Biotechnological interventions for sustainable conservation of plant genetic resources in the scenario of climate change

Abstract

Climate change is an unequivocal fact and its impacts are already perceptible today. Climate change will profoundly alter the present conditions of agriculture in almost all countries with variable severity from region to region. On one hand unpredicted changes in climatic parameters are likely to threaten the production and productivity of economically important plant species particularly that of food crops, at the same time agriculture productivity requires significant increase to meet the expected growth in demand for food by the ever increasing world population. Conservation and sustainable use of diversity present in plant genetic resources and traditional knowledge of germplasm within and among plant species represent economic, scientific and societal value which has tendency to solve the food security problems erupt due to expanding global population. An advance made in biotechnology field such as in vitro culture technology, cryopreservation and molecular markers technology has generated significant contributions to improve the methods of conservation of rare and endangered plant genetic resources and traditional knowledge of germplasm and their valuable management in an effective way. A strategic and forward vision for conservation of plant genetic resources and traditional knowledge of germplasm and sustainable use of plant resources in the 21st century is of far reaching significance for sustainable development.