PROGRESS IN DEVELOPING A NATIONAL PROGRAM FOR MALUS AND VITIS GERMPLASM MAINTENANCE AND EVALUATION IN THE USA

The NCGR, Geneva, NY recently began its operation on the campus of the NYSAES, Geneva, NY for the purpose of maintaining a germplasm collection of Malus and Vitis. The remainder of the Vitis collection is maintained at the NCGR, Davis, CA. The general approach is to establish a collection of clonally propagated grapes and apples from national and international sources; maintain this germplasm in fields, greenhouses or screenhouses as their developmental stages and pest infestations may dictate.
Evaluate the germplasm to determine identity, trueness-to-type, and characteristics as may be recommended by Crop Advisory Committees (CAC), and implement a uniform data format, which is called the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Develop this program to provide such disease-free (to the extent possible) germplasm for breeding and other research and development programs.
Presently 2300 Malus accessions and 800 Vitis accessions are being maintained.
The site in Geneva, NY, is part of the Germplasm Resources unit which includes one of four Regional Plant Introduction Stations in USA. This unit is part of a Nationwide Germplasm System which preserves agricultural germplasm at 8 clonal repository sites, 4 regional plant introduction stations, and other labs.
Existing collections of germplasm are vulnerable, incomplete and decentralized.
Native populations are rapidly disappearing with human and environmental stresses.
Collections at state sites lack permanency as breeding programs are eliminated.
By locating the needed genetic diversity of a particular crop at one site, needs of the user community will be more easily met.

Fruit Breeding

P.L. Forsline

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1988.224.2