Adaptation to novel environments during crop diversification. (August 2020) - Cortinovis, Gaia
Highlights: Agriculture needs to implement appropriate strategies to develop novel resilient varieties able to cope with climate changes. Understanding the genetic basis of phenotypic variation is fundamental in driving plant breeding to fit climate changes. The numerous landraces evolved under diverse climate conditions are ideal materials to study adaptation. Advances in population genomics tools give an unprecedented power to unravel the genetic basis of adaptation. The Columbian Exchange can be used as a model to study crop adaptation and to develop predictive models. Abstract : In the context of the global challenge of climate change, mitigation strategies are needed to adapt crops to novel environments. The main goal to address this is an understanding of the genetic basis of crop adaptation to different agro-ecological conditions. The movement of crops during the Colombian Exchange that started with the travels of Columbus in 1492 is an example of rapid adaptation to novel environments. Many diversification-related traits have been characterised in multiple crop species, and association-mapping analyses have identified loci involved in these. Here, we present an overview of current knowledge regarding the molecular basis related to the complex patterns of crop adaptation and dissemination, particularly outside their centres of origin. Investigation of the genomic basis of crop expansion offers a powerful contribution to the development of tools to identify and exploit valuable genetic diversity and to improve and design novel resilient crop varieties.