The USDA National Plant Germplasm System apple collection within the context of global crop conservation strategies

Authors: Volk, Gayle; DEMPEWOLF, H - The Crop Trust; BRAMEL, P - The Crop Trust; Meakem, Victoria; Gutierrez, Benjamin

Submitted to: Journal of the American Pomological Society
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/28/2022
Publication Date: 7/15/2022
Citation: Volk, G.M., Dempewolf, H., Bramel, P., Meakem, V.M., Gutierrez, B.L. 2022. The USDA National Plant Germplasm System apple collection within the context of global crop conservation strategies. Journal of American Pomological Society. 76(2):50-58.

Interpretive Summary: Global crop conservation strategies provide summarized information about specific crops, their conservation status in collections around the world, and propose plans for improved conservation and international networks. A global strategy for the conservation and use of apple genetic resources” was was published by Gayle Volk and Paula Bramel in 2019. It provides extensive information about apple conservation on a global scale. The USDA National Plant Germplasm System apple collection is an important internationally recognized genebank collection for cultivars and wild species. This collection has been extensively used to better understand the genetic and trait diversity of cultivars as well as wild species. Research and breeding programs have identified accessions that have desirable traits that could be incorporated into future apple cultivars. Therefore, it is important that the materials in this collection are correctly identified. Current and future technologies will be used improve collection management practices to ensure that quality materials are available for future generations.

Technical Abstract: Global crop conservation strategies have been written for many crops that are maintained in genebanks around the world. These strategies describe the status of crop collections with regard to collection holdings, management practices, and accessibility. The status of global apple collections was summarized in “A global strategy for the conservation and use of apple genetic resources”, which was published by Volk and Bramel in 2019. The USDA National Plant Germplasm System apple collection is a large, diverse collection of apple cultivars and species that provides plant genetic resources to scientists within the United States and internationally. Plant materials in this collection have been used for a wide range of research including species diversity, phenotypic characteristics (fruit quality, tree traits, disease resistance, etc.), genetics/genomics, domestication, breeding, and more. Therefore, it is particularly important that this collection be well documented, providing critical passport and accession-related data to the user community. New technologies will facilitate cross-collection comparisons, which will better inform collection management practices and the global community.