Sustainable use of Plant Genetic Resources to mitigate the effect of climate change

Conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources is essential to meet the demand for future food security. The world is facing the challenge of increasing the food production to feed the population growing at unprecedented rate. The unpredictable climate conditions have put immense pressure on our agricultural production systems. The situation is exacerbated by limited land and water resources. Attainment of food security in the climate change scenario requires climate smart varieties, which are capable of producing more even with harsh climatic conditions. We need to reorient our breeding programs to develop multipurpose crop varieties having high input use efficiency, improved nutritional qualities, and fitting into ecosystem based approaches for sustainability. The narrow genetic base of our food crops should be broadened by utilizing landraces, crop wild relatives, underutilized and neglected species. Inherent potential of plant genetic resources needs to be harnessed by pre breeding, on farm conservation and crop diversification approaches.