Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-t5pn6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T11:48:29.569Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Defining and identifying crop landraces

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2007

Tania Carolina Camacho Villa ,
Nigel Maxted ,
Maria Scholten  and
Brian Ford-Lloyd
Tania Carolina Camacho Villa
Affiliation:
School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
Nigel Maxted*
Affiliation:
School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
Maria Scholten
Affiliation:
School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
Brian Ford-Lloyd
Affiliation:
School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
*
*Corresponding author: E-mail: n.maxted@bham.ac.uk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Awareness of the need for biodiversity conservation is now universally accepted, but most often recent conservation activities have focused on wild species. Crop species and the diversity between and within them has significant socioeconomic as well as heritage value. The bulk of genetic diversity in domesticated species is located in traditional varieties maintained by traditional farming systems. These traditional varieties, commonly referred to as landraces, are severely threatened by genetic extinction primarily due to their replacement by modern genetically uniform varieties. The conservation of landrace diversity has been hindered in part by the lack of an accepted definition to define the entity universally recognized as landraces. Without a definition it would be impossible to prepare an inventory and without an inventory changes in landrace constituency could not be recognized over time. Therefore, based on a literature review, workshop discussion and interviews with key informants, common characteristics of landraces were identified, such as: historical origin, high genetic diversity, local genetic adaptation, recognizable identity, lack of formal genetic improvement, and whether associated with traditional farming systems. However, although these characteristics are commonly present they are not always all present for any individual landrace; several crop-specific exceptions were noted relating to crop propagation method (sexual or asexual), breeding system (self-fertilized or cross-fertilized species), length of formal crop improvement, seed management (selection or random propagation) and use. This paper discusses the characteristics that generally constitute a landrace, reviews the exceptions to these characteristics and provides a working definition of a landrace. The working definition proposed is as follows: ‘a landrace is a dynamic population(s) of a cultivated plant that has historical origin, distinct identity and lacks formal crop improvement, as well as often being genetically diverse, locally adapted and associated with traditional farming systems’.

