Genes from the Wild
Using Wild Genetic Resources for Food and Raw Materials
Natural Resource Management Set Series

Tomatoes could not be grown commercially without the help of their wild relatives. A single wild species of rice has helped double rice production in Asia. Wild silk-worms are enabling India to expand its silk industry. A wild carp with resistance to cold has been used to extend Soviet carp production further into the north.

Wild genetic resources - the heritable characteristics of wild plants and animals - are used increasingly to improve domesticated crops and livestock and as new sources of food and of raw materials. But habitat destruction, over-exploitation and competition from introduced species is destroying many gene pools even before they have been identified.

Genes from the Wild describes the growing contribution of wild genetic resources to the production of food and raw materials, describes their characteristics, explains the benefits and problems of using them and outlines the ways in which they are threatened and the measures being taken to conserve them.

Originally published in 1988

Contents
1. The Oldest Resource; the Newest Resource
Some Definitions
2. What have Wild Genetic Resources been Used for?
Cereals
Root Crops
Oil Crops
Vegetables and Pulses
Fruits and Nuts
Sugar Crops
Commodity Crops
Fibre Crops
Timber
Forage Crops
Livestock
Aquaculture
3. The Nature of Wild Genetic Resources
Benefits of Wild Genetic Resources
What Kinds of Wild Species are Used?
The Future of Wild Genetic Resources
4. Where are Wild Genes Found? And Who Uses them?
Who has got them? And Who Benefits?
5. Threats to Wild Genetic Resources
Cereals
Root Crops
Oil Crops
Vegetables and Pulses
Fruits and Nuts
Sugar Crops
Commodity Crops
Fibre Crops
Timber
Forage Crops
Livestock
Aquaculture
6. Conservation of Wild Genetic Resources
In Situ Gene Banks
The Difficulties
References