Genomics of Tropical Crop Plants

Tropical crop plants are one of the natural world’s most valuable assets. However, the genetic resources of tropical plants are underutilized and in danger of being lost due to the destruction of natural habitats, the high costs of conservation programs, and our lack of appreciation of the worth of these precious resources. Considering the tropical origin of much of the biological diversity that is responsible for genes and phenotypes of temperate crops, there is a critical need for assessing…