Canadian wild plant germplasm of economic significance

Abstract

Canada is a large country with a great diversity of native plant material. Many of the native genera and species are related to crop plants. A review of different crop groupings revealed that over 30% of native plant material is related to crop species at the generic level. Fruit crops (111 species) and forage and turfgrass (138 species) crops had the highest number of related wild species. Nut crop species had relatively few native representatives (11 species) as did cereal, oilseed and other field crops (18 species). Special and minor acreage crops were represented by 86 species while landscape plants were represented by 137 genera. Forest trees are an important economic resource. Over 70 species of coniferous and deciduous trees are native to Canada. Many species, particularly in the fruit crop grouping, could be identified as world resources (e.g. Amelanchier) with the major part of their distribution occurring on Canadian soil. A concerted effort is needed to identify which species are endangered so that they can be preserved on a long-term basis. More research is needed to identify other long-term conservation goals coupled with crop development programs. Key words: Genetic conservation, Canada, wild plants, biodiversity