EX SITU CONSERVATION OF TROPICAL RARE FRUIT SPECIES

Tropical rare fruits are generally neglected because they have not been exploited commercially and there is a lack of improved varieties. These fruit species also experience alternate or irregular fruiting seasons and have restricted habitats. In spite of these constraints, many of these species can be promoted or introduced to local consumers and overseas markets. As some of these indigenous species are vulnerable to loss of genetic diversity, conservation of these species is a priority. At present there are 36 species representing 22 genera and 14 families of tropical rare fruits in the field collection at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. The main genera are Garcinia, Citrus, Baccaurea, Lansium, Artocarpus, Nephelium, Annona and Durio. Research on these species includes seed studies, micropropagation, cryopreservation and genetic diversity studies. Besides the field collection, suitable species of Citrus and Garcinia are selected for in vitro storage. Micropropagation and cryopreservation techniques are also being developed on a range of species. Micropropagation techniques are developed for in vitro storage techniques but also to assist in the development of cryopreservation procedures, as is the case in Garcinia. In this paper, we discuss the ex situ conservation methods for such rare species and highlight their potential applications.