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Despite world food production keeping pace with population growth because of the Green Revolution, the United Nations (UN) State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022 Report indicates that the number of people affected by hunger has increased to 828 million with 29.3% of the global population food insecure, and 22% of children under five years of age stunted. Many more have low-quality, unhealthy diets and micronutrient deficiencies leading to obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related non-communicable diseases. Additionally, current agro-food systems significantly impact the environment and the climate, including soil and water resources. Frequent natural disasters resulting from climate change, pandemics, and conflicts weaken food systems and exacerbate food insecurity worldwide. In this review, we outline the current knowledge in alternative agricultural practices for achieving sustainability as well as policies and practices that need to be implemented for an equitable distribution of resources and food for achieving several goals in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. According to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, animal husbandry, particularly ruminant meat and dairy, accounts for a significant proportion of agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and land use but contributes only 18% of food energy. In contrast, plant-based foods, particularly perennial crops, have the lowest environmental impacts. Therefore, expanding the cultivation of perennials, particularly herbaceous perennials, to replace annual crops, fostering climate-smart food choices, implementing policies and subsidies favoring efficient production systems with low environmental impact, empowering women, and adopting modern biotechnological and digital solutions can help to transform global agro-food systems toward sustainability. There is growing evidence that food security and adequate nutrition for the global population can be achieved using climate-smart, sustainable agricultural practices, while reducing negative environmental impacts of agriculture, including GHG emissions.

Despite the dramatic increase in food production thanks to the Green Revolution, hunger is increasing among human populations around the world, affecting one in nine people. The negative environmental and social consequences of industrial monocrop agriculture is becoming evident, particularly in the contexts of greenhouse gas emissions and the increased frequency and impact of zoonotic disease emergence, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Human activity has altered 70–75% of the ice-free Earth’s surface, squeezing nature and wildlife into a corner. To prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide, the UN has launched a Decade of Ecosystem Restoration. In this context, this review describes the origin and diversity of cultivated species, the impact of modern agriculture and other human activities on plant genetic resources, and approaches to conserve and use them to increase food diversity and production with specific examples of the use of crop wild relatives for breeding climate-resilient cultivars that require less chemical and mechanical input. The need to better coordinate in situ conservation efforts with increased funding has been highlighted. We emphasise the need to strengthen the genebank infrastructure, enabling the use of modern biotechnological tools to help in genotyping and characterising accessions plus advanced ex situ conservation methods, identifying gaps in collections, developing core collections, and linking data with international databases. Crop and variety diversification and minimising tillage and other field practices through the development and introduction of herbaceous perennial crops is proposed as an alternative regenerative food system for higher carbon sequestration, sustaining economic benefits for growers, whilst also providing social and environmental benefits.

Raspberry bushy dwarf virus (RBDV) is one of the few horizontally transmitted plant viruses and is difficult to eradicate from infected raspberry (Rubus idaeus) by conventional methods because of its ability to infect meristematic cells in the apical dome. This virus is present where ever raspberry is grown and its adverse effects on quality and yield of the crop has necessitated development of methods to eradicate RBDV from infected stock plants. We applied ribavirin treatment (30 mg/L for 2 weeks—chemotherapy), thermotherapy (24 °C for 8 h in dark and 39 °C for 16 h with light for 2 weeks), cryotherapy (droplet vitrification of shoot tips) and their different combinations to assess the efficiency of virus eradication from an infected raspberry genotype. Virus testing was done on plantlets in tissue culture after 3–4 months following plant regeneration and repeated in half the population of virus-free plants in the greenhouse, 1 year after the initial test. Results showed that ribavirin treatment severely affected plant regeneration, resulting in low efficiency of virus eradication (10.6% regenerated plantlets free of RBDV out of all explants treated). When it was combined with thermotherapy, plant regeneration was significantly improved, resulting in higher efficiency of virus eradication (44.4%). When the shoot tips subjected to these two treatments were cryopreserved and regenerated, virus eradication efficiency further improved to 58.5%. The control of this treatment where plant material was not treated in liquid nitrogen produced the highest efficiency of virus eradication (78.8%), partly because of better plant regeneration. Thermotherapy and cryotherapy when applied alone failed to remove the virus from infected material; however, when combined, 48.6% efficiency of virus eradication was recorded. Inclusion of in vitro thermotherapy in combination with chemotherapy or cryotherapy or both is important to improve efficiency of RBDV eradication from infected raspberry. Nevertheless this virus can be eradicated by different approaches, and our results are useful for planning virus eradication programmes based on the efficiency of eradication. It is important to test the virus status after greenhouse acclimation, as virus may be suppressed and not completely eliminated in some treatments at tissue culture stage, as shown in ribavirin treatment in our research.Key messageEradication of Raspberry bushy dwarf virus from infected red raspberry is possible by chemotherapy, but the efficiency can be significantly improved when combined with thermotherapy or cryotherapy, or both.

