The potential for landraces to be used for climate adaption in Swedish agriculture

Sammanfattning

Swedish agriculture is facing multiple challenges due to climate change caused by the increased temperature on Earth. Climate change in Sweden is characterized by a warmer and wetter climate and extreme weather events. Today's modern crop varieties lack variation and different traits that lead to reduced yield when the weather becomes unpredictable and unstable. Landraces are a major source of various traits and genes that have disappeared in modern varieties through plant breeding. The purpose of this literature review is therefore to investigate the possibilities and limitations of landraces through a SWOT analysis to assess their potential to be used for adapting Swedish agriculture to climate change. The landraces have the strength to tolerate various abiotic and biotic stressors and adapt to local conditions through their genetic diversity. They may have a well-developed and deep root system that allows them to withstand drought. Their long straw gives landraces the opportunity to compete with weeds but is at the same time a weakness to their grain yield. Landraces have a weakness in lower yield but an opportunity for stable yield while the modern varieties have a strength in high yield and a threat in unstable yield during unfavourable conditions. The nutrient density has also been shown to be a strength in landraces because it is higher in landraces than in modern varieties. Landraces have the opportunity to contribute with traits and genetic material to adapt our crops to a changing climate. More research would be needed to develop crops that can retain the strong traits of landraces while still being able to achieve the same high yields as modern varieties.