Why Preserving Rare Plant Species Matters

In today’s blog, I want to unpack a topic that often sparks debate among growers, breeders, and conservationists:
Is it more important to preserve rare plant varieties—or rare plant species?

Bringing Extinct Tomato Varieties Back to Life

During my time in academia, I worked on reintroducing two tomato varieties that had disappeared from cultivation:

• Blaby Special — Once grown in the east of Leicester, supplying tomatoes to London before imported Spanish tomatoes took over in the 1970s.
• Manx Marvel — A heritage tomato from the Isle of Man, long lost to modern commercial production.

Both were resurrected through seed banks in the Netherlands, a reminder that many “lost” cultivars are only a freezer drawer away from revival.

But this experience also highlighted a bigger truth: saving varieties is not the same as saving species.

The Difference Between Preserving Varieties and Conserving Species

Many people argue passionately for protecting rare cultivars because they may contain:

• Valuable traits for breeding
• Resistance to specific pests or diseases
• Unique flavours, colours, or growth habits

And yes—these characteristics matter.

However, when we zoom out and look at the genetics, something surprising emerges:

Heritage varieties often differ only slightly in their DNA.

A tomato plant that looks dramatically different from another may only carry one or two key mutations. The result? Massive visible variation… but minimal genetic diversity.

The same pattern appears in apples, potatoes, wheat, and many other crops. Generations of selective breeding create superficial differences, but the underlying genetics remain remarkably similar.

This is why the true backbone of genetic diversity lies not in cultivated varieties, but in wild plant species.

Why Wild Species Matter Most for Global Agriculture

When we talk about conserving meaningful genetic diversity, we are really talking about preserving:

• Wild tomato relatives
• Ancient wheat ancestors
• Original potato species
• Native cultivars growing in unaltered ecosystems

These wild species carry entire libraries of traits that modern plants lack—drought tolerance, disease resistance, pest resilience, improved flavours, and more.

Losing a heritage tomato variety is regrettable.
Losing a wild species is catastrophic.

It’s the difference between:

• Losing people with long noses
• Losing the entire human species

Both are unfortunate—but one is existential.

Are Rare Varieties Always Worth Saving?

Sometimes, the varieties that vanish from commercial production do so for a reason.

Take the tomato variety Ailsa Craig. Once extremely popular, it’s now rarely grown outside of research settings because it is:

• Highly susceptible to pests
• Vulnerable to many diseases
• Lacking resistance bred into modern cultivars

Its genetics still survive—just not under its original name. It served as a stepping stone for more resilient modern tomatoes.

This is the case for many heritage varieties across different crops. Their genetics live on, even if the named variety itself fades.

So What Should We Prioritise?

If you care about the future of agriculture, horticulture, and food security, the conservation priority should be:

1. Whole species and plant genera threatened in the wild

Especially those lost through rainforest destruction, habitat loss, climate change, or disease.

2. Wild ancestors of modern crops

These contain genetic traits we haven’t even discovered yet.

3. Culturally significant or scientifically valuable varieties

Heritage cultivars still matter—but they shouldn’t overshadow species conservation.

Your Thoughts? This Topic Is Controversial.

This perspective often challenges popular views about heirloom preservation, so I’d love to hear your take:

• Do you agree that species conservation outweighs heritage variety preservation?
• Have I missed anything or misrepresented a point?
• What varieties or species do you think are most important to protect?

Please share your thoughts—I welcome the debate.

Article by Dr Russell Sharp

If you would like to keep up to date with subjects just like this, you can listen to both our podcasts! Links can be found bellow:

Hydroponics Daily Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hydroponics-daily/id1788172771

Cereal Killers Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cereal-killers/id1695783663