diff --git "a/data/part_1/0261027764.json" "b/data/part_1/0261027764.json"
new file mode 100644--- /dev/null
+++ "b/data/part_1/0261027764.json"
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+{"metadata":{"gardian_id":"4a2c6ee3ce1fdba9d6a8a9fce01609eb","source":"gardian_index","url":"https://cgspace.cgiar.org/rest/bitstreams/58f41c2f-73d3-4794-9a10-72fc10e635db/retrieve","id":"1507823604"},"keywords":[],"sieverID":"227bc587-e1e5-4e95-8c2b-d133b648804b","pagecount":"127","content":"The European Cooperative Programme for Crop Genetic Resources Networks (ECP/GR) is a collaborative programme among most European countries aimed at ensuring the long-term conservation and facilitating the increased utilization of plant genetic resources in Europe. The Programme, which is entirely financed by the participating countries and is coordinated by IPGRI, is overseen by a Steering Committee (previously Technical Consultative Committee, TCC) composed of National Coordinators nominated by the participating countries and a number of relevant international bodies. The Programme operates through ten broadly focused networks in which activities are carried out through a number of permanent working groups or through ad hoc actions. The ECP/GR networks deal with either groups of crops (cereals, forages, vegetables, grain legumes, fruit, minor crops, industrial crops and potato) or general themes related to plant genetic resources (documentation and information, in situ and on-farm conservation, technical cooperation). Members of the working groups and other scientists from participating countries carry out an agreed workplan with their own resources as inputs in kind to the Programme.The geographical designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IPGRI or the CGIAR concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Similarly, the views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of these participating organizations.European Malus Database and Project EC 1467/94 Multicrop Passport Descriptors List for data exchange Minimum Descriptors List for characterization Opportunities for including evaluation data in the Database The role of Non-Governmental Organizations in local and national conservation of Malus and Pyrus germplasm Safety-duplication of fruit tree accessions at European level Updates on country collections and recent collecting activities of Malus and Pyrus programmes approved by this Committee. One of the projects, the Lamb-Clarke Historical Apple Collection, funded in 1996 is relevant to this meeting. He mentioned that the Department of Agriculture is continuing to fund part of this work again this year and wished Professor Hennerty and Ms Hayes every success with this important work. D. Feeley mentioned also the following projects to which the Advisory Committee have provided funding for conservation activities:• a Lolium perenne Core Collection project which involves a collaborative effort with 17 other European countries • conservation of old Irish cereal varieties • conservation of the Galway sheep breed • conservation of Kerry cattle breed.He pointed out that national activities of this type are fulfilling Irish obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity and implementing the Global Plan of Action as agreed in Leipzig in 1996. The Department of Agriculture is playing an active role in protecting the environment generally and conserving threatened species of plants and animals in particular.Before concluding, D. Feeley commented briefly on the Department of Agriculture's experience and cooperation with NGOs in Ireland in the area of conservation of genetic resources. This involvement to date with NGOs relates to the Irish Seed Saver Association and the Irish Genetic Resources Conservation Trust. He said that this experience has been a positive one, since the Seed Savers are efficient and effective, operating at low budget costs and capable of working within frameworks provided by the Department of Agriculture. He said that Prof. Hennerty, representing the University sector, may share these sentiments. In conclusion he wished all the participants a very successful conference and an enjoyable stay in Dublin.Michael Hennerty, Head of the Department of Crop Science, Horticulture and Forestry, University College Dublin (UCD), welcomed the group to Ireland and University College Dublin and wished the participants a successful and rewarding meeting. He considered appropriate the choice of Dublin for the first meeting of the ECP/GR Working Group on Malus/Pyrus, because it has ancient associations with the apple. He explained that about 50 km from here is the Boyne Valley which contains enormous and mysterious monuments, such as the one at Newgrange, which were built in 5200 BC by people we know little about. Inside some of these monuments, in a prominent position, apple trees, which had been cut off at the base of the trunk, were found standing upright. Obviously the apple tree was of some significance to these people. An ancient mummified apple was recently found at Haughey's Fort in County Armagh, the major appleproducing district in Ireland. This apple has been found to be about 3000 years old. It is now being DNA-tested to determine if this was a cultivated, rather than a wild apple. If it proves to be cultivated, he said, this will be the oldest example of its type in existence. St. Patrick converted the Irish to Christianity in the 5th century and the dietary instructions he gave to his followers are still available. Apples were an important dietary component, but it is unclear if these apples were wild or cultivated. Recent research at the Viking settlement at Dublin, which is over 1000 years old, has also found evidence that apples were a major Consultative Committee (TCC) in Nitra, Slovakia in September 1995. It was also at this meeting that the constitution of a Working Group on Malus/Pyrus was decided. The new structure of the Programme, which is composed of cropspecific Networks and thematic Networks, was presented and the type of activities carried out within each of these was illustrated. He summarized the most recent ECP/GR events, such as the Documentation meeting in Budapest (October 1996) and the participation of non-EU countries in EU-funded projects (EC 1467/94), such as the projects on Prunus and on Vitis genetic resources. The existence of a Web site for ECP/GR was mentioned, as well as the preparation of a prototype Internet Information Platform on Crop Genetic Resources. 