Status of global strategies for horticultural fruit crops

This paper discusses the development of global conservation strategies for some of the horticultural crops mentioned in International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) Annex 1. While global conservation strategies were developed for banana and plantain (Musa L.), strawberry (Fragaria L.), breadfruit (Artocarpus), and coconut (Cocos L.), those for citrus (Citrus L.), apple (Malus L.) and grape (Vitis L.) are under development or just beginning to be considered. The horticultural crop in the most immediate need is Citrus, where growing regions are currently plagued with serious pests and diseases such as huanglongbing. Through a combined effort of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, the International Society for Horticultural Science, and scientific expert committees, the state of conservation of these horticultural crops, and gaps in the collections are being assessed. Funding is being sought in support of strategy implementation. These strategies, once implemented, will improve international plant exchange and help conserve genetic resources of horticultural crops in perpetuity.