Conservation Priorities for Tree Crop Wild Relatives in the United States

Conservation Priorities for Tree Crop Wild Relatives in the United States

Colin K. Khoury, Stephanie L. Greene, Karen A. Williams, Chrystian C. Sosa, and Chris Richards

Gene Conservation of Tree Species – Banking on the FutureMay 17 2016

Chicago

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300

CWR in global development targets

“By 2020 maintain genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants, farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at national, regional and international levels, and ensure access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge as internationally agreed”

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Target 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote

sustainable agriculture

https://www.cbd.int/sp/targets/

CWR in global conservation targets

“By 2020, the genetic diversity of cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and of wild relatives, including other socio-economically as well as culturally valuable species, is maintained, and strategies have been developed and implemented for minimizing genetic erosion and safeguarding their genetic diversity.”

Convention on Biological DiversityStrategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020

Aichi Biodiversity Targets

CWR of the U.S. are valuable genetic resources

Western corn rootworm resistance from eastern gama grass (Tripsacum

dactyloides (L.) L.)

Salinity tolerance from Pecos sunflower

(Helianthus paradoxus Heiser)

Main uses of CWR in the literature: • 56% pest and disease

resistance• 13% abiotic stress

tolerance• 11% quality improvement• 10% yield increase• 6% husbandry

improvement• 4% breeding traits (Maxted &

Kell 2009)

Khoury et al. (2013) Crop Science 53(4): 1496

Tree CWR of the U.S. are valuable genetic resources

Eastern filbert blight resistance from

American filbert (Corylus americana Marshall)

Rootstock from northern California walnut (Juglans hindsii (Jeps.) R. E. Sm.)Khoury et al. (2013) Crop Science 53(4): 1496

Rootstock from Oregon crab apple (Malus fusca (Raf.) C. K. Schneid.)

Rootstock from desert peach (Prunus andersonii A. Gray)

Photos: Cor_ame by www.ncwildflower.org; Jug_hin by Steve Matson 2013; Pru_and by Gary A. Monroe 1991

Pecos sunflower (Helianthus paradoxus Heiser)Okeechobee gourd (Cucurbita

okeechobeensis (Small) L. H. Bailey subsp.

Okeechobeensis)

Scrub plum (Prunus geniculata R. M. Harper)

Texas wild rice (Zizania texana Hitchc.)

CWR of the U.S. are threatened wild plants


Hawaii blackberry (Rubus hawaiensis A. Gray)

Trees and other long-lived perennial CWR of the U.S.

are threatened wild plants


Scrub plum (Prunus geniculata R. M. Harper)

Northern California walnut (Juglans hindsii (Jeps.) R. E. Sm.)

NatureServe

G3, N3

(Vulnerable)

NatureServeG1, N1(Critically imperiled)

NatureServeG2G3, N2N3(Imperiled-vulnerable)

Florida gama grass (Tripsacum floridanum Porter ex

Vasey)

NatureServeG2, N2(Imperiled)

Photos: Jug_hin by Steve Matson 2013; Rub_haw by Forest & Kim Starr; Tri_flo by UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research Center; Pru_gen by http://www.fws.gov

Inventory of crop wild relatives of the U.S.• Inventory includes a wide

range of utilized and potentially useful taxa, including both native and naturalized species occurring in the U.S.

• List peer reviewed by U.S. researchers, curators, breeders

• Inventory contains over 4,600 taxa

• CWR related to major food crops prioritized, along with U.S. iconic wild food crops (e.g. sugar maple, wild rice, pecan)

• 250 closely related, native taxa related to 38 major food crops = highest priority


raspberry 8ribes 27squash 3star anise 1strawberry 8sugar maple 3sunflower 35sweet potato 9tepary bean 2vanilla 2walnut 5wild rice 5

Associated crop

Number of

CWRapricot 2beet 3blackberry 36blueberry 17cherry 2chestnut 3chives 1cotton 3cranberry 2fig 1garlic 1grape 28guava 1hazelnut 3lettuce 9lingonberry 3maize 3mate 5peach 10pecan 9pepper 1persimmon 2pistachio 1plum 17potato 1ramp 1

Highest priority CWR of the U.S.(native close relatives of important food

crops)


Determine gaps in

conservation

TaxonomicGeographicEcological

CWR of the U.S. gap analysis method

Choose species or

area

Make conservation recommendat

ions

Model distributions

Gather occurrence

dataProcess data

Distributions of priority CWR in the U.S.

62,000 records38,000 with coordinates

Potential distributions of priority CWR in the U.S.





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Ribe

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Plum

Peac

hLe

ttuce

Peca

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eet p

otat

oRa

spbe

rry

Stra

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ryM

ate

Waln

utW

ild ri

ceSq

uash

pep

oCo

tton

Beet

Ches

tnut

Haze

lnut

Lingo

nber

ryM

aize

Suga

r map

leTe

pary

bea

nAp

ricot

Cher

ryCr

anbe

rry

Pers

imm

onVa

nilla

Pota

toCh

ives

FigGa

rlic

Guav

aPe

pper

Pista

chio

Ram

pSt

ar an

ise

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Further collecting priorities for priority CWR in the U.S.

• 219 species related to 36 crops are high priority for collecting • Collecting gaps in all 50 states + D.C.

