World: Will we starve to death if wild versions of our crops become extinct?
Published Sep 10, 2021
Tridge summary
Wild varieties of the world's most important crops are threatened with extinction, although they also play a very important role in crop production. More than 70 wild relatives of the world’s most important crops, including potatoes, avocados or vanilla, are threatened with extinction, according to a study presented at the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Congress in Marseille.
Original content
Endangered plants live in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras and are important genetic resources for growing plants that are more resistant to climate change, disease and insects, and achieving higher yields worldwide, according to the conservation organization's website. In a study published in the journal Plants, People, Planet, the experts examined 224 plants closely related to corn, tomatoes, beans, pumpkin, chili peppers, vanilla, avocado, or cotton. It has been found that 35 percent of these wild species are on the verge of extinction as their habitat has been converted for human use, coupled with the mechanization of traditional agricultural systems, the widespread use of pesticides and herbicides. They are also at risk from the emergence of invasive species in their habitats, contamination by insects, genetically modified plants, their excessive harvesting and logging. Among the wild species most threatened with extinction are all eight species of vanilla ...
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