CONSERVATION AND EVALUATION OF CITRUS GERMPLASM FROM THE PEOPLES' REPUBLIC OF CHINA AND VIETNAM

Since 1993, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) has provided funds for two collaborative projects addressing citrus germplasm conservation in East Asia. The main objectives of the projects concerned collection, exchange, characterisation and evaluation of important citrus germplasm sourced from PR China, Vietnam and Australia. Research was structured to meet these objectives and to develop the germplasm to benefit the citrus industries of the participating countries.
This paper highlights some experiences and results from sourcing, screening and evaluation of germplasm from the Citrus Research Institute’s collection at Beibei, Sichuan, China and germplasm collected in Vietnam from trees in gardens, orchards, often located in remote areas, and in the wild.