Publications by authors named "Kallow S"

Unlabelled: Collection and storage of crop wild relative (CWR) germplasm is crucial for preserving species genetic diversity and crop improvement. Nevertheless, much of the genetic variation of CWRs is absent in ex situ collections and detailed passport data are often lacking. Here, we focussed on one of the two main progenitor species of many banana cultivars.

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Article Synopsis
  • Storing seed collections of crop wild relatives is crucial for food security, but banana and plantain wild relatives are under-represented in genebanks despite their importance.
  • Data from 13 institutions across 10 countries revealed 537 seed accessions, but these had low viability rates (25% mean) and highlighted challenges in seed storage, germination, and sourcing suitable materials.
  • A conservation assessment indicated that 51% of banana crop wild relatives are not represented in seed collections, prompting recommendations for improved collecting and management strategies to enhance conservation efforts.
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The ability of seeds to withstand drying is fundamental to seed conservation but drying responses are not well known for most wild species including crop wild relatives. We look at drying responses of seeds of and , the two primary wild relatives of bananas and plantains, using the following four experimental approaches: (i) We equilibrated seeds to a range of relative humidity (RH) levels using non-saturated lithium chloride solutions and subsequently measured moisture content (MC) and viability. At each humidity level we tested viability using embryo rescue (ER), tetrazolium chloride staining and germination in an incubator.

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Loss of sexual reproductive capacity has been proposed as a syndrome of domestication in vegetatively propagated crops, but there are relatively few examples from agricultural systems. In this study, we compare sexual reproductive capacity in wild (sexual) and domesticated (vegetative) populations of enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman), a tropical banana relative and Ethiopian food security crop.

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Article Synopsis
  • Research on seed germination is often limited by the availability of seeds and suitable environments, especially when done far from the species' native habitats.
  • Using glasshouses in botanic gardens can mimic natural conditions, allowing for valuable insights into germination processes, as demonstrated through tests on banana crop wild relatives.
  • Findings show that direct solar radiation significantly enhances seed germination, with burial depth having a lesser impact, and optimal temperatures (23-35℃) being crucial for successful germination.
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Background: Conservation of plant genetic resources, including the wild relatives of crops, plays an important and well recognised role in addressing some of the key challenges faced by humanity and the planet including ending hunger and biodiversity loss. However, the genetic diversity and representativeness of ex situ collections, especially that contained in seed collections, is often unknown. This limits meaningful assessments against conservation targets, impairs targeting of future collecting and limits their use.

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  • Crop wild relatives (CWR) like Musa balbisiana are crucial for enhancing traits in cultivated crops, yet their genetic diversity has been under-researched.
  • The study evaluated the genetic variation among 17 populations of Musa balbisiana in Vietnam and six in China using SSR markers, finding significant genetic diversity, especially in central Vietnam and China.
  • Northern Vietnam populations displayed unique genetic characteristics compared to those from China, suggesting the need for conservation efforts focused on populations in central Vietnam and northern Vietnam's Hoang Lien Son mountain range.
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Seed banks were first established to conserve crop genetic diversity, but seed banking has more recently been extended to wild plants, particularly crop wild relatives (CWRs) (e.g., by the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB), Royal Botanic Gardens Kew).

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Ex situ seed conservation of banana crop wild relatives ( spp. L.), is constrained by critical knowledge gaps in their storage and germination behaviour.

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Background: Enset (Ensete ventricosum, Musaceae) is an African crop that currently provides the staple food for approx. 20 million Ethiopians. Whilst wild enset grows over much of East and Southern Africa and the genus extends across Asia to China, it has only ever been domesticated in the Ethiopian Highlands.

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