This document summarizes the U.S. Crop Wild Relatives Gap Analysis Project. It identifies over 4,600 crop wild relative taxa in the U.S., prioritizing the 250 most closely related to major food crops. Distribution models show gaps in collecting certain priority species. The project aims to comprehensively conserve crop wild relatives in situ and ex situ to maintain genetic diversity and provide germplasm to plant breeders, in line with global biodiversity targets. Future work includes collaborations on research, data sharing, and increasing funding to meet conservation goals.

1. U.S. Crop Wild Relatives Gap Analysis Project:
The next few years
Colin K. Khoury, Stephanie L. Greene, Karen A. Williams, & Chrystian C. Sosa
NPGS Curators Meeting
June 14 2016
Fort Collins, Colorado

2. Crop wild relatives in the news

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

8. Do we have what we need (before its too late)?
Photos: http://ashsmedia.org/art/index.php/Presenters/2013-Presenters/DSC02690-01, http://modernfarmer.com/2015/09/saving-wild-sunflower-seeds/, http://www.agron.iastate.edu/personnel/userspage.aspx?ID=22

9. 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

10. 62,000 records
38,000 with coordinates
Potential distributions of priority CWR in the U.S.

11. 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. Further collecting priorities for 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. • 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. • 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?

23. • CWR of North America book- collaborations across NPGS,
ARS and well beyond in 3 countries
• Will help advance U.S. gap analysis project
• Research exchange with CIAT to contribute to book and gap
analysis
• NatureServe- highlighting CWR in threatened plants database
• USFS, Plant Conservation Alliance, international, WWF, etc.-
increasing contact and relationship building
• National Genetic Resources Advisory Council support and
follow-up
• Ambitious proposals for increasing funding for collecting and
conservation to meet goals by 2020 (or so)
Crop wild relatives of the United States:
advances and collaborations

24. 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