**Conflict of interest**

**iii.** Diversity being well retained during collection through the use of molecular markers and visual observation and by using internationally accepted conservation and characteriza-

**vi.** Organizing regular national or regional collection programs with functional surveys that

These activities, once established, will greatly improve the targeted use of genetic resources and will help scientists and breeders strategically extract and use allelic variation for impor-

Loss of genetic diversity has been recognized as a genetic bottleneck imposed on crop plants during domestication and through modern plant breeding practices. Allelic variation of genes originally found in the wild but gradually lost through domestication and breeding has been recovered only by going back to landraces. Landraces with increased biomass and total photosynthesis have potentially new allelic variation that should be exploited in plant

Landraces are heterogeneous with variable phenology, are low to moderate but stable edible yield and are often nutritionally superior. Traditional agricultural production systems in the past have played a vital role in the evolution and conservation of on-farm diversity, allowing farmers to circumvent crop failure by reducing vulnerability environmental stresses. A systematic evaluation of landraces for assessing the pattern of diversity is urgently needed to identify alleles for enhancing yield and adaptation to abiotic stress for raising the produc-

Authors thanked the authority of LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, Nigeria, for the provision of some

gather high-quality information related to germplasm being collected

**x.** Spreading research results in a database system linked with gene banks

**viii.**Using internationally accepted database management programs in gene banks

**vii.** Reliable 'passport' information being available with GPS coordinates

**ix.** Providing a worldwide data system among gene banks

**17. Conclusion and future perspective**

tivity of the staple food crops in stressful environments.

tion standards in seed gene banks

**v.** Functional multiplication programs

**iv.** Increasing in situ conservation

16 Rediscovery of Landraces as a Resource for the Future

tant traits.

breeding.

**Acknowledgements**

of the facilities used in this study.

Authors declare no conflict of interest.
