Contents



Preface

Conservation and genetic diversity in crops are essential elements of sustainable solutions for hunger, malnutrition, and livelihood improvement. Unsustainable use of natural resources, promotion of genetically uniform varieties over local varieties, introduction of alien invasive species, changing human consumption patterns, lack of or inappropriate legislation and policy, and climate change all threaten crop diversity.

Food safety has long been associated with abundant main crops producing cereal, roots and tubers, vegetables, and fruits to supply affordable nutrient energy sources. However, this image has changed as the concept of nutritional security has become an important component of food safety, and food diversity has become the fundamental

In both extreme wild and trade forms, conceptualizations appear clear in the broad range of plant materials regarding domestication and/or reproduction. Wild plants are not domesticated or subject to artificial selection and reproduction processes. They do not show any typical crop features, such as uniform germination of seeds and fruit maturation. Commercial varieties are produced by a breeding program to improve

This book is a handbook of conservation and genetic diversity in plants and animals. A chapter on maize (*Zea mays ssp. mays*) summarizes its wild relatives/landraces and the genetic gain over time in biotic/abiotic, productivity, and nutritional quality traits. Maize is a crop of global significance, used as human food, animal feed, and in various industrial products. It is an essential source of calories and protein for livestock in

One of the chapters discusses Coffee landraces. The popular drink is a primary contributor to annual revenue and employment on four continents and in many emerging nations. In the second half of the nineteenth century, the growth of the mass consumer market in the United States transformed it into an industrial product due to the accelera-

Their domestication history has been a concern for our domesticated animals for many years. A major area of research is the considerably earlier development of domestic species. The Bovidae family (e.g., cattle, sheep, and caprine) has a less phylogenic nature. In Southeast Asia, about 50 million years ago, the now-extinct Hypertragulidae were the first identifiable primitive ancestor. Livestock agriculture is a profitable agricultural

> **Amr Elkelish** Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

component of human health.

certain features of the crop.

developing countries.

tion in coffee production in Brazil.

enterprise and a vital income-enhancement activity.
