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The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation requires 75% of threatened plant species conserved ex situ by 2020. Currently, ex situ conservation focuses on conventional seed banking, yet this method is unsuitable for many threatened species. The 75% target is unattainable without urgent investment into alternative techniques.
Like all living organisms, without exception, plants integrate many external signals to adapt to their environment and increase their fitness. Is this a proof of intelligence? It depends on the meaning of the word; and it really does not matter.
Next-generation sequencing technologies have significantly changed the scope of ancient plant DNA research, moving from analysis of a few loci to generation of ancient genomes. Future research could refine our understanding of plant evolution and adaptation, and provide information for conservation, crop breeding and food security.
Diversity in plant genomes remains largely unexplored. The 10,000 Plant Genome Sequencing Project is a landmark effort to catalogue plant genomic variation, representing a major step in understanding the tree of life. The project offers new opportunities to study biological processes and address fundamental research questions.
The recently published reference genome of Aegilops tauschii provides new insights into the originator of the D genome donor of hexaploid wheat. This will be a foundation for exploring the genomic diversity underpinning adaptive traits in wheat, and ultimately advance wheat improvement efforts.
Modern plant biology relies heavily on genetic sequence information from species with a diversity of origins. Could proposed changes to the terms of use of this digital sequence information threaten the development of new crop varieties and improvements in global agriculture?
