A methodological approach to identify agro-biodiversity hotspots for priority in situ conservation of plant genetic resources

Pacicco, L.; Bodesmo, Mara; Torricelli, Renzo; Negri, Valeria

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0197709

Cited by 29 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Agricultural and environmental conditions obviously also contributed to this phenomenon. In the research found in [60], in fact, areas with a high level of agrobiodiversity in which to set or enhance in situ conservation of plant genetic resources (most appropriate areas (MAPAs)) were identified through a methodological approach using three criteria: pres- Apart from a few exceptions, the areas richest in number of landraces and in different crops cultivated as landraces were located inland in hilly and mountainous areas of the Apennine chain that are characterized by high environmental diversity. The Apennines is a land system that preserves, and in some case enhances, the biological diversity threatened by changes in land use and by diffuse abandonment [58,59].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Agricultural and environmental conditions obviously also contributed to this phenomenon. In the research found in [60], in fact, areas with a high level of agrobiodiversity in which to set or enhance in situ conservation of plant genetic resources (most appropriate areas (MAPAs)) were identified through a methodological approach using three criteria: presence of landrace diversity, presence of wild species, and agroecosystem ecological diversity. Considering their additive strategy (AS), it is not surprising that they match the hotspots identified.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Analysis of Italian Plant Agrobiodiversity Databases Reveals That Hilly and Sub-Mountain Areas Are Hotspots of Herbaceous Landraces

et al. 2021

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Landraces are an agri-food and historical-cultural heritage but are undergoing losses worldwide. Italy is taking action to counteract this problem by following European guidelines. One of the most important measures is the Agrobiodiversity National Register (ANR), but 12 Italian regions currently appear without any landraces and around 80% of the landraces listed are trees, with less detailed data on herbaceous species. The aim of this study is to investigate the situation for Italian herbaceous landraces preserved on farms (in situ) by merging and analyzing data contained in the main databases on plant agrobiodiversity in Italy. Data were georeferenced, organized by botanic families and Italian regions, and analyzed by GIS and R. A total of 1615 herbaceous landraces were found (versus the 416 recorded in the ANR). Poaceae, Fabaceae, and Solanaceae together comprise 70% of all herbaceous landraces and are mostly preserved/grown in areas between 150 and 800 m a.s.l. Some hilly and sub-mountain areas of the Apennines and the Alps are hotspots of herbaceous landraces due to anthropic and environmental factors. The results of this research will be useful to enrich the ANR and trigger actions of characterization, conservation, and promotion of these plant resources.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Agricultural and environmental conditions obviously also contributed to this phenomenon. In the research found in [60], in fact, areas with a high level of agrobiodiversity in which to set or enhance in situ conservation of plant genetic resources (most appropriate areas (MAPAs)) were identified through a methodological approach using three criteria: presence of landrace diversity, presence of wild species, and agroecosystem ecological diversity. Considering their additive strategy (AS), it is not surprising that they match the hotspots identified.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Analysis of Italian Plant Agrobiodiversity Databases Reveals That Hilly and Sub-Mountain Areas Are Hotspots of Herbaceous Landraces

et al. 2021

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“…In addition to their role in protecting wild ecosystems, natural parks can play a role in the conservation of crop genetic resources [26]. Natural parks tend to be isolated from intensive agricultural areas, and this separation can help protect fields where landraces are cultivated from the transmission of some pests and diseases as well as of genes in pollen from improved varieties.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Participatory Plant Breeding and the Evolution of Landraces: A Case Study in the Organic Farms of the Collserola Natural Park

et al. 2019

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Although consumers appreciate the genetic diversity among tomato landraces, traditional varieties have been displaced from commercial agriculture. Their cultivation through organic farming in natural parks can contribute to their resurgence. With this aim, we developed a participatory plant breeding (PPB) program in Collserola Natural Park (Barcelona, Spain) to promote the conservation of the Mando landrace and to obtain new varieties adapted to local organic farms. Taking advantage of the natural genetic variation from the variety’s high cross-pollination rate, farmers developed five experimental inbreeds that were tested in a multi-locality trial in 2018. As a result of the PPB program, cultivation of the original landrace increased from 80 plants in 2011 to more than 2000 plants in 2018, which protected the variety from genetic erosion. Locality was the factor that contributed mostly to agronomic traits (e.g., yield (66% of the phenotypic variance)), while the genotype contributed more to the quality traits (except for soluble solids (37%) and dry matter (38%)). Farmer evaluations were highly correlated with the phenotypic traits recorded by researchers (Pearson coefficient ranging from 0.63–0.83), and led to the same final varietal selection. The superior inbred selected (3.9) is now being cultivated in the area of study. This paper discusses the efficiency of PPB in guiding the evolution of landraces.

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“…Hotspots of both biodiversity and agro-biodiversity have long relied on counting numbers of species (i.e., species richness; Figure 5 a) and assessing threats ( Figure 5 b). While biodiversity scientists have mainly focused on numbers of rare species (including many narrowly distributed taxa) for conservation, agronomists have been interested in diversity within gene pools (i.e., numbers of domesticated species and wild relatives) [ 27 , 28 , 85 ] and within crops (e.g., numbers of landraces) [ 112 ]. Although taxon counts remain extremely useful, new approaches are now proposed to account for the multi-faceted nature of (agro-)biodiversity, such as functional diversity accounting for the diversity in species chemical properties and eco-/agri-system functions [ 113 ], phylogenetic diversity as a potential proxy for functional and property diversity ( Figure 5 c) or for identifying gene sources for breeding programmes ( Figure 5 d).…”

Section: Towards a Unified Concept Of Agro-biodiversity Hotspotmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward Unifying Global Hotspots of Wild and Domesticated Biodiversity

Pironon

Borrell

Ondo

et al. 2020

Plants

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Global biodiversity hotspots are areas containing high levels of species richness, endemism and threat. Similarly, regions of agriculturally relevant diversity have been identified where many domesticated plants and animals originated, and co-occurred with their wild ancestors and relatives. The agro-biodiversity in these regions has, likewise, often been considered threatened. Biodiversity and agro-biodiversity hotspots partly overlap, but their geographic intricacies have rarely been investigated together. Here we review the history of these two concepts and explore their geographic relationship by analysing global distribution and human use data for all plants, and for major crops and associated wild relatives. We highlight a geographic continuum between agro-biodiversity hotspots that contain high richness in species that are intensively used and well known by humanity (i.e., major crops and most viewed species on Wikipedia) and biodiversity hotspots encompassing species that are less heavily used and documented (i.e., crop wild relatives and species lacking information on Wikipedia). Our contribution highlights the key considerations needed for further developing a unifying concept of agro-biodiversity hotspots that encompasses multiple facets of diversity (including genetic and phylogenetic) and the linkage with overall biodiversity. This integration will ultimately enhance our understanding of the geography of human-plant interactions and help guide the preservation of nature and its contributions to people.

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A methodological approach to identify agro-biodiversity hotspots for priority in situ conservation of plant genetic resources

Cited by 29 publications

References 62 publications

The Analysis of Italian Plant Agrobiodiversity Databases Reveals That Hilly and Sub-Mountain Areas Are Hotspots of Herbaceous Landraces

The Analysis of Italian Plant Agrobiodiversity Databases Reveals That Hilly and Sub-Mountain Areas Are Hotspots of Herbaceous Landraces

Participatory Plant Breeding and the Evolution of Landraces: A Case Study in the Organic Farms of the Collserola Natural Park

Toward Unifying Global Hotspots of Wild and Domesticated Biodiversity

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