1 This will be the framework to interconnect and provide on-line access to the European Central Crop Databases. The imminence of the end of Phase V of ECP/GR (at the end of 1998), was mentioned, and the opportunity to formulate recommendations for the future of the Malus/Pyrus Working Group to the Steering Committee was emphasized. L. Maggioni informed the participants that this committee will meet during the summer of 1998 and that a first draft strategy for the implementation of the Global Plan of Action in Europe, through the activities of ECP/GR, has been circulated to members of the Steering Committee.1 As of June 1997 the European Information Platform on Crop Genetic Resources can be consulted at the following URL: http://www.cgiar.org/ecpgr/platform European Malus Database and Project EC 1467/94 Project EC 1467/94 T. Swinburne, coordinator of the project proposal on Malus genetic resources to the EC, reported on the outcome of the submission. The proposal was unsuccessful, although it received some good comments, such as the presence of many participating countries. On the other hand, its approach was judged insufficiently scientific. It was perceived by the coordinator that work for the construction of the Malus database was insufficiently advanced, when compared with the status of projects successfully submitted. Another problem seemed to have been the size of the funding requested. In view of a potential resubmission of the proposal, T. Swinburne suggested that descriptor data should already be included in the database, and that a further request for funding should focus on the introduction of evaluation data. He therefore stressed the need to define a set of priority characters of common interest for evaluation during this meeting. In the discussion it was also suggested that special emphasis be placed upon the screening of genetic material, with the purpose of identifying varieties suitable for different uses such as juice extraction, as well as for pest-and disease-resistant environmentally friendly cultivation.The Group agreed with this interpretation of the reasons why the project was rejected and welcomed the offer of T. Swinburne to coordinate a new project proposal along the lines suggested, in view of the third call of proposals. L. Maggioni informed the Group that this call is expected for the autumn of 1997 and that a deadline for the presentation of proposals is likely to be three months after this date. 2 The option of also presenting a similar proposal for Pyrus genetic resources was taken into consideration. The Group acknowledged that a Pyrus project could be more appealing for EU funding, since this crop has received less attention in Europe so far and, differently from Malus, it does not present an overproduction problem. M.F. Tarbouriech will look into the possibility of a French institute undertaking the coordination.The Group recommends that ECP/GR continue the approach of facilitating the participation of non-EU countries in EU-funded projects, such as in the cases of Allium, Beta, maize, potato, Prunus and Vitis projects.The CORE-STORE for Malus database has been developed by Horticulture Research International, Wellesbourne and Wye College, University of London under a contract from the UK Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for use in the UK National Fruit Collection (NFC). The database was designed to meet the specific curatorial requirements of the NFC, but possesses features which will be central to the functioning of the European database.R. Janes demonstrated the database, emphasizing both features specific to the NFC and those essential to the European database:• Individual accessions -Passport data -Germplasm use records -Horticultural management recordsT. Swinburne confirmed that Wye College is willing to accept the commitment of filling the CORE-STORE database with the data from the European Working Group partners, as a necessary step towards the implementation of a Malus European Database. The Group agreed to provide the agreed multicrop passport data to Wye College by November 1997 and that Wye College would make the database available as a diskette or CD-ROM and eventually on Internet. R. Janes will contact other national Malus database managers in the near future to request accessions data.Opportunities of establishing a Pyrus database were discussed and the Group agreed that this would be welcome. It was considered appropriate that the same structure of the Malus database be adopted in this case. Wye College would prefer not to commit itself with the hosting of a second database, but suggested that it might be possible by negotiation to utilize the CORE-STORE structure for this purpose. Marie-France Tarbouriech explained that the French national database already includes some descriptors for Pyrus accessions and the Group suggested that this could be the embryo for a European Pyrus database. M.-F. Tarbouriech accepted to consult the French National Coordinator as to the possibility of France taking on this commitment. N. Braniête expressed the availability of his institute to assist in the task. M. Lateur mentioned that his institute may be able to become responsible for the European Pyrus database. He will check on the feasibility of this with the full support of the Malus/Pyrus Working Group.Multicrop Passport Descriptors List for data exchange L. Maggioni summarized how the production of descriptors lists by IPGRI (and formerly by IBPGR) was a dynamic process in continuous evolution. He explained that this led to a situation in which some common descriptors are defined in different ways and that this is complicating the documentation, especially in cases where genebanks are dealing with multiple crops. The development of a core list of passport descriptors that would be standard for all crops was recently undertaken by IPGRI and FAO. The resulting Multicrop passport descriptors list was presented to the European database managers during the ECP/GR Documentation workshop in Budapest 1996. An agreement was reached there to adopt a slightly modified list as a standard format for data exchange.The final version of this list was presented to the Group that decided, after some debate, to adopt it with minor modifications (see Appendix I). Two extra fields were requested entitled 'Plant Use' and 'Parentage'. These will be defined as follows:The coding scheme proposed can be used at two levels of detail: either by using the global codes (1 or 2) or by using the more detailed coding (e.g. 1.1). 1 Mutant -(a vegetative mutant of a known cultivar) 2 Open-pollinated -(only the mother is known) 3 Controlled cross -(both parents are known) 4 Seedling/unknown origin -(no information regarding parentage is known)The opportunity to add more fields may be considered in the future. The inclusion of a field for 'Collector's name' was considered irrelevant, since this information is unknown for the majority of the accessions. It was also considered unnecessary to create a passport field to note mutant accessions (sports), since this information could be included in the parentage data. A clarification was made that, as a general guideline, the database would include modern cultivars with registered names or after passing the UPOV tests for distinctness, uniformity and stability, old varieties and wild species. Only a limited number of genetic stocks, such as breeding material under test or breeders' lines, should be included where these have formed part of published research programmes.R. Janes presented a proposed list of Minimum Descriptors for Malus. This is detailed in Appendix II and was based on the following sources of information: • UPOV Guidelines for the conduct of tests for distinctness, uniformity and stability -Apple TG/14/8, 1995.In the discussion it was concluded that the proposed list was too long. However, as fruit characters were more generally useful, and also easier to record, the number of floral characters proposed could be reduced. The following characters were then selected:• Season of flowering It was agreed that as far as possible the methods used should follow existing guidelines such as those used by UPOV. R. Janes, in consultation with M. Lateur and A. Lean, agreed to compile a set of procedures, relating to the agreed list of characters, from the