Traditional plant breeding has helped to increase food production dramatically over the past five decades, and many countries have managed to produce enough food for the growing population, particularly in the developing world [...]

Somatic embryogenesis (SE) has many applications in grapevine biotechnology including micropropagation, eradicating viral infections from infected cultivars, mass production of hypocotyl explants for micrografting, as a continuous source for haploid and doubled haploid plants, and for germplasm conservation. It is so far the only pathway for the genetic modification of grapevines through transformation. The single-cell origin of somatic embryos makes them an ideal explant for mutation breeding as the resulting mutants will be chimera-free. In the present research, two combinations of plant growth regulators and different explants from flower buds at two stages of maturity were tested in regard to the efficiency of callusing and embryo formation from the callus produced in three white grape cultivars. Also, the treatment of somatic embryos with the chemical mutagen ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) was optimised. Medium 2339 supplemented with β-naphthoxyacetic acid (5 μM) and 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP—9.0 μM) produced significantly more calluses than medium 2337 supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (4.5 µM) and BAP (8.9 µM) in all explants. The calluses produced on medium 2337 were harder and more granular and produced more SEs. Although the stage of the maturity of floral bud did not have a significant effect on the callusing of the explants, calluses produced from immature floral bud explants in the premeiotic stage produced significantly more SEs than those from more mature floral buds. Overall, immature ovaries and cut floral buds exposing the cut ends of filaments, style, etc., tested for the first time in grapevine SE, produced the highest percentage of embryogenic calluses. It is much more efficient to cut the floral bud and culture than previously reported explants such as anthers, ovaries, stigmas and styles during the short flowering period when the immature flower buds are available. When the somatic embryos of the three cultivars were incubated for one hour with 0.1% EMS, their germination was reduced by 50%; an ideal treatment considered to obtain a high frequency of mutations for screening. Our research findings will facilitate more efficient SE induction in grapevines and inducing mutations for improving individual traits without altering the genetic background of the cultivar.

Genetic improvements in plant breeding are dependent upon having access to novel plant genetic resources that are available in plant genebanks. Many crops that are vegetatively-propagated are maintained as plants in the field or greenhouse, making them vulnerable to biotic and abiotic threats. Increasingly, plant genebanks are using cryopreservation technologies to secure vegetatively propagated collections at secondary locations. Droplet vitrification and cryo-plate cryopreservation methods have been used to successfully cryopreserve the shoot tips of many plant species. New propagule types, including small leaf square-bearing adventitious buds, stem disc-bearing adventitious buds, microtubers and rhizome buds are alternative explants for use in cryopreservation. This review describes new technologies for in-vitro based cryopreservation systems that have advanced the field of plant cryopreservation. Future advances will allow even more diverse germplasm to be successfully preserved in cryobanks.Key messageNew technologies for in-vitro based cryopreservation systems have advanced the field of plant cryopreservation since the twenty first century. Further advances will certainly facilitate even more diverse germplasm to be successfully preserved in cryobanks.

Kiwifruit (Actinidia spp., Family Actinidiaceae) is a recently domesticated crop with highly endangered genetic resources in field genebanks and in the centre of diversity. Improved genotypes of several species in the genus have been commercialised and several other species are used in breeding programmes. Cryopreservation is considered a safe and cost-effective option for ex-situ conservation of clonal crops. In the current research we tested if the currently available method of droplet vitrification (DV) cryopreservation could be simplified whilst improving plant regeneration. Plant regeneration in the nine accessions belonging to A. chinensis var. chinensis, and A. chinensis var. deliciosa, A. arguta, A. macrosperma and A. polygama after cryopreservation ranged from 59 to 88% with the improved method where cold acclimation and antioxidant treatment steps were eliminated while sucrose pretreatment of shoot tips has been reduced to two steps in two days. Use of smaller (0.5–1 mm compared to 2 mm) in vitro shoot tips from younger (two weeks after subculture), fast-growing shoots and the use of liquid sucrose for shoot tip pretreatment are considered to be the reasons for this improved response. We also introduced the use of sodium dichloroisocyanurate as an alternative to household bleach as a sterilant for kiwifruit tissue culture establishment. The improved DV protocol is being used to cryopreserve valuable kiwifruit genetic resources with greater efficiency.Key messageUse of small shoot tips (0.5–1mm) from young shoots pretreated in liquid sucrose media in the dark significantly improved plant regeneration in five Actinidia species after droplet vitrification cryopreservation

