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Evolution, plant breeding and biodiversity

Journal of Agriculture and Environment for International Development

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Title Evolution, plant breeding and biodiversity
 
Creator Ceccarelli, Salvatore
 
Description This paper deals with changes in biodiversity during the course of evolution, plant domestication and plant breeding. It shows than man has had a strong influence on the progressive decrease of biodiversity, unconscious at first and deliberate in modern times. The decrease in biodiversity in the agricultures of the North causes a severe threat to food security and is in contrasts with the conservation of biodiversity which is part of the culture of several populations in the South. The concluding section of the paper shows that man could have guided evolution in a different way and shows an example of participatory plant breeding, a type of breeding which is done in collaboration with farmers and is based on selection for specific adaptation. Even though participatory plant breeding has been practiced for only about 20 years and by relatively few groups, the effects on both biodiversity and crop production are impressive. Eventually the paper shows how participatory plant breeding can be developed into ‘evolutionary plant breeding’ to cope in a dynamic way with climate changes.
 
Publisher Italian Agency for Development Cooperation
 
Contributor
 
Date 2011-11-16
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion


 
Format application/pdf
 
Identifier http://www.iao.florence.it/ojs/index.php/JAEID/article/view/28
10.12895/jaeid.20091/2.28
 
Source Journal of Agriculture and Environment for International Development; Vol 103, No 1/2 (2009); 131-145
Journal of Agriculture and Environment for International Development (JAEID); Vol 103, No 1/2 (2009); 131-145
2240-2802
1590-7198
 
Language eng
 
Relation http://www.iao.florence.it/ojs/index.php/JAEID/article/view/28/31
 
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