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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Riverside, California » National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Citrus » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #124792
Title: CITRUS GENETIC RESOURCES IN CALIFORNIA: ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LONG-TERM CONSERVATION

Author
item KAHN, TRACY - UC RIVERSIDE
item Krueger, Robert
item GUMPF, DAVID - UC RIVERSIDE
item ROOSE, MIKEAL - UC RIVERSIDE
item ARPAIA, MARY LU - UC RIVERSIDE
item BATKIN, THEODORE - CITRUS RESEARCH BOARD
item BASH, JOHN - UC RIVERSIDE
item BIER, OTTILLIA - UC RIVERSIDE
item CLEGG, MICHAEL - UC RIVERSIDE
item COCKERHAM, STEPHEN - UC RIVERSIDE

Submitted to: Report of the Citrus Genetic Resources Assessment Task Force
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/15/2000
Publication Date: 7/15/2001
Citation: KAHN, T.L., KRUEGER, R., GUMPF, D.J., ROOSE, M.L., ARPAIA, M., BATKIN, T.A., BASH, J.A., BIER, O.J., CLEGG, M.T., COCKERHAM, S.T. CITRUS GENETIC RESOURCES IN CALIFORNIA: ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LONG-TERM CONSERVATION. REPORT OF THE CITRUS GENETIC RESOURCES ASSESSMENT TASK FORCE. 2001.

Interpretive Summary: Four programs headquartered in Riverside, California are concerned with the acquisition, maintenance, evaluation, enhancement, and distribution of citrus genetic resources domestically and internationally. These programs are the Citrus Variety Collection (CVC), Citrus Clonal Protection Program (CCPP), and Citrus Breeding Program (CBP) of the University of California, and the USDA-ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Citrus & Dates (NCGRCD). These programs function independently but in a coordinated fashion. The CVC is the largest collection of citrus genetic resources with approximately 900 accessions. It is used cooperatively by the NCGRCD, and is invaluable for evaluation purposes and as a source of seeds, pollen, etc. However, it can not serve as a source of budwood for distribution due to the fact that the disease status of the trees in unknown. Hence, NCGRCD maintains a separate collection of approximately 350 pathogen-tested trees under screen for distribution. The CCPP is concerned with commercial varieties and is the primary source of citrus budwood for the California citrus industry. The four programs taken together have a synergism that increases the productivity of all. Many of the activities of these programs support research and certification programs in other states and countries. The CVC, which is in some ways central to all the programs, requires maintenance and upkeep in addition to research activities. It is important that additional resources devoted to these areas be developed to ensure the long-term security of the citrus genetic resources maintained in California.

Technical Abstract: California maintains one of the largest and most diverse assemblages of citrus genetic resources in the world with a functional conservation and utilization system comprising three primary units: the Citrus Variety Collection (CVC) and the Citrus Clonal Protection Program (CCPP) at the University of California, Riverside and the USDA National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Citrus and Dates (NCGRCD). Closely collaborating with these three units are the UC Riverside Citrus Breeding Program and the California Citrus Research Board. This California citrus genetic resources system is unique among organized collections throughout the world and serves as a model for conservation, utilization, and teaching. The system maintains a broad cross-section of genetic diversity along with complementary programs that provide virus-free budwood for commercial use, programs for distributing genetic resources for research uses, and research programs for crop improvement, physiology, biochemistry, phylogeny, genetics, and molecular biology.