Keywords

biodiversityconservationcropdefinitionlandracesplant genetic resources
Type
Research Article
Information
Plant Genetic Resources , Volume 3 , Issue 3 , December 2005 , pp. 373 - 384
Copyright
Copyright © NIAB 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Allard, RW (1999) Principles of Plant Breeding, 2nd edn. New York: John Wiley and Sons.Google Scholar
Almekinders, CJM and Elings, A (2001) Collaboration of farmers and breeders: participatory crop improvement in perspective. Euphytica 122: 425–438.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Almekinders, CJM and Louwaars, NP (1999) Farmer's Seed Production: New Approaches and Practices. London: Intermediate Technology Publications.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Almekinders, CJM, Louwaars, NP de and Bruijin, GH (1994) Local seed systems and their importance for an improved seed supply in developing countries. Euphytica 78: 207–216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Altieri, M and Merrick, LC (1987) In situ conservation of crop genetic resources through maintenance of traditional farming systems. Economic Botany 41: 86–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Asfaw, Z (1999) The barley in Ethiopia In: Brush, S (ed.) in Genes the Field. Rome: International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, pp. 77–107.Google Scholar
Banga, O (1944) Veredeling van tuinbouwgewassen. Bergboek Zwolle.Google Scholar
Bellon, MR (1996) The dynamics of crop infraspecific diversity: a conceptual framework at the farmer level. Economic Botany 50: 26–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bellon, MR and Brush, S (1994) Keepers of maize in Chiapas, Mexico. Economic Botany 48: 196–209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bennett, E (1970) Adaptation in wild and cultivated plant populations In: Frankel, OH and Bennett, E (eds) Genetic Resources in Plants—Their Exploration and Conservation. International Biological Programme Handbook No. 11. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 115–129.Google Scholar
Boster, J (1996) Human cognition as a product and agent of evolution. In Ellen, R and Fukui, K (eds) Redefining Nature: Ecology, Culture and Domestication. Oxford: Berg, pp. 269–289.Google Scholar
Brown, AHD (1999) The genetic structure of crop landraces and the challenge to conserve them in situ on farms. Brush, S (ed.) Genes in the Field. Rome: International Plant Genetic Resources Institute pp. 29–48.Google Scholar
Brush, SB (1992) Ethnoecology, biodiversity and modernization in Andean potato agriculture. Economic Botany 35: 70–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brush, SB (1995) In situ conservation of landraces in centers of crop diversity. Crop Science 35: 346–354.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brush, SB (1999) The issues of in situ conservation of crop genetic resources. In; Brush, S (ed.) Genes in the Field. Rome: International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, 3–26.Google Scholar
Choo, T-M (2002) Genetic Resources of Tibetan Barley in China. Beijing: Ma Dequan, China Agriculture Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cleveland, DA, Soleri, D and Smith, SE (1994) Folk crop varieties: do they have a role in sustainable agriculture?. BioScience 44: 740–751.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cleveland, DA, Soleri, D and Smith, SE (2000) A biological framework for understanding farmers' plant breeding. Economic Botany 54: 377–394.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duvick, DN (1984) Genetic diversity in major farm crops on the farm and in reserve. Economic Botany 38: 162–178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (1998) The State of the World's Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.Rome:FAO.Google Scholar
Fowler, C and Mooney, P (1990) Shattering: Food, Politics and the Loss of Genetic Diversity. Tucson: University Arizona Press.Google Scholar
Frankel, OH (1977) Natural variation and its conservation. In Muhammed, A, Aksel, R and Von Borstel, RC (eds) Genetic Diversity in Plants. New York: Plenum Press. pp. 29–34.Google Scholar
Frankel, OH and Bennett, E (1970) Genetic resources—introduction. In: Frankel, OH and Bennett, E (eds) Genetic Resources in Plants—Their Exploration and Conservation. International Biological Programme Handbook No. 11 Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 1–32.Google Scholar
Frankel, OH and Hawkes, JG (eds)(1975) Crop Genetic Resources for Today and Tomorrow. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Frankel, OH and Soulé, ME (1981) Conservation and Evolution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 177–223.Google Scholar
Frankel, OH, Brown, AHD and Burdon, JJ (1998) The Conservation of Plant Biodiversity, 2nd edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 56–78.Google Scholar
Harlan, JR (1975) Our vanishing genetic resources. Science 188: 618–621.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harlan, JR (1992) Crops and Man, 2nd edn. Madison, WI: American Society of Agronomy, pp. 147–148.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hawkes, JG (1983) The Diversity of Crop Plants. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, p. 102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hernandez, XE and Zarate, MA (1991) Agricultura tradicional y conservacion de recursos geneticos. In: Ortega, RP, Palomino, G, Castillo, FS, Gonzalez, V and Livera, M (eds) Avances en el estudio de los recursos fitogeneticos de Mexico, Chapingo, México: Sociedad Mexicana de Fitogenetica, pp. 7–28.Google Scholar
Hoyt, E (1992) Conserving the Wild Relatives of Crops. Rome: IBPGR, IUCN, WWF.Google Scholar
Jarman, RJ (1996) Bere barley: a living link with 8th century. Plant Varieties and Seeds 9: 191–196.Google Scholar
Louette, D and Smale, M (1996) Genetic diversity and maize seed management in a traditional Mexican community: implications for in situ conservation of maize. Natural Resources Group, Paper 96–03, International Centre for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT), 22 pp.Google Scholar
Louette, D, Charrier, A and Berthaud, J (1997) In situ conservation of maize in Mexico: genetic diversity and maize seed management in a traditional community. Economic Botany 51: 20–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marchenay, P (1987) A la recherche des variétés locales de plantes cultivées. Paris: Burean des resources génétiques.Google Scholar
Maxted, N, Ford-Lloyd, B and Hawkes, JG (1997) Complementary conservation strategies In: Maxted, N, Ford-Lloyd, B, Hawkes, JG (eds) Plant Genetic Conservation: The In Situ Approach. London: Chapman and Hall, pp. 15–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maxted, N, Guarino, L, Myer, L and Chiwona, EA (2002) Towards a methodology for on-farm conservation of plant genetic resources. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 49: 31–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) (1991) GRIN—Forage Legume Data Dictionary, http://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/foragedd.pdf.Google Scholar
Negri, V (2003) Landraces in central Italy: where and why they are conserved and perspectives for their on farm conservation. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 50: 871–885.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Negri, V, Becker, H, Onnela, J, Sartori, A, Strajeru, S and Laliberté, B (2000) A first inventory of on-farm conservation and management activities in Europe including examples of formal and informal sector cooperation. In: Laliberté, B, Maggioni, L, Maxted, N and Negri, N (compilers) ECP/GR In Situ and On-farm Conservation Network Report of a Task Force on Wild Species Conservation in Genetic Reserves and a Task Force on On-farm Conservation and Management, Joint meeting,18–20. May 2000,Isola Polvese, Italy, pp. 15–32.Google Scholar
Peeters, JP and Galwey, NW (1988) Germplasm collections and breeding needs in Europe. Economic Botany 42: 503–521.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Qualset, CO, Damania, AB, Zanatta, ACA and Brush, SB (1997) Locally base crop plant conservation In: Maxted, N, Ford-Lloyd, BV and Hawkes, JG (eds) Plant Genetic Conservation: The In Situ Approach. London: Chapman and Hall, pp. 160–175.Google Scholar
Sanchez, JJ, Goodman, MM and Stuber, CW (2000) Isozymatic and morphological diversity in the races of maize in Mexico. Economic Botany 54: 43–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schindler, J (1918) Einige Bemerkungen über die züchterische und wirtschaftliche Bedeutung der Landrassen unserer Kul-urpflanzen. Deutsche Landwirt. Presse 45(25): 155–156.Google Scholar
Scholten, MA, Maxted, N and Ford-Lloyd, BV (2004) UK National Inventory of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Unpublished report, UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.Google Scholar
Simmonds, NW (1979) Principles of Crop Improvement. LondonLongman Group.Google Scholar
Srinivasan, CC, Thirtle, C and Palladino, P (2003) Winter wheat in England and Wales, 1923 – 1995: what do indices of genetic diversity reveal?. Plant Genetic Resources: Characterization and Utilization 1: 43–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tudge, C (1988) Food Crops for the Future. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, p.83.Google Scholar
Virchow, D (1999) Conservation of Genetic Resources: Costs and Implications for a Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Berlin: Springer, p.4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
von, Rüand, nker, K (1908) Die systematische Einteilung und Benen-ung der Getreidesorten für praktische Zwecke. Jahrbuch der Deutschen landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft 23: 137–167.Google Scholar
Wood, D Lenné JM (1997) The conservation of agrobiodiversity on-farm: questioning the emerging paradigm. Biodiversity and Conservation 6: 109–129.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zeven, AC (1996) Results of activities to maintain landraces and other material in some European countries in situ before 1945 and what we may learn from them. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 43: 337–341.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zeven, AC (1998) Landraces: a review of definitions and classifications. Euphytica 104: 127–139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zeven, AC (1999) The traditional inexplicable replacement of seed and seed ware of landraces and cultivars: a review. Euphytica 110: 181–191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zeven, AC (2000) Traditional maintenance breeding of landraces: 1. Data by crop. Euphytica 116: 65–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zimmermer, KS (1991) Managing diversity in potato and maize fields of the Peruvian Andes. Journal of Ethnobiology 11(1): 23–49.Google Scholar