The Darwin Core extension for genebanks opens up new opportunities for sharing genebank datasets

Darwin Core (DwC) defines a standard set of terms to describe the primary biodiversity data. Primary biodiversity data are data records derived from direct observation of species occurrences in nature or describing specimens in biological collections. The Darwin Core terms can be seen as an extension to the standard Dublin Core metadata terms. The new Darwin Core extension for genebanks declares the additional terms required for describing genebank datasets, and is based on established standards from the plant genetic resources community. The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) provides an information infrastructure for biodiversity data including a suite of software tools for data publishing, distributed data access, and the capture of biodiversity data. The Darwin Core extension for genebanks is a key component that provides access for the genebanks and the plant genetic resources community to the GBIF informatics infrastructure including the new toolkits for data exchange. This paper provides one of the first examples and guidelines for how to create extensions to the Darwin Core standard

Working group on barley

Report of a Cereals Network, First Meeting, 3-5 July 2003, Yerevan, Armenia Report of a Working Group on Wheat, Second Meeting, 22-24 September 2005, La Rochelle, FrancevokBEL/GD

Genetic gap analysis of wild Hordeum taxa

To facilitate the updating ofin situandex situconservation strategies for wild taxa of the genusHordeumL., a combined ecogeographic survey and gap analysis was undertaken. The analysis was based on the Global Inventory of Barley Plant Genetic Resources held by ICARDA plus additional datasets, resulting in a database containing 17,131 wildHordeumaccessions. The analysis concluded that a genetic reserve should be established in the Mendoza Province of Argentina, as this is the most species-rich area globally forHordeum. A network of reserves should also be set up across the Fertile Crescent in Israel, Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey to provide effective conservation within the centres of diversity for gene pools 1B (Hordeum vulgaresubsp.spontaneum(C. Koch) Thell.) and 2 (Hordeum bulbosumL.). The majority of the species were deemed under-collected, so further collecting missions are required worldwide where possible. Althoughex situandin situconservation strategies have been developed, there needs to be further investigation into the ecological environments thatHordeumspecies occupy to ensure that any adaptive traits expressed are fully conserved. Additionally, studies are required to characterize existing collections and test the viability of rare species accessions held in genebanks to determine whether furtherex situcollections are required alongside the proposedin situconservation.</jats:p

Report of a Working Group on Barley. Seventh Meeting, 10-12 May 2011, Nicosia, Cyprus

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Introducing Beneficial Alleles from Plant Genetic Resources into the Wheat Germplasm

Wheat (Triticum sp.) is one of the world’s most important crops, and constantly increasing its productivity is crucial to the livelihoods of millions of people. However, more than a century of intensive breeding and selection processes have eroded genetic diversity in the elite genepool, making new genetic gains difficult. Therefore, the need to introduce novel genetic diversity into modern wheat has become increasingly important. This review provides an overview of the plant genetic resources (PGR) available for wheat. We describe the most important taxonomic and phylogenetic relationships of these PGR to guide their use in wheat breeding. In addition, we present the status of the use of some of these resources in wheat breeding programs. We propose several introgression schemes that allow the transfer of qualitative and quantitative alleles from PGR into elite germplasm. With this in mind, we propose the use of a stage-gate approach to align the pre-breeding with main breeding programs to meet the needs of breeders, farmers, and end-users. Overall, this review provides a clear starting point to guide the introgression of useful alleles over the next decade

European <em>Phaseolus coccineus</em> L. landraces: Population Structure and Adaptation, as Revealed by cpSSRs and Phenotypic Analyses

<div><p>Relatively few studies have extensively analysed the genetic diversity of the runner bean through molecular markers. Here, we used six chloroplast microsatellites (cpSSRs) to investigate the cytoplasmic diversity of 331 European domesticated accessions of the scarlet runner bean (<i>Phaseolus coccineus</i> L.), including the botanical varieties <i>albiflorus</i>, <i>bicolor</i> and <i>coccineus</i>, and a sample of 49 domesticated and wild accessions from Mesoamerica. We further explored the pattern of diversity of the European landraces using 12 phenotypic traits on 262 individuals. For 158 European accessions, we studied the relationships between cpSSR polymorphisms and phenotypic traits. Additionally, to gain insights into the role of gene flow and migration, for a subset of 115 accessions, we compared and contrasted the results obtained by cpSSRs and phenotypic traits with those obtained in a previous study with 12 nuclear microsatellites (nuSSRs). Our results suggest that both demographic and selective factors have roles in the shaping of the population genetic structure of the European runner bean. In particular, we infer the existence of a moderate-to-strong cytoplasmic bottleneck that followed the expansion of the crop into Europe, and we deduce multiple domestication events for this species. We also observe an adaptive population differentiation in the phenology across a latitudinal gradient, which suggests that selection led to the diversification of the runner bean in Europe. The botanical varieties <i>albiflorus</i>, <i>bicolor</i> and <i>coccineus</i>, which are based solely on flower colour, cannot be distinguished based on these cpSSRs and nuSSRs, nor according to the 12 quantitative traits.</p> </div