NC_OLD007: Conservation, Management, Enhancement and Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources
Statement of Issues and Justification
The conservation, management and utilization of plant genetic resources, also known as germplasm, form the basis for harnessing genetic diversity to create and sustain agricultural production systems. Genetic resources, water, air, soil, minerals and crop management practices are crucial parts of the agricultural production system that sustains humanity and the stability of our society. They also comprise the essence of our environment and consequently, our quality of life. Germplasm is both the genetic material (genes, groups of genes, chromosomes) that controls heredity and the tissues, organs and organisms that express the variation contained in that genetic material.The economy of the North Central Region in particular, is based primarily on non-indigenous crop species that were imported years ago. The productivity of our agricultural system is dependent on our ability to continually refine cultivars, inputs, production systems, markets and end-use processes to respond to production challenges and to changing societal needs. Sustaining our natural resources is a fundamental requisite to sustaining agricultural production, because they provide the raw materials on which research and development are based, as well as crucial ecological services and valued aesthetic qualities.
Crop improvement depends on successfully utilizing genes found in germplasm collections, such as those of the North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station (NCRPIS), which has been partially funded by Regional Project NC-7 since 1947. The function of a germplasm collection is analogous to that of a library; the researchers who borrow its resources to develop and provide solutions for dietary and nutritional needs, biotic and abiotic production issues, phytoremediation and rehabilitation of disturbed environments, and to provide genetic diversity used to serve a wide array of basic plant research objectives. Researchers return repeatedly to the germplasm library as a source of allelic diversity. Shared research results increase the overall value of that library for subsequent investigators who are able to build upon previous discovery and invention. NCRPIS was the first Plant Introduction Station in the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS), and for the last 53 years has served as a major component of the network of 26 NPGS sites. NCRPIS provides plant genetic resources, associated information, and a wide variety of technical and leadership services devoted to substantially improving agricultural technology in the U.S. and abroad.
With the increasingly challenging environment experienced by agricultural producers, the continuing environmental degradation of our lands, the rapid global extinction of species due to environmental degradation and population pressures, and the need to diversify our economy with biobased products, which can be used to provide industrial, nutritional and medicinal products and energy, the need for diversity of plant genetic resources and associated information continues to increase. Interest is increasing in diversifying the array of crops that can fit into existing production systems to enhance the economic viability of producers and provide new market alternatives. Production of crops to be grown as biomass for energy production on lands that are marginally productive under current cropping systems also is increasing. The Department of Energy is actively partnering with germplasm curators, agronomists and technologists to develop these new crops.
Because of the diversity of environments and needs in the NC Region, and the diversity of research interests and expertise available, it is only logical and fitting that a multi-disciplinary effort utilizing the talents of all interested researchers in the region be rigorously applied to develop and test potential solutions to these many challenges.
The impacts of successful germplasm conservation, management, enhancement and utilization can be measured in the introduction of economically viable new crops and cultivars and new uses for existing crops based on a thorough understanding of their traits and properties, which may include nutritional, chemical, pharmaceutical, industrial and aesthetic applications. Impact can also be measured in its contribution to the development of a fundamental understanding of the nature and biology of genetic diversity, how it interacts with and is influenced by environment, and the discoveries, inventions and applications which result.
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