Plant Genetic Resources and its Global Contribution

Plant genetic resources (PGR) have been contributed to the daily life of the people in the world through the domestication of and civilization with them. PGR should be regarded as the essential subjects, the same as water, air, and soil which are the important components of the global environment. Thus, PGR can be deteriorated or lost easily unless we pay an extra-caution to live with them.In an old time, more numbers of plant species have been used for food, feed, fiber, remedy, energy, construction, manufacturing and/or environmental protection compared with the limited number of species used at present. PGR have been supported the development of the traditional knowledge and culture, in contrast which is now diminishing very rapidly with PGR.With the modern agriculture supported by the plant breeding, many of crop species have been further modified for the needs of human beings. On the other hand, an extensive use of particular species and cultivars have been caused the decrease in the diversity of the plant species for use and for conservation in nature.While science and technology are further being developed, there is constant increase in possibility to enhance the potential capability of crop species for synchronizing sustainability and productivity. On the other hand, without the contribution of PGR as the platform for the application on such science and technology, there would not be much future on the outcome of the applications of the modern science and technology. Learning from the past, the rejuvenation of traditional knowledge and cultural information, and the exploitation of the under-utilized PGR from elsewhere, should alleviate the diverse spectra of pitfalls confronting the needs of human beings.