Characterisation, Protection and Development of Minor Crops Adapted to Challenging New Climatic Conditions

Dear Colleagues,

Current agriculture and food production worldwide is based on the commercial cultivation of a relatively low number of cultivars of a few plant species, which have been bred for improved yields under optimal growing conditions. Therefore, achieving high productivity also requires high inputs (chemical fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides) and, in many cases, irrigation. These cultivars are generally sensitive to abiotic stress factors, such as high temperatures, drought or salinity. Current environmental conditions, driven by climate change—or, rather, the climate emergency—demand urgent action, as yields of our major crops are declining in many parts of the world.

Despite some promising results, the biotechnological improvement of the abiotic stress tolerance of major commercial crops through classical breeding, genetic transformation and/or genome editing will take time. However, many other “minor” crops or cultivars, which have been neglected for producing lower yields, may be better adapted to more stressful local conditions and could be cultivated on a larger scale, helping to increase global crop yields under present and foreseeable climatic conditions. 

This Special Issue welcomes original research papers, review and mini-review articles or opinion papers on the characterisation of minor crops, their responses to environmental stress factors, using breeding to improve agronomic traits, protection, in situ and ex situ conservation and related topics.

“Minor crops” are considered in a broad sense: food and non-food crops cultivated on a small scale, landraces, varieties/cultivars of major crops grown locally or stored in seed banks, crops introduced in new areas but cultivated on a large scale elsewhere and wild species candidates for cultivation as cash crops are all considered in this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Monica Boscaiu
Prof. Dr. Mariola Plazas
Prof. Dr. Oscar Vicente
Guest Editors

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• minor crops
• abiotic stress tolerance
• seedbanks
• genetic characterization
• breeding
• germplasm resources