Article

Many cultivated plants are polyploids and possess both polyploid and diploid wild relatives. Using as an example the polyploid complex of Dactylis glomerata L. (a grass species used partially as a fodder crop), it is shown that ploidy level should be taken into account in formulating strategies for the conservation of the wild relatives of cultivated plants. In association with other biological characteristics, more particularly the reproductive system, the “ploidy level will determine the extent of seed stocks, the minimum size of population for in situ conservation and the nature and degree of disturbance which can be tolerated by the wild populations.