existing guidelines, which will be circulated to Working Group members to be accepted by the end of 1997.Opportunities for including evaluation data in the Database Introduction T. Swinburne pointed out that potential users of plant genetic resources require more information on accessions than is provided by passport data or botanical descriptors. The previous EC proposal focused on the basic components for a database, but having almost achieved this stage, the Group should now concentrate on the acquisition and inclusion of evaluation data. This work should form the basis of any future proposal to the EC programme.The highest priority characters for evaluation to be included in the European Malus Database were the following:• Scab resistanceSince a standardization of the procedures is essential, five subgroups accepted the task of defining draft standard protocol by the end of August 1997. This will be forwarded to the Chair and distributed to all members for a round of comments.The subgroups for standard evaluation protocols are the following:T. Swinburne and M. James Choiseul described the establishment of the new Lamb-Clarke Apple collection, derived from the material relocated by the Irish NGOs, Irish Seed Savers and Armagh Orchard Trust. Cultivars were characterized using floral morphology and flowering time, supplemented with historical research. In the immediate future it is planned to determine the virus status of the accessions and describe the fruit. Medium-term plans include biomolecular characterization, production of virus-free stocks via meristem culture and disease-resistance evaluation.Evica Mratiniº informed the Group of the existence of some NGOs in F.R. Yugoslavia, mainly formed in recent years. They contribute on a voluntary basis to the conservation of the plant genetic resources.L. Maggioni reported on the Italian experience of the NGO Association Pomona, which is collaborating with Universities and local administrations in an effort to trace old fruit tree varieties, rediscover their heritage and preserve them by transfer into private or public areas or natural parks. A project in the province of Piacenza was successful in discovering several old apple, pear and cherry varieties with local names. A large diversity was found in the surroundings of a medieval monastery in Tolla, where monks used to plant varieties with different harvesting times and storability, in order to offer fruits in every season to the pilgrims on their way to Rome.Markus Kellerhals reported on the collation efforts between the Federal Research Station Wädenswil and the NGOs Fructus and Pro Specie Rara in Switzerland. The two NGOs are preparing data on addresses of collections and single-tree holders (on-farm conservation), passport and pomological data and site information.R. Janes reported on a project to establish a UK Network for Malus. Many initiatives have been developed in recent years to address apple conservation in the UK, coordinated by either non-governmental organizations such as Common Ground or by governmental bodies such as the UK Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF). Many botanic and heritage gardens possess extensive collections of apple species and cultivars, as do nurserymen and individual enthusiasts. However, there is no National register of collections and their holdings in the UK. This proposal is designed to redress that deficiency.The apple collection held at Brogdale as part of the MAFF National Fruit Collections contains the largest number of authenticated cultivars on a single site in Europe. This collection is funded by a joint research commission to Wye College, University of London, and the Brogdale Horticultural Trust and they have a national and international responsibility to ensure Malus germplasm conservation. However, although the collection currently contains over 2000 accessions, Wye College recognizes that these only partially span the genetic diversity contained within apple cultivars and species held in the UK as a whole. Wye College aims to set up a UK Network for Malus to identify the full extent of Malus genetic resources in Britain, and to compile a National register of collections. Hence, it would be possible to assess accurately which cultivars are rare or threatened, or indeed if enough duplicate collections exist in the UK to ensure long-term safety for apple diversity. Wye College intends that the Network complement and support the work of other apple conservation projects, and not conflicts with them. The Network will be coordinated by Wye College, with the full support of the Brogdale Horticultural Trust, Common Ground and MAFF. It is envisaged that with the increased awareness of the importance of conservation at a local level, Wye College will be increasingly supportive of in situ programmes in the future.T. Swinburne asked the participants whether in their respective countries they had some relationship with non-governmental organizations. M.-F. Tarbouriech described the collaboration between formal and informal sectors in France. The communication is sometimes difficult since NGOs' interest is primarily social and cultural, while curators and breeders place the main attention on the potential use of the genetic resources. T. Swinburne confirmed the existence of the same type of conflicting priorities in the UK. These would need to be resolved by understanding mutual interests at a time when reciprocal collaboration is sought for the development of a European database. M. Lateur gave the example of his collection receiving several accessions from individuals and NGOs and reaffirmed the value and the potential of a collaborative approach, although this is not always achieved.The Group was pleased to learn of the existence of valuable examples of collaboration between the formal plant genetic resources community and the NGOs. It was acknowledged that the advantages of looking into possible means of collaboration can be invaluable, since voluntary associations can find the time and the appropriate way to identify rare and threatened genetic material as well as its cultural and historical heritage. On the other hand NGOs can benefit from the empowerment and the assistance with long-term conservation that the formal sector can offer. An enhanced preservation and accessibility of genetic material should be the result of this interaction.The Group therefore recommended to actively seek to assist, help and foster this kind of useful collaboration. A step in this direction is the compilation of a list of NGOs involved in the conservation of Malus and Pyrus in each country. Members of the Working Group will prepare a national list and forward it to the ECP/GR Coordinator for inclusion in the present report by the end of September 1997 (see Appendix III).L. Maggioni introduced a discussion about the concept of safety-duplication, i.e. the duplication of an accession for safety reasons. He mentioned how safetyduplication is essential for ensuring sound conservation, with a minimized risk of losses and that this is also beneficial for the rationalization of collections, since accessions that are accessible and are safely duplicated once do not need to be conserved as multiple duplicates in many places. As an important criteria for safety, he quoted the conservation managed by financially stable institutions as well as the need to establish formal agreements for