An inventory, threat and conservation assessment of UK wheat landrace diversity

Abstract In the early 20th century, agricultural production was mostly focused on traditional, low-input systems where seed was actively selected by farmers and then frequently saved on-farm for sowing in subsequent seasons. More recently, the replacement of diverse landraces (LR) with fewer genetically homogeneous, commercially bred cultivars has led to considerable genetic erosion and loss of valuable plant genetic resources. Without appropriate in situ and ex situ conservation, it is inevitable that genetic erosion will continue at an undesirable rate until the loss of these unique resources. Earlier projects to document and inventory LR cultivation in the United Kingdom (UK) provide some insights but were incomplete, leaving research gaps that still need to be addressed. This research provides information on the current status of UK wheat LR diversity and identifies the significant challenges associated with cultivating LR on-farm. A total of 50 farmer interviews were conducted between January and June 2024. It was found that the number of wheat LR maintained on-farm, and the scale at which these varieties are grown, has increased since 2009. There are now 27 varieties maintained over 700 hectares. However, lack of market demand and seed availability have been shown to limit the conservation of these varieties, and therefore, strategies should be implemented to overcome some of the challenges associated with the cultivation of LR. Recommendations are put forward to encourage their continued growing on-farm, and to safeguard important plant genetic resources for future generations.