Abstract Detail

Botanical foundations for perennial agriculture: Evolution and ecology of perennial herbaceous plants

Ciotir, Claudia [1], Applequist, Wendy [2], Crews, Timothy [3], DeHaan, Lee [4], Herron, Sterling [5], Townesmith, Andrew [6], Schlautman , Brandon  [4], Van Tassel , David  [4], Roskow , Yury  [7], Frawley, Emma [8], Vorontsova, Maria [9], Miller, Allison [10].

The Perennial Agriculture Project - Global Inventory of Perennial Herbaceous Grain, Legume, and Oilseed Species for Pre-breeding.

The Perennial Agriculture Project - Global Inventory (PAPGI) is a collaborative project between Saint Louis University (St. Louis, MO), the Missouri Botanical Garden (St. Louis, MO), and The Land Institute and Malone Family Land Preservation Foundation (Salina, KS). PAPGI is a global effort to identify wild perennial, herbaceous species as candidates for breeding perennial grain crops. Eventually, perennial grain species will be used to develop an agriculture that mimics sustainable natural ecosystems to address challenges associated with food security, land degradation, and climate change. Compared to annual species, herbaceous perennials offer deeper rooting systems, reduced soil erosion, more complete utilization of precipitation and nutrients, and greater accumulation of soil carbon; however, few have been domesticated for human food. PAPGI aims to develop a checklist of all perennial, herbaceous members of the Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Poaceae, to collect data on agronomic, ethnobotanical, and toxicological traits relevant to pre-breeding efforts. PAPGI also aims to develop long-term experiments designed to advance understanding of evolutionary processes in perennial, herbaceous plants. The checklist portion of PAPGI is organized as a special project within Tropicos, a database hosted by The Missouri Botanical Garden. Using existing biodiversity databases, we identified 6,670 perennial herbaceous/shrubby and perennial/annual herbaceous species in Fabaceae, 7,281 species in Poaceae, and 1,774 species in the Tribe Heliantheae (Asteraceae). Currently, we are amassing trait data for wild perennial, herbaceous species within the three families. The Perennial Agriculture Project - Global Inventory - (PAPGI) represents a widening of the traditional focus of crop genetic resource programs. In addition to crop wild relatives in these families (e.g., perennial Glycine, Helianthus, Zea), we contend that previously undomesticated, wild plant species, starting with these three families, might be good candidates for pre-breeding and are an important component of plant genetic resources. PAPGI represents a novel, searchable list with relevant botanical and agricultural data for breeding and domestication of perennial herbaceous grain crops, ensuring a significant number of candidates to perennial crop breeding and alternative agricultural systems.

1 - 5800 Highland Plaza Dr. Apt. 112, St. Louis, MS, 63110, United States
2 - Missouri Botanical Garden, William L. Brown Center, PO Box 299, St. Louis, MO, 63166, United States
3 - The Land Institute, 2440 E Water Well Rd., Salina, KS, 67401 , USA
4 - The Land Institute, 2440 E Water Well Rd., Salina, KS, 67401, USA
5 - Saint Louis University, Biology, Biology Extension Building, 1008 S Spring Ave, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
6 - Missouri Botanical Garden, William L. Brown Center, PO Box 299, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
7 - Illinois Natural History Survey, 1816 South Oak Street (MC-652), Champaign, IL , 61820, USA
8 - Saint Louis University , Department of Biology, 1008 S. Spring Ave., St. Louis, MO, 67401, USA
9 - Royal Botanic Gardens Kew , Comparative and Plant Fungal Biology Department, Richmond, Surrey, TW 3AB, UK
10 - Saint Louis University, Biology, St. Louis, Biology Extension Building, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, United States

Keywords:
sustainable agriculture
Asteraceae
perennial agriculture
Fabaceae
Poaceae
Breeding system
herbaceous perennial
perennial grains
plant genetic resources
legumes
wild herbaceous perennial species
database
Ethnobotany
toxicology
perennial grain candidates.

Presentation Type: Colloquium Presentations
Session: C02, Botanical foundations for perennial agriculture: Evolution and ecology of perennial herbaceous plants
Location: 102/Mayo Civic Center
Date: Monday, July 23rd, 2018
Time: 9:00 AM
Number: C02004
Abstract ID:556
Candidate for Awards:None