Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture are crucial for feeding the worlds population. They are the raw material that farmers and plant breeders use to improve the quality and productivity of our crops. The future of agriculture depends on international cooperation and on the open exchange of crops, and their genes, that farmers all over the world have developed and exchanged for over 10,000 years. No country is sufficient in itself. All depend on crops and the genetic diversity within these crops from other countries and regions. This chapter will discuss the nature and availability of genetic resources in wheat and some of the potential applications in breeding. Over 80 germplasm collections, holding in excess of an estimated 800,000 wheat accessions, have been established globally. The genetic resources available for wheat improvement and research are found in several Triticeae gene pools. Gene transfer within species of the primary gene pool is not difficult. Unfortunately, many populations of the annual wild relatives of wheat, particularly those at the extremes of their distribution that are of special interest for breeding purposes, are under threat because of changing patterns of land use. At the same ti me, new technologies have made the use of the annual wild relatives as a germplasm source easier which has generated an interest and need for representative collections of annual wild relatives to be maintained in accessible collections. For these reasons the annual wild relatives should clearly be afforded a greater priority, accessing new sources of genetic variability. The International Treaty for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture covers wheat and its related species. The Treaty is vital in ensuring the continued availability of the plant genetic resources that countries will need to feed their people. We must conserve for future generations the genetic diversity that is essential for food and agriculture.

Genetic Resources Program|Global Wheat Program

Text in English

INT1422|INT1511

CIMMYT Staff Publications Collection