Introduction to Responsible Gene Stewardship

Experiences in breeding crops for resistance to plant pathogens have varied from great successes to repeated failures. Among the more intractable pathosystems have been the cereal rust diseases.  Recent advances in marker-assisted selection, gene transfers from alien species, comparative genomics of pathogens, and cloning of resistance genes have opened the door to new ways of thinking about how to achieve more durable resistance. An important component of long-term durability will be gene stewardship. Stewardship can be defined as the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care. If we are poor stewards of our genetic resources, then new resistance genes will eventually be defeated, and we will waste the efforts and investments that have been made. However, if we are good stewards, we may have enough genetic resistance to achieve sustainable, durable resistance. Successful gene stewardship will require development of credible theories, workable plans, and cooperation of the breeding community.