safety-duplication. Such agreements, preferably undertaken between different countries, would strengthen the mutual trust and the sharing of responsibilities. The formality of the agreements would ensure official recognition to the safety-duplication and also that emergency situations could be dealt with according to pre-established procedures. The Memorandum of Understanding between the Nordic Genebank and the Institute of Biology, Latvia, was presented as an example suitable for seed germplasm of safety-duplication agreement with a 'black-box' type of arrangement. In the case of fruit trees, a slightly different model of agreement should be developed, to take into account the different problems involved with the transfer of graft material and with the maintenance of bulky and demanding specimens.The Chair asked the Group how they deal with the problem of safetyduplication. M. Hennerty reported that in Ireland three sites are dedicated to duplicating fruit trees and a fourth site is used in Northern Ireland. E. Bratberg said that NGB has made arrangements to safety-duplicate in two sites distributed within the Nordic Countries. M. Lateur reported that in Belgium only some accessions are present in more than one site. M. Kellerhals mentioned that in Switzerland they have started to multiply accessions in more than one site within the country and that in situ conservation is considered as a valid option. M. Fischer said that no duplicates are prepared at the moment in Germany and that an agreement with botanic gardens is foreseeable in the near future for safety-duplication. This would be badly needed, especially considering the risky low temperatures reached during the winter at Dresden-Pillnitz. T. Swinburne admitted that the UK National Collection is not formally duplicated elsewhere.Manfred Fischer informed the Group of the current emergency situation at Maikop, Russian Federation, where the apple trees of the Vavilov collection are severely endangered and require duplication elsewhere. He also informed of the agreement under stipulation between IPGRI and the Vavilov Institute, based on which he would use US$ 5000 of emergency funds to go and take scions of unique wild species for safety-duplication in Germany. This would be accompanied by a reciprocal duplication of German wild species at the Vavilov Institute.During the discussion that followed, the concept of 'European collection' was generally outlined by L. Maggioni. This would be a decentralized collection comprising the apple and pear accessions that European genebanks would agree to maintain on behalf of all member countries of ECP/GR. Main objectives of this collection would be:• to formalize the sharing of responsibilities for the conservation of European Malus and Pyrus genetic resources• to ensure the safe conservation of these accessions • to ensure the continued access to these accessions to all ECP/GR countries • to reduce the workload for each country and encourage more effective and efficient conservation.A workplan for the establishment of a European collection has been developed by the Secale Group and the Forages Working Group of ECP/GR and these can be taken as reference for the future by the Malus/Pyrus Group.The Group agreed that the definition of European Malus and Pyrus Collections concept is reasonable and will have to be pursued. However, for the present time, considering the early stages of the Central Malus Database, it is considered too early to make decisions in terms of a practical commitment.The Group acknowledged the validity of ensuring the safety-duplication of the accessions within framework agreements, although duplication of trees in different countries may sometimes be impractical owing to phytosanitary and climatic constraints. The Group recommended that IPGRI look into the drafting of a Memorandum of Understanding between countries specifically adapted to the transfer of fruit tree propagating material.The estimated total number of apple accessions being 36 000, the Group considered it very important to speed up a mechanism by which the database could be used to identify accessions repeated in multiple copies and to especially highlight those unique at European level. This could be the first step towards a well-informed reduction or prioritization of the collections. In order to do that, the Group agreed to send a list of all the names and numbers of the accessions maintained to R. Janes by the end of May 1997. Cyrillic characters will have to be sent after the respective database manager has translated them into Roman characters.3 Belgium Marc Lateur focused on Pyrus collections in Belgium, which are estimated to contain about 3580 accessions, including some 20% Belgian cultivars and 10% landraces. He indicated that problems of duplication and identification remain in most collections, and that the collecting of unique material, mostly landraces, is not yet finished.Vassiliy Djouvinov provided the following information on Bulgarian collections: Other collections ( in situ) have also been registered and their number is increasing, mostly in the northern part of Poland.Nicolae Braniête described the National collection of fruit germplasm and the activities of conservation and evaluation, which are coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Genebank of Suceava. Currently about 1500 accessions of apple and pear have been inventoried. Ex situ collections of apple are located in Voineêti and Bistriïa, while pears are conserved at Piteêti and Cluj stations.Vladimir Ponomarenko presented an overview of the collecting expeditions of VIR and illustrated with a slide show the geographic distribution of wild Malus and Pyrus species in the territory of the former Soviet Union. Malus sieversii (Lodeb.) M. Roemer was shown to be a species displaying a very high diversity, with fruits ranging from sweet to acid, to very bitter taste and weighing up to 200 g. The importance of focusing research on wild species and enabling access to them was stressed. Markus Kellerhals informed that mainly three organizations are involved in the conservation and characterization of Malus and Pyrus genetic resources: the Federal Research Station Wädenswil, financed by the Federal Office of Agriculture, and two private NGOs, Fructus and Pro Specie Rara. The main collections of Fructus are located at Höri (190 Malus, 43 Pyrus accessions) and Aubonne (90 apple and 94 pear accessions). Pro Specie Rara follows a decentralized approach with in situ conservation (on-farm) of about 500 Malus accessions. Fructus and Pro Specie Rara are working with coordinated databases on Filemaker including all information on collecting sites and in situ collection. The database of Pro Specie Rara is partly accessible in German on the Internet at the following address: http://www.dainet.de/genres/psr/psr.htm. The information system allows the detection of accessions which are threatened with extinction. A so-called 'red list' is being established. The Federal Research Station Wädenswil is preparing an Access database that will be connected with the other two. This is essentially being developed to test modern cultivars and includes evaluation data from field trials. After the conferences of Rio and Leipzig, the Swiss government is also increasing its commitment in the conservation of fruit genetic resources in Switzerland.Evica Mratiniº summarized activities carried out in Yugoslavia