State

# of CWR of high

priority for further

collectingNew York 87Virginia 85

Tennessee 82Texas 82North

Carolina 80West

Virginia 80Pennsylvani

a 78Ohio 77

Illinois 75Georgia 74

New Jersey 74Indiana 73

Arkansas 72Kentucky 72Maryland 72

Massachusetts 72

Missouri 72South

Carolina 72Florida 69

Alabama 68

Further collecting priorities for priority CWR in the U.S.

Number of CWR of high priority for further collecting per state

China

TurkeyUSA

SpainIndia Ira

nIta

ly

GreeceFrance

Indonesia

MexicoBrazil

Russian Federation

Morocco

Algeria

Pakistan

Portugal

Peru

Ukraine

Azerbaija

n

Thailand

Malaysia

Armenia

BulgariaJapan

Afghanistan

Myanmar

Syrian Arab Republic

Australia

Israel

Romania

Turkmenistan

Tunisia

Viet Nam

AlbaniaNepal

Hungary

Georgia Iraq

Lebanon0

20

40

60

80

100

120 Number of high priority species (HPS) needing collect-ing per country

The U.S. is a global hotspot for under-represented CWR of major food crops

Castañeda-Álvarez & Khoury et al. (2016) Nature Plants 2(4): 16022

USDA ARS National Plant Germplasm System

• 575,000 accessions• 2,400 genera• 15,000 species• 300,000 samples distributed annually

Ongoing CWR-related plant collecting

initiatives in the U.S.USDA-ARS Plant Exploration Program • fills gaps in the National Plant

Germplasm System (NPGS)• recent explorations for CWR

of potato, quinoa, sunflower, bean, sweet potato, and squashBLM Seeds of Success• collection of U.S. native

plant materials for restoration • seeds incorporated into the

NPGS for conservation and distribution

Wild potato, Arizona

Wild sunflower, Louisiana

Photo: J. Bamberg

Photo: K.A. Williams

U.S. Forest Service\ARS cooperation on CWR • FS\ARS MOU on

complementary conservation of native plants – 2011• Joint Strategic Framework –

2014• In situ:

• Specific crop approach – populations of the CWR of one crop are designated as In Situ Genetic Resource Reserves (IGRRs) based on multiple criteria (sustainability, population size, genetic profile, ease of access, ecogeography, etc.)

• Protected area approach – all CWR within one area in a National Forest are identified and the area is designated as an IGRR. USFS manages IGRRs and monitors threats

• Ex situ• germplasm is conserved ex situ in

the NPGS• germplasm is available to USFS if re-

introduction is ever necessary

Framework available at: http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/ethnobotany/documents/cwr/FrameworkNativeCropWildRelativesOct2014.pdf

http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/ethnobotany/documents/cwr/FrameworkNativeCropWildRelativesOct2014.pdf

Strategy for complementary conservation of wild cranberry

Method:• Documentation and evaluation of

populations by USFS and ARS: - plant characteristics - environment (biotic and abiotic) - herbarium vouchers - size, health, accessibility, potential threats

• Evaluation of genetic diversity (leaf tissue analyzed using 9 microsatellite markers) at ARS\Univ. of Wisconsin (Juan Zalapa)

• Designate In Situ Reserves

Goal: Conserve the range of genetic variation in wild cranberry species

Information available at: http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/ethnobotany/cranberry/index.shtml


http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/ethnobotany/cranberry/index.shtml

Cranberry populations evaluated in U.S. National Forests

Monongahela NF, WV

George Washington NF, VA

Cherokee NF, TN

Pisgah NF, NC

Chequamegon-Nicolet NF, WI

Superior NF, MNOttawa NF, MI

Allegheny NF, PA

Hiawatha NF, MI

21 populations V. macrocarpon17 populations V. oxycoccos

Pisgah National Forest, NC 1748

m

Chequamegon - Nicolet National Forest, WIPhoto: L. Rodriguez-Bonilla, UW 490 m

Monongahela National Forest, WV 1110 m

George Washington National Forest, VA 976

m

Cranberry Populations in U.S. National Forests

Photo: K.A. Williams Photo: K.A. Williams


• Our goal is comprehensive conservation nationally, and to provide an example for other countries to meet their commitments:• Comprehensive and easily accessed information on

CWR species, their distributions, occurrences, and conservation status

• Broad diversity of CWR secured in situ and ex situ• Germplasm of CWR readily available to global

community of plant breeders and scientists• National strategy for long-term conservation of CWR of

the U.S. established and activated, involving broad partnerships across federal and state agencies, tribal nations, NGOs, and beyond

Crop wild relatives of the United States:

where are we headed?

Castañeda-Álvarez & Khoury et al. (2016) Global conservation priorities for crop wild relatives. Nature Plants 2(4): 16022.

Khoury et al.(2013) An inventory of crop wild relatives of the United States. Crop Science 53(4): 1496.

USFS/ARS Strategic Framework: http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/ethnobotany/documents/cwr/FrameworkNativeCropWildRelativesOct2014.pdf

Cranberry project: http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/ethnobotany/cranberry/index.shtml

Thank [email protected] | [email protected]

Photo: Prunus angustifolia Marshall, Ocala National Forest, Florida. Photo by K. A. Williams




