Global Strategy for the Conservation and Use of Capsicum Genetic Resources

This document aims to provide a framework for the efficient and effective conservation of genetic resources of Capsicum crops. The development of this Global Crop Conservation Strategy was funded by the Government of Germany (BMEL) as part of the three-year project led by the Crop Trust: “Breathing new life into the Global Crop Conservation Strategies". The Crop Trust also cooperated with the Secretariat of The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) in the development of this document.Supplementary data: Supplementary data for Barchenger D.W. and Khoury C.K. 2022. A Global Strategy for the Conservation and Use of Capsicum Genetic Resources. Global Crop Diversity Trust. Bonn, Germany. DOI: 10.22001/wvc.74702 (https:// worldveg.tind.io/record/74702

50 years of changing diversity in global food supplies

Newly released infographics show how the so-called “globalized diet” has emerged. It’s the story of massive change over the past 50 years in the foods people eat, of crop winners and losers, and most of all, of increasing similarity in the food supplies of countries worldwide. Here are five graphs that together describe some of the the most important changes in food diversity over the past five decade

Bridging the gap between human visual anticipation and autonomous systems through the use of a vector addition model

Visual anticipation is an essential cognitive function in that it is necessary for action and is considered a key feature of Endsley’s situational awareness model (1995, 2015). In recent decades, both research and industry have shown a growing interest in autonomous vehicles and, in this context, anticipation raises new questions. Indeed, human performances in automation situations decrease (e.g., complacency, degradation of skills and loss of situational awareness). Various causes are described by Victor et al. (2018), but an important one is the operators’ gap and misconceptions in their mental models of automated systems (Sarter & Woods, 1994). Surprised by automation; they do not know what behaviour the system will produce (Parasuraman et al., 2008), leading to inappropriate and therefore dangerous reactions. The objective is then to identify the mechanisms of visual anticipation to model how individuals anticipate events. Such modelling will facilitate the implementation of autonomous system anticipation algorithms that are more compatible with the mental model of users. The anticipation mechanism that has been firmly identified is called representational momentum (RM). Numerous studies have shown that the RM is sensitive to factors present in the context of driving a vehicle. And while some factors promote anticipation, others hinder it

Biodiversity data: The importance of access and the challenges regarding benefit sharing

Negotiations around the potential inclusion of biodiversity data within the scope of access and benefit sharing mechanisms of international treaties on genetic resources have been contentious. Uncertainty persists around which data might be included and the impacts of this important change on the ability to advance science. This special collection of research, review, and opinion articles provides a range of evidence and viewpoints contributing context to these negotiations and the underlying scientific issues involved. Emerging themes include the need for clarity on the scope of biodiversity data subject to access and benefit sharing; the recognition that open exchange of these data provides substantial societal benefits; the prognosis that substantial constraints on access to biodiversity data will negatively impact research; the consensus that multilateral systems of exchange are preferable to bilateral ones; and emphasis on further capacity building and other forms of benefit sharing to enable wider use and impact of these data

A global strategy for the conservation and use of Capsicum genetic resources

This document aims to provide a framework for the efficient and effective conservation of genetic resources of Capsicum crop

Toward integrated conservation of North America's crop wild relatives

North America harbors a rich native flora of crop wild relatives—the progenitors and closely related species of domesticated plants—as well as a range of culturally significant wild utilized plants. Despite their current and potential future value, they are rarely prioritized for conservation efforts; thus many species are threatened in their natural habitats, and most are underrepresented in plant genebanks and botanical gardens. Further coordination of efforts among land management, botanical, and agricultural science organizations will improve conservation and general public awareness with regard to these species. We present examples of productive collaborations focused on wild cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon and Vaccinium oxycoccos) and chile peppers (Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum). We then discuss five shared priorities for further action: (1) understand and document North America's crop wild relatives and wild utilized plants, (2) protect threatened species in their natural habitats, (3) collect and conserve ex situ the diversity of prioritized species, (4) make this diversity accessible and attractive for plant breeding, research, and education, and (5) raise public awareness of their value and the threats to their persistence