Overview

Tomatoes could not be grown commercially without the help of their wild relatives. A single wild species of rice has helped double rice production in Asia. Wild silk-worms are enabling India to expand its silk industry. A wild carp with resistance to cold has been used to extend Soviet carp production further into the north. Wild genetic resources - the heritable characteristics of wild plants and animals - are used increasingly to improve domesticated crops and livestock and as new sources of food and of raw materials. But habitat destruction, over-exploitation and competition from introduced species is destroying many gene pools even before they have been identified. Genes from the Wild describes the growing contribution of wild genetic resources to the production of food and raw materials, describes their characteristics, explains the benefits and problems of using them and outlines the ways in which they are threatened and the measures being taken to conserve them. Originally published in 1988

Full Product Details

Author:   Robert Prescott-Allen ,  Christine Prescott-Allen
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.210kg
ISBN:  

9781138928800

ISBN 10:   1138928801
Pages:   116
Publication Date:   28 June 2018
Audience:   College/higher education ,  General/trade ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Contents 1. The Oldest Resource; the Newest Resource Some Definitions 2. What have Wild Genetic Resources been Used for? Cereals Root Crops Oil Crops Vegetables and Pulses Fruits and Nuts Sugar Crops Commodity Crops Fibre Crops Timber Forage Crops Livestock Aquaculture 3. The Nature of Wild Genetic Resources Benefits of Wild Genetic Resources What Kinds of Wild Species are Used? The Future of Wild Genetic Resources 4. Where are Wild Genes Found? And Who Uses them? Who has got them? And Who Benefits? 5. Threats to Wild Genetic Resources Cereals Root Crops Oil Crops Vegetables and Pulses Fruits and Nuts Sugar Crops Commodity Crops Fibre Crops Timber Forage Crops Livestock Aquaculture 6. Conservation of Wild Genetic Resources In Situ Gene Banks The Difficulties References

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Author Information

Authored by Prescott-Allen, Robert ; Prescott-Allen, Christine

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