Certain viruses dramatically affect yield and quality of potatoes and have proved difficult to eradicate with current approaches. Here, we describe a reliable and efficient virus eradication method that is high throughput and more efficacious at producing virus-free potato plants than current reported methods. Thermotherapy, chemotherapy, and cryotherapy treatments were tested alone and in combination for ability to eradicate single and mixed Potato virus S (PVS), Potato virus A (PVA), and Potato virus M (PVM) infections from three potato cultivars. Chemotherapy treatments were undertaken on in vitro shoot segments for four weeks in culture medium supplemented with 100 mg L −1 ribavirin. Thermotherapy on in vitro shoot segments was applied for two weeks at 40°C (day) and 28°C (night) with a 16 h photoperiod. Plant vitrification solution 2 (PVS2) and cryotherapy treatments included a shoot tip preculture followed by exposure to PVS2 either without or with liquid nitrogen (LN, cryotherapy) treatment. The virus status of control and recovered plants following therapies was assessed in post-regeneration culture after 3 months and then retested in plants after they had been growing in a greenhouse for a further 3 months. Microtuber production was investigated using in vitro virus-free and virus-infected segments. We found that thermotherapy and cryotherapy (60 min PVS2 + LN) used alone were not effective in virus eradication, while chemotherapy was better but with variable efficacy (20–100%). The most effective result (70–100% virus eradication) was obtained by combining chemotherapy with cryotherapy, or by consecutive chemotherapy, combined chemotherapy and thermotherapy, then cryotherapy treatments irrespective of cultivar. Regrowth following the two best virus eradication treatments was similar ranging from 8.6 to 29% across the three cultivars. The importance of virus removal on yield was reflected in “Dunluce” free of PVS having higher numbers of microtubers and in “V500’ free of PVS and PVA having a greater proportion of microtubers > 5 mm. Our improved procedure has potential for producing virus-free planting material for the potato industry. It could also underpin the global exchange of virus-free germplasm for conservation and breeding programs.

Somatic embryogenesis (SE) provides alternative methodologies for the propagation of grapevine (Vitis spp.) cultivars, conservation of their germplasm resources, and crop improvement. In this review, the current state of knowledge regarding grapevine SE as applied to these technologies is presented, with a focus on the benefits, challenges, and limitations of this method. The paper provides a comprehensive overview of the different steps involved in the grapevine SE process, including callus induction, maintenance of embryogenic cultures, and the production of plantlets. Additionally, the review explores the development of high-health plant material through SE; the molecular and biochemical mechanisms underlying SE, including the regulation of gene expression, hormone signaling pathways, and metabolic pathways; as well as its use in crop improvement programs. The review concludes by highlighting the future directions for grapevine SE research, including the development of new and improved protocols, the integration of SE with other plant tissue culture techniques, and the application of SE for the production of elite grapevine cultivars, for the conservation of endangered grapevine species as well as for cultivars with unique traits that are valuable for breeding programs.

Exploitation of the kithul palm ( Caryota urens L. Arecaceae) is an ancient industry in Sri Lanka, yet it is neither commercialized nor cultivated. Naturally established palms in the agroforestry systems or in the wild are used to produce food, beverage, timber, and traditional medicines. As kithul cultivation is not commercialized, the related production systems are not mechanized, products are not standardized, or value added. Each step related to kithul products has specific sets of methods learnt through experience, disseminated from one generation to the next. Diverse kithul products are used in diets, in industry and some of its products are integrated with Ayurvedic medicine. The scientific research findings corroborate some beneficial properties of kithul products such as floral sap, treacle, jaggery, toddy, vinegar and flour, claimed by ayurvedic physicians. Kithul products have many potential uses in the food industry, pharmaceuticals, bioremediation, energy production, and structural engineering. This review compiles the indigenous knowledge system behind the kithul industry in Sri Lanka and the scientific findings justifying the practices in the industry and properties of the products. We highlight the need to scientifically explore certain components in the industry such as the seasoning mixtures used for tapping the sap to develop more effective commercial products, develop innovative tapping and processing technology, and improved cultivars and establishment of plantations. We have also shown the scientific basis of the medicinal value of kithul-based products already used in local Ayurvedic medicine.