Presentation on USDA ARS and USFS activities on conservation of crop wild relatives in the USA

1. Conservation Priorities for Crop Wild Relatives
in the United States
Colin K. Khoury, Stephanie L. Greene, Karen A. Williams, & Chrystian C. Sosa
USFS
June 2016
Washington D.C.

2. Crop wild relatives in the news

3. 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

4. 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 Diversity
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020
Aichi Biodiversity Targets

5. Western corn rootworm resistance from
eastern gama grass (Tripsacum dactyloides (L.) L.)
Salinity tolerance from Pecos sunflower
(Helianthus paradoxus Heiser)
Khoury et al. (2013) Crop Science 53(4): 1496
Eastern filbert blight resistance from
American filbert (Corylus americana Marshall)
Rootstock from northern California
walnut (Juglans hindsii (Jeps.) R. E. Sm.)
CWR of the U.S. are valuable genetic resources

6. 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
Khoury et al. (2013) Crop Science 53(4): 1496

7. 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
Khoury et al. (2013) Crop Science 53(4): 1496

8. raspberry 8
ribes 27
squash 3
star anise 1
strawberry 8
sugar maple 3
sunflower 35
sweet potato 9
tepary bean 2
vanilla 2
walnut 5
wild rice 5
Associated
crop
Number
of CWR
apricot 2
beet 3
blackberry 36
blueberry 17
cherry 2
chestnut 3
chives 1
cotton 3
cranberry 2
fig 1
garlic 1
grape 28
guava 1
hazelnut 3
lettuce 9
lingonberry 3
maize 3
mate 5
peach 10
pecan 9
pepper 1
persimmon 2
pistachio 1
plum 17
potato 1
ramp 1
Highest priority CWR of the U.S.
(native close relatives of important food crops)
Khoury et al. (2013) Crop Science 53(4): 1496

10. Determine gaps
in conservation
Taxonomic
Geographic
Ecological
CWR of the U.S. gap analysis method
Choose species
or area
Make
conservation
recommendations
Model
distributions
Gather
occurrence data
Process data

11. 62,000 records
38,000 with coordinates
Potential distributions of priority CWR in the U.S.

12. Potential distributions of priority CWR in the U.S.

13. Potential distributions of priority CWR in the U.S.

14. Potential distributions of priority CWR in the U.S.

15. 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Further collecting priorities for priority CWR in the U.S.

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

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

18. • 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
collecting
New York 87
Virginia 85
Tennessee 82
Texas 82
North Carolina 80
West Virginia 80
Pennsylvania 78
Ohio 77
Illinois 75
Georgia 74
New Jersey 74
Indiana 73
Arkansas 72
Kentucky 72
Maryland 72
Massachusetts 72
Missouri 72
South Carolina 72
Florida 69
Alabama 68
Further collecting priorities for priority CWR in
the U.S.
Number of CWR of high priority for further collecting per state

19. Castañeda-Álvarez et al. (2016) Nature Plants 2(4): 16022
Un-collected wild relatives of important food crops
Global hotspots for under-represented CWR of
major food crops

20. 0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Number of high priority species (HPS) needing collecting 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

21. USDA ARS National Plant Germplasm System
• 575,000 accessions
• 2,400 genera
• 15,000 species
• 300,000 samples
distributed annually

22. 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 squash
BLM 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

23. U.S. Forest ServiceARS cooperation on CWR
• FSARS 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

24. 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 ARSUniv. 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
Photo: K.A. Williams

25. 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, MN Ottawa NF, MI
Allegheny NF, PA
Hiawatha NF, MI
21 populations V. macrocarpon
17 populations V. oxycoccos

26. Pisgah National Forest, NC
1748 m
Chequamegon - Nicolet National Forest, WI
Photo: 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
Photo: K.A. Williams

27. • 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?

28. 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.
Khoury et al. (2016) Measuring the state of conservation of crop diversity: a baseline for
marking progress toward biodiversity conservation and sustainable development goals. Crop
Wild Relatives project policy brief. 6 p.
USFS/ARS Strategic Framework:
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/ethnobotany/documents/cwr/Framework
NativeCropWildRelativesOct2014.pdf
Cranberry project:
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/ethnobotany/cranberry/index.shtml
Thank you!
c.khoury@cgiar.org | colin.khoury@usda.ars.gov
Photo: Prunus angustifolia Marshall, Ocala National Forest, Florida. Photo by K. A. Williams