since the 1970s to inventory apple and pear local varieties. Several institutions are currently engaged in ex situ conservation, description and evaluation of autochthonous accessions, introduced varieties and wild species, such as Malus sylvestris Miller, M. dasyphylla Borkh. and M. florentina (Zuccagni) C. Schneider, Pyrus communis L., P. amygdaliformis Vill, P. nivalis Jacq. and P. elaeagnifolia Pall. A slide demonstration of unique local varieties was shown and she described the disruption of this field research with the onset of war within the former Yugoslavia.A new project for the use of apple genetic resources in a breeding programme (M. Lateur) A research project on fruit trees genetic resources and disease resistance started in 1975 at Gembloux, Belgium. Since 1990 a breeding programme has focused on apple scab polygenic resistance, using the better-performing old cultivars screened in the collection. During the last 5 years, around 80 old apple cultivars have been used as parents in different combinations with the view of testing their ability to transmit their polygenic resistance characters for scab and for mildew.Institute at Dresden-Pillnitz (M. Fischer) Resistance to scab, mildew and fire blight were studied in cross-combination programmes at Pillnitz, Germany, using various sources of resistance. PCR techniques were also used to ascertain the resistance to fire blight. To discover new sources of resistance, more than 700 cultivars were analyzed over a 4-year period, revealing that only a few varieties have not been infected by scab and mildew. The more resistant varieties will be more heavily used in future resistance breeding programmes. Studies were also conducted on the breakdown of the monogenic scab resistance of Malus floribunda Siebold, ex van Houtte and its progenies with a spectrum of scab races, showing that in Pillnitz race no. 3 has apparently been responsible for the contamination of otherwise resistant forms. A list of cultivars with multiple resistance is given on page 89 of this report. The durability of scab resistance of new cultivars was studied on cultivars with different genetic background. Project on 'Development of the European Apple Crop, by integrating demand for high quality, disease-resistant varieties suited to regional circumstances, with advanced breeding methods' (M. Kellerhals) This project, funded from 1993 to 1996, was a shared-cost research project under the EC Framework III programme in research and technical development for Agriculture and Agro-Industries (AIR). The activities and disciplines involved in this project ranged from basic molecular biology through genetics and breeding to all sciences related to characters selected in apple breeding, such as plant pathology, entomology, analysis of fruit quality and tree habit. In addition the project was focusing on the economic and social aspects of apple production. A major effort was devoted to the development of the Apple Store database. The aim of this database was to store genetic data, phenotypic data and analytical results and make them available in a user-friendly way to all researchers. The European Apple Project has fostered collaboration among research teams in different European countries and brought interesting results: markers for scab and mildew resistance genes, aphid resistance and further characters have been developed and will partly be applied in marker-assisted breeding. A European Apple Genetic Linkage Map was constructed.Psylla pyri L. (V. Djouvinov) In 1995 and 1996 the Bulgarian pear collection, over 20 years old, was violently attacked by Psylla pyri. In this collection each accession was represented by five trees. Susceptibility was determined using a scale from 0 (resistant) to 4 (high susceptibility). Most of the accessions were graded 3 or 4, and only a very small part from 0 to 2. In the two successive years only the cultivar Liatifa from Azerbaijan was absolutely resistant, and the local Bulgarian cultivar Karamanets and Pyrus betulifolia Bunge had very low susceptibility. The cultivars resistant to P. pyri -Liatifa and Karamanet -were included in the breeding programme for 1997.assessment of allelic diversity in Malus genetic resources (G. King) HRI developed and used a range of Simple Sequence Repeats markers (SSRs or microsatellites) for Malus which are capable of distinguishing between closely related apple varieties. The results of preliminary allele surveys based on reproducible SSR markers are presented (see page 104 for details). In example A, 46 diverse Malus accessions scored with two SSR markers reveal differences in level of polymorphism; in example B, a survey of 7 markers reveal 69 alleles; in example C, survey of a locus from the linkage group containing Sd1 aphid resistance scored over 160 cultivar accessions reveals unequal distribution of six alleles. These results demonstrate that SSRs are amenable to comparison and collation of data from different laboratories.The Group welcomed the idea of developing a bibliographic list of references of interest for Malus and Pyrus genetic resources. Members were encouraged to compile, in collaboration with other interested institutions within their countries, a national list including especially ancient books and articles as well as grey literature, such as internal reports or other unpublished material. This list will be forwarded to the ECP/GR Coordinator by the end of 1997 for further assembling and distribution to the Group.In the evening of 14 March 1997 M. Hennerty accompanied the participants to visit the Lamb-Clarke collection at the University College of Dublin.The participants reviewed the Section Discussion and Recommendations of the report of the meeting and accepted it after some corrections.The meeting was seen as an important way of securing the genetic resources of Malus and Pyrus and as a good forum for the exchange of ideas. The participants strongly recommended that the Group continue to meet as frequently as ECP/GR can afford during Phase VI. The future of the collections was seen as linked to the future of this Group.Terry Swinburne was elected to chair the Group until the end of next meeting, which was tentatively planned for late May 1999 (note: this date may be affected by the initiation of Phase VI of ECP/GR).The new Chair also wished to thank especially Anita Hayes of the Irish Seed Savers for her tremendous work carried out in organizing the meeting and reminded the group that this task had been undertaken without the aid of stable funding arrangements. He thanked as well R. Janes and L. Maggioni for their activity in the preparation of this meeting.An exploratory study was carried out on common Malus cultivars in four European countries in 1995 and 1996. The aim of this study was to pinpoint highly heritable, easily identifiable Malus cultivar characters, which did not widely vary between European sites, and which could be used to help compile a standard minimum list of descriptors.Collection holders in four European countries took part in the common cultivars study:• Belgium: Marc Lateur and Christophe Wagemans • France: Francois Laurens • Italy: Fabrizio Grassi • United Kingdom: Helen Case, Carol Bazeley and Rachel Janes.The following list of cultivars common to most collections was selected, which were also known to be contained in many other collections in Europe:Three lists of standard descriptors to