An Inventory of Crop Wild Relatives of the United States

The use of crop wild relatives (CWRs) in breeding is likely to continue to intensify as utilization techniques improve and crop adaptation to climate change becomes more pressing. Significant gaps remain in the conservation of these genetic resources. As a first step toward a national strategy for the conservation of CWRs, this paper presents an inventory of taxa occurring in the United States, with suggested prioritization of species based on potential value in crop improvement.