Integrative and inclusive genomics to promote the use of underutilised crops

Abstract

Underutilised crops are important for diversifying food systems. The genomics of these crops should not be done in isolation but should align with their breeding and capacity building strategies while leveraging advances made in major crops.

Fig. 1. Summary of underutilised crops genomics studies.

Assembly metrics by submission date for 1324 land plant species with publicly available genome assemblies from 2008 to 2023. An example (non-exhaustive) set of underutilised crops are highlighted in green while other plant species are highlighted in blue. Genome size is represented by bubble size. Source data are provided as a Source Data file, which consists of Supplementary Table 1 from Marks et al. updated with data for assemblies published till July 2023.

Fig. 2. Integrated and inclusive genomics for underutilised crops.

To achieve a diversified and resilient food system through the utilisation of underutilised crops, the genomics of these crops must align with their breeding programmes and end-users’ needs, promote participation and capacity building of the communities that depend on them, and leverage information from other fields and crops. The map present in this Figure was adapted from Marks et al.. The other images in the Figure were purchased from Shutterstock.