Conservation of allelic richness in wild crop relatives is aided by assessment of genetic markers

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 90; no. 22; pp. 10623 - 10627
• Main Authors: Schoen, D.J, Brown, A.H.D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 15.11.1993; National Acad Sciences; National Academy of Sciences
• Subjects: Agriculture; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Alleles; Biological and medical sciences; Botany; Conservation; Conservation biology; Crop wild relatives; crops; CULTIVOS; ECHANTILLONNAGE; Fabaceae; Fabaceae - genetics; Flowers & plants; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GENE; GENES; Genetic diversity; genetic improvement; Genetic loci; Genetic markers; Genetic variation; GENETICA; genetics; Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution; Genetics, Population; GENETIQUE; Gossypium; Gossypium - genetics; LOCI; LOCUS; MARCADORES GENETICOS; MARQUEUR GENETIQUE; Medical genetics; METHODE D'AMELIORATION; METODOS DE MEJORAMIENTO; MODELE DE SIMULATION; MODELOS DE SIMULACION; Models, Theoretical; MUESTREO; PLANTAS SILVESTRES; PLANTE DE CULTURE; PLANTE SAUVAGE; Plants; Plants - genetics; Plants, Medicinal; Polymorphism, Genetic; Population genetics; Population genetics, reproduction patterns; Proportions; Pteridophyta, spermatophyta; RECURSOS GENETICOS; RESSOURCE GENETIQUE; sampling; simulation models; Triticum; Triticum - genetics; VARIACION GENETICA; VARIATION GENETIQUE; Vegetals; wild plants; Zea mays; Zea mays - genetics; Genetic variability; Genetic marker; Enzyme; Genetic resource; Genetic diversity; Method; Population genetics; Genetic improvement; Angiospermae; Spermatophyta; Cultivated plant; Wild parent; Polymorphism
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.90.22.10623

Wild crop relatives are an important source of genetic variation for improving domesticated species. Given limited resources, methods for maximizing the genetic diversity of collections of wild relatives are needed to help spread protection over a larger number of populations and species. Simulations were conducted to investigate the optimal strategy of sampling materials from populations of wild relatives, with the objective of maximizing the number of alleles (allelic richness) in collections of fixed size. Two methods, based on assessing populations for variation at marker loci (e.g., allozymes, restriction fragment length polymorphisms), were developed and compared with several methods that are not dependent on markers. Marker-assisted methods yielded higher overall allelic richness in the simulated collections, and they were particularly effective in conserving geographically localized alleles, the class of alleles that is most subject to loss.