be measured by all four participating countries were supplied by Wye College; one each for flower, leaf and fruit descriptors. Most of these were very close to the descriptors described in the IBPGR Descriptor List for Apple (1982) and the UPOV Guidelines for the conduct of tests for distinctness, uniformity and stability -Apple TG/14/8 (1995). In total, approximately 75 descriptors were assessed. The study was carried out in 1995 and again in 1996.Results were compiled in the UK and analyzed using multivariate statistical techniques. Here only preliminary results from 1996 are reported. Some data were missing or difficult to analyze because of problems such as lack of flowering/fruit set, variation in how certain characters were measured between countries and also queries to the validity of some of the character scores (see other contribution by R.A. Janes, Appendix II). Such data have been excluded from the analyses.It must also be noted that this type of analysis carried out on a mixture of scored (i.e. state 1, 2 or 3, etc.) and actual (e.g. measured in mm) characters may result in the importance of the actual measures being underestimated. This is due to actual data inherently containing more variation than scored data.A canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) of the data was carried out. This involved using forward selection to establish which of the descriptors were most important in discriminating between the cultivars, but did not involve separating out variation due to covariables, i.e. the country in which the measurement was taken.The following descriptors were found to be important (listed below by decreasing importance):• position of petal margin When covariables (i.e. country) were included in the analysis, it was apparent that the selected characters listed above were measured consistently in all countries.A CCA was again carried out using forward selection, but no covariables. There were, however, far fewer descriptors measured in this part of the study than in either fruit or flower and there was a lot of missing data. Therefore, no firm conclusions could be made.A CCA was again carried out using forward selection, but no covariables. Many of the characters measured had been found to be unreliable in the field or difficult to ascertain. Therefore characters such as those relying on russeting, lenticels or eye aperture were discarded form the analysis.The following descriptors were found to be most important (listed below by decreasing importance):• fruit shape • over colour coverage • fruit over colour • tube size• crowning at apex.The fruit results are displayed in Figure 2. Similarity between cultivars based on their fruit characters is displayed by distance on this diagram. How near individual characters are to a cultivar on the diagram indicates how important the character is in separating out this cultivar.Again, when covariables were included in the analysis, it was apparent that the selected characters listed above were measured consistently in all countries.Multivariate analysis is a useful tool in assessing the importance of individual descriptors in discriminating between Malus cultivars. The descriptors which were suggested by the analyses were all consistently measured among countries, indicating that these characters meet the criteria suggested above for ideal descriptors.The Irish Seed Saver AssociationThe Irish Seed Saver Association is a voluntary organization dedicated to the location and preservation of heritage varieties of fruit, grain and vegetables. The Association maintains a seed bank for the distribution of these non-commercially available vegetables and potatoes. We pass the various seed materials on so that others can learn to save them and in this way ensure a living agricultural legacy. One of the goals of the Irish Seed Saver Association is to bring Ireland's cultural and genetic heritage into the hands of ordinary people. One of the unique aspects of seed-saving networks, which exist all over the world, is the opportunity to share in the responsibility and joy of conserving the planet's diminishing genetic resources in a real and practical manner.The Irish Seed Savers Native Apple Project grew out of this ethos. When we began the project 4 years ago, there was no official governmental or academic programme dedicated to native apple conservation in Ireland. Recognizing that time was of the essence with regard to the age of the people with traditional knowledge, we began our work without any formal support of any kind. We were, however, very fortunate to have as a resource the wisdom and knowledge of Dr Keith Lamb, a retired pomologist who had performed the only field research on the native apple nearly 50 years ago.Our work began in a very systematic but simple manner. Through various publications and posters, a copy of which is supplied here, we attempted to reach the older rural populations who might remember the names and locations of the apples they stole as children (an honoured children's pastime long ago). Slowly, but surely, individuals contacted us with information that led to the location of native apple varieties that were thought to be extinct. Several individuals became inspired to work on the project, within their own communities. This method of gathering information brought us into forgotten byroads and mountain villages all over Ireland. When we located something of interest, apples were collected and brought to Dr Lamb who was able to confirm or deny their identity.Once we realized that this work could indeed prove fruitful, we began to search for a collaborative partner within the scientific community. We were very fortunate to form this with Dr Michael Hennerty, Head of the Department of Horticulture at University College Dublin and a pomologist himself. As we continued our field work, Dr Hennerty was able to work through the Department of Agriculture to re-introduce apple material that was restricted for importation into Ireland through normal channels. His ability to provide the expertise and proper isolation conditions convinced the Department of Agriculture to allow us to reintroduce 27 native varieties that were held at the Brogdale National Fruit Collection. Many of these cultivars were sent to Brogdale by Dr Lamb in the 1940s and 1950s.Peadar MacNeice of the Armagh Orchard's Trust, another non-governmental organization, was doing similar work in rural communities in Northern Ireland. He has also contributed many Ireland apple varieties to the National Apple Collection which is now housed at University College Dublin. This cooperation of North and South, young and old, scientific and NGO has resulted in a successful national collection, now recognized and supported by the Department of Agriculture and launched at its official opening by President Mary Robinson in February of 1996.What struck me most deeply, doing the field research, was that the people who held this precious local knowledge were mostly very elderly and very surprised that anyone would travel far to listen to their stories of how life used to be long ago. It took many many hours, cups of teas and rainy afternoons to locate perhaps the last tree of its kind, long neglected in the back garden. Many older people were embarrassed to even show me these old trees, because of their state of decline. If I had not come to them without an introduction from a respected local