Exploring the application of wild species for crop improvement in a changing climate

Modem agriculture is currently facing challenges from a burgeoning population and changing climate, which requires improved crops with adaptation to climate and elite yield and quality traits. While there is a breeding bottleneck caused by intensive selection, gene banks containing conserved wild relatives and landraces can be used as breeding resources. However, with limited genetic information available on these wild relatives, the application has been hindered. With the development of both genomics and bioinformatics techniques, it is now easier to identify the genetic variation in wild species, which can be utilized for the introgression of elite traits. These wild species can therefore play an important role in food security and breeding sustainability.