Location: Agricultural Genetic Resources Preservation Research
Project Number: 3012-21000-017-015-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2022
End Date: Aug 31, 2025
Objective:
Two survey trips will be performed in the summers of 2023 and 2024 to Central Vietnam 1) Bach Ma National Park, Vu Quang National Park (8 days, 3 Vietnamese scientists and one American scientist) and Central Highland Vietnam 2) Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve, Ly Son Island (8 days, 3 Vietnamese scientists only). Two Exploration trips in fall 2023 and 2024 to Central Vietnam 1) Bach Ma National Park, Vu Quang National Park (8 days, 2 Vietnamese scientists and two American scientists) and Central Highland Vietnam 2) Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve, Ly Son Island (8 days, 3 Vietnamese scientists only).
Approach:
Cooperators will conduct survey trips to Central Vietnam and in the Central Highland of Vietnam in 2023 and 2024. The survey trips will confirm the availability and exact locations of crop wild relatives of Citrus for the collection expeditions and allow the Vietnamese scientists to establish local contacts. ARS research will join in the survey and exploration trips to Central Vietnam. For each Citrus population, a minimum of trees with fruit will be randomly sampled. The team will aim to collect a minimum of 300 seeds per tree. The seeds will be split between the National Genebank of Vietnam and the ARS National Plant Germplasm System. Data on the collection site and tree characteristics will be collected as was agreed upon and performed in previous collaborations. The ARS portion of the seeds will be shipped to USDA APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine Center in Beltsville, MD for inspection and quarantine procedure. When cleared, the seeds will be sent to the Citrus Collection in Riverside, CA for permanent preservation, curation, and distribution.
