Acta Horticulturae

Global Conservation Strategy for
Strawberry Genetic Resources
The strawberry, Fragaria Xananassa Duch., is
a horticultural crop of global economic
significance. In 2005, more than 3.5 million
tonnes of strawberries were produced in 75
countries. This fruit was chosen to be on the
Annex 1 list of the International Treaty on
Plant Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture. The development of a strategy
for coordinating the global conservation of
strawberry genetic resources is in progress.
Genebanks and strawberry research organizations
throughout the world have been
queried concerning the extent of their collections
of native species, landraces and cultivars
of strawberries. Strawberry scientists
specializing in taxonomy, plant physiology,
plant pathology, genetics and genebank
management will be meeting this summer
to define standard protocols for strawberry
conservation. Standard secure procedures
for field, greenhouse, and alternative conservation
technologies, such as tissue culture
and cryogenic preservation, will be dis-
Screenhouse collection of strawberry genetic resources at the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Agricultural Research Service, Corvallis Repository.
Ripe strawberries ready for eating. The
commercial fruit is a hybrid with an
exciting global history. In the early
1700s, strawberry plants from Chilean
and Virginian colonies were brought to
the Royal Botanical Garden in France. A
young French botanist, Antoine Nicolas
Duchesne, noticed an unusually largeleaved
and large-fruited strawberry
plant. He correctly deduced that this
was the hybrid offspring from the South
and North American parents. And so the
breeding of strawberry cultivars began.
Dr. Barbara Reed (left) and her technician,
Janine de Paz, conserve genetic resources
in tissue culture and in cryogenic preservation
at the Corvallis Repository.
cussed. Information management will be detailed
and the linkage of information systems
will be coordinated. Health of collections will be
emphasized to insure the safe movement of
germplasm between genebanks. The strategy
will be documented in a written report that can
be used by the Trust. The Trust is charged with
providing funds in support of long-term ex situ
conservation of priority collections, particularly
in developing countries. This will improve access
to global genetic resources and is a major step
to safeguarding strawberry genetic resources
for humanity in perpetuity.
Kim Hummer
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kim Hummer
Kim Hummer is the Research Leader and
Curator of the strawberry collection of the
National Clonal Germplasm Repository at
Corvallis Oregon, USA and Chair of the
ISHS Commission Plant Genetic Resources.
Dr. Hummer has recently been elected a
Fellow of the American Society for
Horticultural Science (ASHS).
Email: khummer@ars-grin.gov.
CHRONICA HORTICULTURAE •VOL 46 • NUMBER 3 • 2006 • 19