neighbour, there would have been very little chance that I would have been invited into their homes and lives. This very fine thread between preservation and extinction was demonstrated to me again and again.Another lesson that was demonstrated to me time and time again was the pool of knowledge that goes untapped among the elders of our communities. Horticultural and cultural knowledge of great depth was revealed to me in the simplest of settings. I also was reminded that we forget to ask the elders in our scientific communities as well as lay communities for their experience, advice and support, all to the detriment of our efforts at conservation.NGOs have very real skills to offer to the conservation efforts worldwide. We have time to work within our own communities in ways that \"outsiders\" cannot and a deep passion for our work that is motivated by a desire to preserve a cultural legacy as well as a botanical one. We NGOs need scientific support to assist us in our field work, test our findings and bring our work to its full potential benefit. I think as well that the scientific communities need our freedom of investigation, to go forward where the conservation need is great, but where a policy or economic decision has prohibited academic investigation. The areas that might divide us need to be explored and lessened through open communication.Our children and our children's children demand no less from us .In a time of increasing standardization we realize how true it is that variety is the spice of life. It is being realized also that there are sound reasons for preserving variation in living things, for scientists are concerned at the loss of local breeds of domestic animals and local varieties of food crops. This concern arises from the loss of potentially valuable genetic characteristics, so that we may have too small a genetic base for the future breeding of animals and plants.Half a century ago we were still largely self-sufficient in fruit and vegetables. In those days if you did not grow your own apples you maybe did without. This led to the development of cultivars of purely local fame, only some of which became more widely known.It was well-nigh 50 years ago that I undertook a survey of local Irish apples, with the encouragement of Professor G.O. Sherrard, Ireland's first professor of horticulture. In those days there was a country-wide network of county advisers in horticulture, many of whom had extensive local knowledge. Valuable sources of historical information were the Statistical Surveys of the Counties, published in the opening years of the 19th century. Several of these listed the apples grown in those days.With this information and assistance, visits were paid to old orchards up and down the country. When the same name was applied by the owners to an apple in different locations this was taken as a strong indication that the name was correct, especially if it was recorded in the appropriate Statistical Survey. In addition, a few early accounts of Irish apple were traced, e.g. that sent to the Horticultural Society of London by John Robertson of Kilkenny in 1820.In all, some 70 apples of Irish origin were found as living trees. Today, with the advent of the chain saw, how many survive? Should they be preserved? To mention one aspect alone, it was noted that many of them appeared to be disease resistant. In those days, there was none of the \"spray it with…\" philosophy, so a cultivar subject to disease just was not grown. My survey results, with full descriptions of the apples, were published in Vol. 4 (1951), Economic Proc. of the Royal Dublin Society.Although fruit collections in Northern Ireland, England and the Republic contain some Irish varieties, there has been to date no comprehensive reference collection of the native apple. The Irish Seed Saver Association, working in cooperation with the Armagh Orchards Trust, are attempting to locate, identify and conserve what native varieties remain. This work is happening at a crucial moment in Irish history. In a time of massive, sweeping social and cultural change, it is of critical importance to record the irreplaceable local knowledge of the older persons in our communities. Working from the named varieties and locations recorded by Dr Lamb, Irish Seed Saver members have been working in their communities to relocate these valuable varieties. The Red Brandy, a scabresistant Kilkenny variety, was recently relocated by Joy Daniels and the Ballyvaughn Seedling, a once common Clare apple, was relocated by Genevieve Tenthorney.Our efforts have many purposes, to conserve genetic material, preserve local history and to bring biodiversity back into our own lives in a practical way. This is work that will not wait and this work can only be accomplished through our cooperative efforts. If you would like to help, please contact us for information on how you can participate in the Native Apple Project.The ancient laws of Ireland, the Brehon Laws, classified the apple as a sacred tree, with a fine of five cows for cutting one down.James W. Choiseul, Project Coordinator Dept. Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, University College Dublin, Ireland My association with the Lamb-Clarke Collection began in March 1997 when I was invited to do a Post-Doctorate on the apple cultivars currently housed at UCD. The objective of the project is to update J.G.D. Lamb's thesis (1949) entitled 'The Apple in Ireland; Its History and Varieties', and incorporate into it old Irish cultivars located since its publication.I would firstly like to describe the procedure we follow when we receive a new cultivar for the collection. Scion wood, from whatever source, is upon receipt at UCD refrigerated at 4°C. If we consider the cultivar to be a desirable addition to the collection, it is grafted onto M9 rootstock. A desirable cultivar is one which is recorded as being of Irish origin or potentially of Irish origin owing to its absence from the standard lists of cultivar names. However, the Lamb-Clarke Collection contains a number of foreign cultivars, mostly from England, which are included because they are rare in an Irish context and may, in the future, be useful for comparative or cross-reference purposes with other collections. The use of the word 'rare' is not based on any national survey of apple cultivar frequency as no such work exists. Rather, it is based on the expertise of pomologists and individuals working in the apple industry.After grafting, the plants are potted up and placed in a glasshouse. We have found that the glasshouse environment leads to a higher percentage of successful graft unions and also produces stronger, more vigorous plants, than planting in a nursery. In the year following grafting, accessions are planted out into the nursery area or if strong enough, into the orchard proper. We conserve three specimens of each cultivar at UCD, the remaining plants being used to establish a sister orchard in Co. Clare in the west of Ireland. The accessions are labelled with the year of planting, rootstock and name (and synonyms) of the cultivar. The year and location of the earliest written record for the cultivar are also included. This latter information is included as it is felt that the general public should have access to the collection and therefore there is a requirement for some information to be available in situ.There are currently 132 accessions in