Genetic Diversity and Erosion in Plants

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-viii

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2. Genetic Diversity, Erosion, and Conservation in Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.)

   • Claude Bakoumé

   Pages 1-33

3. Genetic Diversity, Genetic Erosion, and Conservation of the Two Cultivated Rice Species (Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima) and Their Close Wild Relatives

   • Ahmadi Nourollah

   Pages 35-73

4. Genetic Diversity and Erosion in Berries

   • Samir C. Debnath

   Pages 75-129

5. Genetic Erosion of Phoenix dactylifera L.: Perceptible, Probable, or Possible

   • Abdullah A. Jaradat

   Pages 131-213

6. The Genetic Diversity, Conservation, and Use of Passion Fruit (Passiflora spp.)

   • Carlos Bernard Moreno Cerqueira-Silva, Fábio Gelape Faleiro, Onildo Nunes de Jesus, Elisa Susilene Lisboa dos Santos, Anete Pereira de Souza

   Pages 215-231

7. Genetic Diversity and Erosion in Hevea Rubber

   • P. M. Priyadarshan

   Pages 233-267

8. Estimating Genetic Erosion in Threatened Conifers: The Example of Picea chihuahuana Martínez

   • Christian Wehenkel, Cuauhtémoc Sáenz-Romero, Juan Pablo Jaramillo-Correa

   Pages 269-284

9. Genetic Erosion and In Situ Conservation of Lima Bean (Phaseolus Lunatus L.) Landraces in Mesoamerican Diversity Center

   • Jaime Martínez-Castillo, Filogonio May-Pat, Luciana Camacho-Pérez, Rubén H. Andueza-Noh, Félix Dzul-Tejero

   Pages 285-306

10. Agrobiodiversity: The Importance of Inventories in the Assessment of Crop Diversity and Its Time and Spatial Changes

    • Miguel Ângelo Almeida Pinheiro de Carvalho, Penelope J. Bebeli, Ana Maria Barata da Silva, Eliseu Bettencourt, Jan Jacek Slaski, Sónia Dias

    Pages 307-335

11. Genetic Diversity and Conservation of Olive Genetic Resources

    • Concepción M. Díez, Juan Moral, Diego Barranco, Luis Rallo

    Pages 337-356

12. Genetic Diversity, Genetic Erosion, Conservation of Genetic Resources, and Cultivation of Medicinal Plants

    • B. R. Rajeswara Rao

    Pages 357-407

13. Genetic Diversity, Erosion, and Population Structure in Cotton Genetic Resources

    • Narayanan Manikanda Boopathi, Lucia Vieira Hoffmann

    Pages 409-438

Genetic erosion is the loss of genetic diversity within a species. It can happen very quickly, due to catastrophic events, or changes in land use leading to habitat loss. But it can also occur more gradually and remain unnoticed for a long time. One of the main causes of genetic erosion is the replacement of local varieties by modern varieties. Other causes include environmental degradation, urbanization, and land clearing through deforestation and brush fires. In order to conserve biodiversity in plants, it is important to targets three independent levels that include ecosystems, species and genes. Genetic diversity is important to a species’ fitness, long-term viability, and ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Chapters in this book are written by leading geneticists, molecular biologists and other specialists on relevant topics on genetic erosion and conservation genetic diversity in plants. This divisible set of two volumes deals with a broad spectrum of topics ongenetic erosion, and approaches to biodiversity conservation in crop plants and trees. Volume 1 deals with indicators and prevention of genetic erosion, while volume 2 covers genetic diversity and erosion in a number of plants species. These two volumes will also be useful to botanists, biotechnologists, environmentalists, policy makers, conservationists, and NGOs working to manage genetic erosion and biodiversity.

• Biodiversity
• Genetic Erosion
• Crop Plants
• Causes and Prevention
• Genetic Resources

• Zobel Forestry Associates, New Paltz, USA

  M.R. Ahuja

• University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

  S. Mohan Jain

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