A significantly enhanced role for plant genetic resource centres in linking in situ and ex situ conservation to aid user germplasm access

Plant genetic resources (PGR) serve as the cornerstone for global varietal enhancement and food security. However, these resources face significant threats, including diversity erosion and extinction, are often inadequately conserved, and frequently remain inaccessible for practical use. Traditionally, PGR have been primarily conserved through population seed samples stored ex situ in genebanks. In contrast, complementary in situ techniques – whether involving crop wild relatives in genetic reserves or crop landraces on-farm – have largely remained experimental. The demand from breeders for a broader diversity is driving a more integrated approach that combines ex situ and in situ methods. This paper posits that such an integrated strategy would be mutually advantageous for PGR, biodiversity and farmer-based conservation communities. As a foundation for future PGR science, we propose the three 'Principles of PGR Conservation and Use Congruence' and outline the practical processes involved in in situ and on-farm conservation. We also review the challenges associated with integrating ex situ and in situ conservation, specifically addressing how collaborative resource management can be established, how potential resource users can access in situ and on-farm conserved PGR, how to promote user access to in situ conserved populations, and the progress made thus far in integrating in situ and ex situ efforts. While it is acknowledged that full integration may be unrealistic without adequate resources for Genetic Resource Centres and the rectification of skill gaps, the potential to significantly enhance the long-term, sustainable conservation of PGR diversity holds profound existential benefits for humanity in the 21st century.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Genetic Resources
Published
2025-05-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.46265/genresj.unvv5571
Citations
3
Primary Topic
Genetically Modified Organisms Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
5.25

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

A significantly enhanced role for plant genetic resource centres in linking in situ and ex situ conservation to aid user germplasm access

Heli Fitzgerald, K. M. Sarikyan, Riccardo Bocci, Béla Bartha et al.
3 citations
Genetic Resources
Genetically Modified Organisms Research
5.25
article

A significantly enhanced role for plant genetic resource centres in linking in situ and ex situ conservation to aid user germplasm access

Heli Fitzgerald, K. M. Sarikyan, Riccardo Bocci, Béla Bartha, Giovanni Giuliano, Catherine Hazel Aguilar, José María Iriondo, Filippo Guzzon, Anne‐Françoise Adam‐Blondon, Nigel Maxted, Goran Zdunić, Jade Phillips, Anna Palmé, Joana Magos Brehm, Pietro Fusani, L. Maggioni, Dainis Ruņǵis, Domenico De Paola, Lorenzo Raggi, Jaime Prohens, Imke Thormann, Parthenopi Ralli, Jelka Šuštar-Vozlič, Louis Fresta, V. Holubec, Juozas Labokas, Ana Maria Barata, Philipp Holzherr
article en
3 citations

Abstract

Plant genetic resources (PGR) serve as the cornerstone for global varietal enhancement and food security. However, these resources face significant threats, including diversity erosion and extinction, are often inadequately conserved, and frequently remain inaccessible for practical use. Traditionally, PGR have been primarily conserved through population seed samples stored ex situ in genebanks. In contrast, complementary in situ techniques – whether involving crop wild relatives in genetic reserves or crop landraces on-farm – have largely remained experimental. The demand from breeders for a broader diversity is driving a more integrated approach that combines ex situ and in situ methods. This paper posits that such an integrated strategy would be mutually advantageous for PGR, biodiversity and farmer-based conservation communities. As a foundation for future PGR science, we propose the three 'Principles of PGR Conservation and Use Congruence' and outline the practical processes involved in in situ and on-farm conservation. We also review the challenges associated with integrating ex situ and in situ conservation, specifically addressing how collaborative resource management can be established, how potential resource users can access in situ and on-farm conserved PGR, how to promote user access to in situ conserved populations, and the progress made thus far in integrating in situ and ex situ efforts. While it is acknowledged that full integration may be unrealistic without adequate resources for Genetic Resource Centres and the rectification of skill gaps, the potential to significantly enhance the long-term, sustainable conservation of PGR diversity holds profound existential benefits for humanity in the 21st century.

Genetic Resources(S2)
National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (IT), Ministry of Economy (MK), University of Helsinki (FI), Czech Agrifood Research Center (CZ), Alliance Bioversity International - CIAT (IT), Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (ES), University of Perugia (IT), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR), Cereal Research Centre (IT), Federal Office for Food and Agriculture (DE), Research Institute of Agricultural Engineering (CZ), Genetic Resources Center (JP), Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária (PT), Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources (IT), Forestry Research Centre (IT), Ministère de l'Agriculture et de la Souveraineté alimentaire (FR), Agricultural institute of Slovenia (SI), Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung (IPK) (DE), Nature Research Centre (LT), St. Claraspital (CH), Latvian State Forest Research Institute "Silava" (LV), Federation of Greek Mariculture (GR), Finnish Museum of Natural History (FI), Institute for Adriatic Crops and Karst Reclamation (HR), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (CN), Universitat Politècnica de València (ES), University of Birmingham (GB), Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido (BR)
HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Genetically Modified Organisms Research
5.25
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.