Expanding the Gene Pool for Crop Improvement Using the Genomes of Crop Wild Relatives

Sequencing the genomes of crop wild relatives provides a tool for characterizing the germplasm in the wild and in genebanks.   This approach supports improved conservation and management of plant genetic resources in situ and ex situ. Sequencing of wild rice populations has revealed evolutionary relationships and will useful to rice breeders in accessing more diverse sources of useful genes. Key populations have been identified as requiring conservation in the wild and further collection to complement the material held in gene banks.  Extensive transcriptome sequencing in wheat seeds of diverse germplasm has shown important diversity that explains variation in key functional traits. This analysis identifies the genes that have been the basis of human selection in domestication and breeding and guides more effective and targeted breeding in the future. Sequencing the genomes of wild relatives of long lived species such as trees has the potential to greatly accelerate the breeding of these species.