The human species has domesticated more than a thousand plant species for use as agricultural plants. However, the bulk of the diet comes from a few species, which are extensively cultivated. So much so, that 60% of the food chain is provided only by the production of four species: corn, rice, wheat and soybeans. Given this prevalence, a scientific team, led by the Rey Juan Carlos University, has wondered how it has come to depend on so few species.

To reveal the reasons that have led to the supremacy of these foods, his research has focused on the historical, evolutionary and geographical conditions that have caused some plants to be selected over others as key species of the current agricultural system. The scientific team, in which the University of Sheffield has also participated(United Kingdom), has collected quantitative information on a multitude of descriptors of 866 agricultural species of a very diverse nature, from the most predominant species in agricultural systems, such as corn or soybeans, to very minor species, for example, the tuberous pea. or lettuce from India. "We obtained a phylogenetic tree of all of them, which informs us of their evolutionary kinship relationships", highlights Rubén Milla, URJC researcher and lead author of the study. “In addition, we consolidate a database in which we include information on the climatic conditions in the regions where each species was originally cultivated, the age with which each of them has been cultivated, the main use of each species. , as well as its agricultural relevance,

Analysis of this compilation of data has allowed the research team to reveal the multiple factors that influence a particular species becoming widely cultivated, identifying some consistent patterns. For example, species that have been domesticated for their seeds or those that come from climates with a marked dry season tend to be cultivated to a greater extent than others. "We have also observed that, although there are very prominent families of agricultural plants, such as grasses or legumes, the agricultural relevance is widely distributed among all the families, orders and evolutionary groups of plants," says the URJC researcher.

The main conclusion of this study, recently published in the scientific journal Nature Plants , points out that the oldest species, those that have been cultivated for thousands of years, are used more extensively than the species that have been incorporated into the agriculture in more recent historical times.

Weakness of the food system and opportunity for improvement

Statistical control over all climatic, geographical and evolutionary factors has allowed the scientific team to determine that the species that predominantly support the food chain are, to a large extent, for historical reasons.

These results point to a weakness in the food system, as Rubén Milla points out: “A system based on a few species, which we continue to favor due to historical inertia, but not necessarily due to biological suitability, is very little resilient to changes. This is worrying in a scenario of accelerated global change like the current one ”.

Faced with this climatic horizon, the data obtained in this study also open the door to an opportunity for improvement with the incorporation of less cultivated species into the food system to make it more productive and resistant to current change scenarios. "We have a multitude of minor agricultural species with practically unexplored agricultural potential, since technological innovation, both historical and contemporary, has focused on a few species", concludes Rubén Milla.

Irene Vega
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