèye, Abdou R. Ibrahim Bio Yerima, Abdul-Rashid Issah, N. Kane, Yeremakhan Keita, James Kombiok, A. Ngom, J. Noyer, Katina F Olodo, H. Oselebe, J. Pham, Marie Piquet, D. Puozaa, R. Rivallan, S. Saidou, Emmanuel Sekloka, T. K. Tengey, E. Uyoh, Sylvie Vancoppenolle, Y. Vigouroux, L. Zekraoui, Christian Leclerc, A. Barnaud, C. Billot","doi":"10.1002/ppp3.10424","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10424","url":null,"abstract":"The use of neglected and underutilized species (NUS) in agrosystems is a potential solution to the challenges arising from global change. These species could contribute to the equitable diversification of agricultural systems. Providing knowledge on their genetic diversity and fostering access to data and results is essential for the development of strong collaborative future research. The study addressed these issues by assessing the diversity of the largest fonio (Digitaria exilis) collection existing to date. Associated with a user‐friendly Shiny application (https://shinyapps.southgreen.fr/app/foniodiv), our results reinforce research efficiency and broaden the prospects for all actors involved in enhancing fonio and indigenous crops as valuable resources for the future.","PeriodicalId":52849,"journal":{"name":"Plants People Planet","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47799584","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Samuel J. Cusworth, W. Davies, M. McAinsh, C. Stevens
Agricultural soils are substantial receptors of plastic pollution. Plastic crop covers, a facet of agriplastics, may represent an important contribution to microplastic load in agricultural soils. The authors present a nationwide study of agricultural soils in the United Kingdom, comparing microplastic load between sites where plastic crop covers are and are not used for carrot and potato production. Sites where plastic crop covers were used received a higher microplastic load compared with sites where no plastic crop cover was used. The effects of microplastic pollution are largely unknown, requiring further research to determine the impact on soil, crop and human health. Agricultural soils are substantial receptors of plastic pollution, with agriplastics potentially making an important contribution to the overall microplastic load to agricultural soils. The intensive use and mismanagement of plastic crop covers, particularly plastic mulch films, nets and fleeces, represent a pollution pathway. In this study, we have analysed the microplastic concentrations in agricultural soils in 324 samples from 108 sites across the United Kingdom, where carrots or potatoes were grown, using a combined digestion and density separation method. Microplastics were stained with Nile Red and quantified using fluorescence microscopy. Microplastic concentrations ranged from 1320 to 8190 particles kg−1, with a mean of 3680 ± 129.1 particles kg−1. Where no plastic crop covers were used for potato and carrot production, a mean of 2667 ± 84.1 particles kg−1 were detected. At sites where plastic crop covers were used in the past 10 years, a mean of 4689 ± 147.1 particles kg−1 were recorded. There was a significant difference in microplastic abundance between sites where plastic crop covers were and were not used (p ≤ 0.001), confirming that plastic crop covers are an important source of microplastics to agricultural soils. Further studies are needed to investigate microplastic occurrence in the environment to better understand their impact on soil, crops and human health.
{"title":"A nationwide assessment of microplastic abundance in agricultural soils: The influence of plastic crop covers within the United Kingdom","authors":"Samuel J. Cusworth, W. Davies, M. McAinsh, C. Stevens","doi":"10.1002/ppp3.10430","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10430","url":null,"abstract":"Agricultural soils are substantial receptors of plastic pollution. Plastic crop covers, a facet of agriplastics, may represent an important contribution to microplastic load in agricultural soils. The authors present a nationwide study of agricultural soils in the United Kingdom, comparing microplastic load between sites where plastic crop covers are and are not used for carrot and potato production. Sites where plastic crop covers were used received a higher microplastic load compared with sites where no plastic crop cover was used. The effects of microplastic pollution are largely unknown, requiring further research to determine the impact on soil, crop and human health.\u0000Agricultural soils are substantial receptors of plastic pollution, with agriplastics potentially making an important contribution to the overall microplastic load to agricultural soils. The intensive use and mismanagement of plastic crop covers, particularly plastic mulch films, nets and fleeces, represent a pollution pathway.\u0000In this study, we have analysed the microplastic concentrations in agricultural soils in 324 samples from 108 sites across the United Kingdom, where carrots or potatoes were grown, using a combined digestion and density separation method. Microplastics were stained with Nile Red and quantified using fluorescence microscopy.\u0000Microplastic concentrations ranged from 1320 to 8190 particles kg−1, with a mean of 3680 ± 129.1 particles kg−1. Where no plastic crop covers were used for potato and carrot production, a mean of 2667 ± 84.1 particles kg−1 were detected. At sites where plastic crop covers were used in the past 10 years, a mean of 4689 ± 147.1 particles kg−1 were recorded.\u0000There was a significant difference in microplastic abundance between sites where plastic crop covers were and were not used (p ≤ 0.001), confirming that plastic crop covers are an important source of microplastics to agricultural soils. Further studies are needed to investigate microplastic occurrence in the environment to better understand their impact on soil, crops and human health.\u0000","PeriodicalId":52849,"journal":{"name":"Plants People Planet","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2023-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48265384","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
