March 1st 2007 Issue

Future challenges for genebanks

We must not only preserve our agricultural heritage, but discover new sources of essential human nutrients and satisfy consumer desires for novel fruits.

Condensed from: J. Postman, K. Hummer, E. Stover, R. Krueger, P. Forsline, L.J. Grauke, F. Zee, T. Ayala-Silva, B. Irish. 2006. Fruit and Nut Genebanks in the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System. HortScience 41(5):1188–1194. The U.S. National Plant Germplasm System’s repositories house collections of plant material that not only preserve our horticultural heritage, but can be used by fruit breeders to develop new and better varieties. In 1980, the NPGS added clonal genebanks to its network of national repositories. There are now eight genebanks devoted to fruit and nut crops and their wild relatives, which maintain 30,000 accessions representing […]

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