ABSTRACT
For thousands of years people have benefited from the things provided by the higher plants, things such as food, building materials, dyes, fragrances, and medicines. As human beings domesticated plants, they were able to take advantage of plant genetic resources, leading to assorted varieties and cultivars of plants that helped feed, cloth, and shelter people. Nevertheless, world population has risen considerably during the last century, compromising worldwide food reserves. Agriculture is expected to feed an increasing human population, forecast to reach 8 billion by 2020 (1).
