About this Research Topic

Background

This Research Topic aims to collect selected contributions from the “Global strategy for the conservation and use of fruit tree genetic resources” conference taking place on 30th to 31st January 2023 at the University of Sannio, Benevento, Italy. For more information on the conference please follow this link: https://63a449c3d2251.site123.me/

The conference fits into the themes of this Research Topic by going to research and collect the different international experiences related to the conservation and enhancement of plant genetic resources of fruit trees. The overview offered ranges from experiences related to ex-situ conservation, through the participation of curators of major fruit tree germplasm collections around the world, to innovative experiences and strategies for in-situ conservation from the works of international groups involved in the study of the topic. In addition, the results obtained by the DiCoVaLe project, aimed at the recovery, conservation
and valorization of endangered and endemic PGR in Campania region, funded by the Campania Region and carried out by a team of Italian researchers belonging to various universities and research institutes, will be displayed.

The ecological study of agricultural landscapes and their biodiversity (“agrobiodiversity”) is becoming central to conservation and the provision of ecosystem services, such as natural pest control, pollination, nutrient cycling, and water conservation in the ever-changing environment.

A biodiversity-based paradigm for agriculture can provide potential solutions for many of the problems associated with high-input agriculture, and also greater resilience to environmental and socio-economic risks occurring within the environmental crisis and ongoing climate change. The challenge remains in understanding the ecological functions of agrobiodiversity at different scales, from a holistic perspective.

This Research Topic aims to frame agrobiodiversity as a large, integrated system of knowledge and activities that link comparative, multi-scale, and interdisciplinary studies with different levels of technical and practical applications, from genetic resource management to agrobiodiversity ecosystem services. In this context, the preservation of the intangible (cultural) heritage of agrobiodiversity - the knowledge that over time has allowed the conservation of local biodiversity, and the delineation of the agrarian, pastoral, and forest landscapes – is also fundamental.

Articles in this collection will (i) provide a snapshot of research in agrobiodiversity to define the current status of conservation, (ii) identify key actions to enable positive changes for conservation, and (iii), support new long-term conservation strategies.

It will highlight the latest research on sustaining agrobiodiversity to (i) assess the importance of agrobiodiversity custodians in both conservation and agricultural development, (ii) investigate landscape-level effects on agrobiodiversity, and (iii) share strategies for agrobiodiversity conservation from landscape to molecular scales.

We therefore welcome Original Research and Review articles that cover the following:

• Plant diversity conservation in agro-ecosystems (landraces genetic characterization, genetic resources, molecular biology, in-situ and ex-situ conservation strategies);
• Landscape ecology of agricultural systems (landscape mosaics, spatial and temporal changes within agroecosystems, ecosystem services of agricultural landscapes);
• Impact of environmental pressure on agrobiodiversity (agrochemicals, landscape fragmentation).

Keywords: agrobiodiversity, plant conservation, resilience, agricultural landscape, genetic resources

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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