Crop gene resources are strategic resources that support the development of modern seed industry and national food security. Based on defining the connotation of gene resources， this paper clarifies their inherent characteristics， proposes key tasks and technical paths for gene resource mining in crops， and reviews the important progress made in recent years in key links of gene resource mining， such as precise characterization of germplasm resources， gene discovery， allele mining， and evaluation of breeding utilization value， and puts forward the main development directions of this field in the future.