R. Sõukand, R. Kalle, J. Prakofjewa, Matteo Sartori, A. Pieroni
Local knowledge is highly endangered in the modern world, and therefore, it is important to understand the factors contributing to the preservation of biocultural diversity. Three major aspects were identified: continuity of the practice, support for the ritual related to the use, and external acknowledgment of the local use by an authoritative source. Moreover, strong centralization of current local knowledge in institutionalized domains (ethnomedicine) was identified, which has excluded unacknowledged or officially unapproved local knowledge from circulation. The inclusion of local ecological knowledge as a practice in school curricula and the highlighting of local historical uses in herbals and popularizing activities are recommended. Plant use in local communities changes over time along with changing social, political, economic, and environmental conditions. The study aimed to understand the factors influencing the continuity of certain interactions between plants and people. To understand the drivers of resilience of the use of local flora, the historical (1930s) and current (2021) uses of plants on the small island of Kihnu in Estonia were compared, and the resilient uses were identified. Use resilience depended on the use domain. While the ethnoveterinary domain completely disappeared, the most resilient uses were those related to ritual (religious) activities, with 75% being retained (6 of 8 taxa used historically). This was followed by the wild food plant domain, in which 66% of taxa (21 of 32) have been retained, along with the highest proportion of taxa‐use combinations (57%, 21 of 37). Historically the largest domain, ethnomedicine showed low resilience: 18 of 73 taxa have been retained, with only eight emic (or local) plant uses (PU). Moreover, we observed that 75% of the retained emic PU (6 out of 8) were supported by a centralized medical system, while this proportion was 87% for current uses and only 15% for interrupted uses that were promoted or acknowledged in centralized herbals. As the most important aspects influencing the resilience of plant use are the continuity of practice, ritualization, and external support for usage, the inclusion of local ecological knowledge as a practice in school curricula and the highlighting of local historical uses in herbals and popularizing activities are strongly recommended.
{"title":"The importance of the continuity of practice: Ethnobotany of Kihnu island (Estonia) from 1937 to 2021","authors":"R. Sõukand, R. Kalle, J. Prakofjewa, Matteo Sartori, A. Pieroni","doi":"10.1002/ppp3.10423","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10423","url":null,"abstract":"Local knowledge is highly endangered in the modern world, and therefore, it is important to understand the factors contributing to the preservation of biocultural diversity. Three major aspects were identified: continuity of the practice, support for the ritual related to the use, and external acknowledgment of the local use by an authoritative source. Moreover, strong centralization of current local knowledge in institutionalized domains (ethnomedicine) was identified, which has excluded unacknowledged or officially unapproved local knowledge from circulation. The inclusion of local ecological knowledge as a practice in school curricula and the highlighting of local historical uses in herbals and popularizing activities are recommended.\u0000Plant use in local communities changes over time along with changing social, political, economic, and environmental conditions. The study aimed to understand the factors influencing the continuity of certain interactions between plants and people.\u0000To understand the drivers of resilience of the use of local flora, the historical (1930s) and current (2021) uses of plants on the small island of Kihnu in Estonia were compared, and the resilient uses were identified.\u0000Use resilience depended on the use domain. While the ethnoveterinary domain completely disappeared, the most resilient uses were those related to ritual (religious) activities, with 75% being retained (6 of 8 taxa used historically). This was followed by the wild food plant domain, in which 66% of taxa (21 of 32) have been retained, along with the highest proportion of taxa‐use combinations (57%, 21 of 37). Historically the largest domain, ethnomedicine showed low resilience: 18 of 73 taxa have been retained, with only eight emic (or local) plant uses (PU). Moreover, we observed that 75% of the retained emic PU (6 out of 8) were supported by a centralized medical system, while this proportion was 87% for current uses and only 15% for interrupted uses that were promoted or acknowledged in centralized herbals.\u0000As the most important aspects influencing the resilience of plant use are the continuity of practice, ritualization, and external support for usage, the inclusion of local ecological knowledge as a practice in school curricula and the highlighting of local historical uses in herbals and popularizing activities are strongly recommended.\u0000","PeriodicalId":52849,"journal":{"name":"Plants People Planet","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2023-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44640338","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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