title: Landrace Germplasm for Improving Yield and Abiotic Stress Adaptation.
abstract: Plant landraces represent heterogeneous, local adaptations of domesticated species, and thereby provide genetic resources that meet current and new challenges for farming in stressful environments. These local ecotypes can show variable phenology and low-to-moderate edible yield, but are often highly nutritious. The main contributions of landraces to plant breeding have been traits for more efficient nutrient uptake and utilization, as well as useful genes for adaptation to stressful environments such as water stress, salinity, and high temperatures. We propose that a systematic landrace evaluation may define patterns of diversity, which will facilitate identifying alleles for enhancing yield and abiotic stress adaptation, thus raising the productivity and stability of staple crops in vulnerable environments.
authors.affiliation: International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru 502324, India.
authors.forename: Sangam L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Dwivedi
authors.affiliation: Rete Semi Rurali, Via di Casignano, 25 50018 Scandicci (FI), Italy.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ceccarelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Lawson Hall, Tennessee State University, 3500 John A. Merritt Boulevard, Nashville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Blair
authors.affiliation: International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru 502324, India.
authors.forename: Hari D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Upadhyaya
authors.affiliation: International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru 502324, India.
authors.forename: Ashok K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Are
authors.affiliation: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Breeding, Sundsvagen, 14 Box 101, 23053 Alnarp, Sweden. Electronic address: rodomiro.ortiz@slu.se.
authors.forename: Rodomiro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ortiz
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D001947:Breeding; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics; D012639:Seeds / Q000502:physiology*; D013312:Stress, Physiological
keywords: biodiversity; cereals; climate change; haplotype; legumes; quantitative trait loci