We provide taxonomic infrastructure for economically important plants to help crop breeding, forest monitoring programmes, and sustainable management plans. RBGEs expertise on crop wild relatives is unique and needed in finding nature-based solutions for increasing yields, pest and pathogen resistance and abiotic stress traits in our core groups in Solanum (nightshades) and legumes (pea family). These two groups include 44 major and minor crops, such as several vegetable and fruit crops in Solanum (e.g., tomato, potato, aubergine i.e., brinjal eggplant, scarlet eggplant, Gilo eggplant, pepino, pea eggplant) and several food and fodder crops (e.g., pea, broad bean, lentil, sweet pea).
Contacts Dr Tiina Särkinen, Dr Greg Kenicer