Abstract The average global temperature is expected to rise in the coming years, demanding more resilient crops. Crop wild relatives (CWR) are critical for assisting in the development of resistant cultivars to various biological and abiotic stresses, as well as increasing productivity and providing environmental, economic, and social benefits. The main goal of this research was to inventory the wild relatives of crops for food and agriculture in the Pampas. The Pampas represents the most extensive area of temperate grasslands in South America, hosts a diverse assembly of plant species and is facing unprecedent habitat and genetic resources losses. Our findings resulted in the first list of CWR native in the Pampas, including 199 taxa representing 10 families and 18 genera of angiosperms. Only 39 CWR found in the Pampas have been classified based on the Gene Pool of the relative crop. Twenty-two of the 39 taxa have been assessed for extinction risk in at least one of the databases consulted. Given the relevance of these species for global food security in mitigating the current and future consequences of population growth and climate change, there is an urgent need to protect in situ, conserve ex situ, and research the Pampean CWR.
Vahl et al. (Thu,) studied this question.