the Lamb-Clarke Collection, 47 planted in the orchard, 56 in pots in the glasshouse and the remainder in the nursery. Some of these cultivars are widely distributed, such as Irish Peach and Ecklinville Seedling, whereas many, such as Ballyvaughan Cooker and Cavan Wine, have never been recorded before.As the plants in the orchard are only 1 year old, there are limitations on their usefulness for scientific evaluation. Assessments for disease resistance for example, based on immature trees are of little use. Similarly any measurements which are destructive by nature are not possible. We have therefore limited our initial evaluation to observations on the flowering time and floral structure of the plants. The floral characters which were found most useful included style pubescence, style fusion, relative lengths of style and stamen, length and shape of pedicel, petal shape and petal attachment.A second aspect of the project involves historical research on the cultivars in the collection. There are three principal sources of information. Firstly, sources such as horticultural texts and journals have been the primary source of information on the origin of the cultivars. Secondly, UCD houses the National Folklore Archive which has also been examined for information on apples. Unfortunately this source has not yielded significant quantities of information. Lastly, miscellaneous sources such as ordinance surveys, nursery catalogues and travel logs provide some information on old cultivars, their distribution and use.The remainder of 1997 will be dedicated to completing two tasks. The first of these will be to establish the virus status of the Lamb-Clarke Collection with the intention of producing virus-free stock at a later date. The virus status will be established using double-stranded RNA analysis. The second objective for 1997 will be to make botanical descriptions of the fruit of the apple cultivars. This will confirm the identity of the cultivars against existing records, eliminate from the collection duplicated cultivars and allow heretofore unknown cultivars to be described for the first time.In the long term, it will be a priority to propagate virus-free stock using meristem culture. Fortunately the Dept. Horticulture at UCD has a longestablished expertise in this area.It is also our intention to characterize the cultivars in the collection using biomolecular methods such as isozyme analysis and/or RAPDs. Finally we would hope to commence some cultivar disease assessments, possibly using innovative in vitro methods.Isabella Dalla Ragione Associazione \"Archeologia Arborea\", Perugia, Italy Research and informal conservation is a very heterogeneous field, which cannot always be easily defined. There are different levels, roles, interests and reasons for involvement in this sector. There is unfortunately also division and poor coordination among the different initiatives and there are only few examples of collaboration between the informal and formal sectors. In the past, efforts were made to set up a coordination network, all of which failed because of organizational problems and lack of funds.The data provided in this report are also the outcome of independent, voluntary collection of data carried out by Dr M. Rosaria Perna and partly by Dr Stefano Tellarini.However, even a simple inventory of germplasm collected and conserved and of the large amount of data available throughout Italy as a result of the different activities, would be extremely useful for this sector to identify possible areas of collaboration between the two sectors. It is possible to identify and group together the various people and institutions from the informal sector who carry out research and conservation activities in the fruit growing sector. For each group that tends to be more or less homogeneous, I have identified one or more focal points, i.e. associations, agencies, corporate organizations, consortia, that could be useful for a future collection of data with a wider scope. There should, however, be a single point of reference for the data collected and this role could perhaps be played by IPGRI.Some older farmers, particularly those working in marginal hilly and mountainous areas, still conserve local varieties for sentimental reasons, even though these plants are no longer of economic importance. These farmers keep their old plants, but do not reproduce them because they themselves have grown old and their children do not work in the family business. Moreover, they are the last to know the traditional customs and uses, but they have no one to pass their knowledge on to.To map out, region by region, the individual farms that conserve genetic material, one must rely on corporate organizations, regional and suburban agricultural offices or on extension workers in agricultural development agencies. In certain regions, such as Veneto, Emilia, Marches and Latium, there are already technicians who are aware of this need.Regulation 2078/92 promotes the cultivation of varieties threatened by genetic erosion. Unfortunately, however, it has only been implemented in a few regions and does not directly support the conservation of stock plants on the individual farms. Some farmers have made an official request to receive funds for the cultivation of trees threatened with genetic erosion. This may be considered a good starting point for in situ conservation and the reintroduction of local varieties. In this case, data can be easily accessed by referring to the implementation of Regulation 2078/92.Organic and biodynamic farmers are now open to the conservation of biodiversity and cultivation of local varieties, but often they are farmers new to the job or foreigners that in any case know little about the traditions and the local varieties. Others have started farming too late to inherit the old local varieties and knowledge about them. The following is a partial list of these associations:• La terra e il cielo, Senigallia, Ancona. This is a consortium of organic farmers who have reproduced and conserved certain varieties of apple and vine, as well as cereals and some vegetable varieties. • Coordinamento per l'Agricoltura biologica di Lecco, offered to the Mountain Community of Triangolo Lariano to establish for them a nursery for the reproduction of old fruit tree varieties. • L'albero della vita, Triest, reproduces cereal and vegetable seed with biodynamic methods and even have some fruit tree species and varieties. • Agrinova Soc. Coop., Catania is relaunching traditional apple varieties resistant to scab (Mela dell'Etna, Gelato cola and Cola). • Nuova Ricerca Cooperative Borgo Tossignano, Bologna is a large cooperative which for a number of years has been researching and working on varieties of maize and pulses, but also on fruit tree varieties.Local and regional institutes As these do not fall exactly within the informal sector, they are not considered to be part of the official network. They could, however, be considered a bridge between the formal sector and the farmers because of their even distribution throughout the country.In recent years, some development agencies, such as Ente di Sviluppo Agricolo delle Marche, have started research and conservation activities. Thanks to the presence of technicians working on the subject of conservation of genetic resources, since 1984 this particular agency has collected numerous apple accessions (Rosa marchigiana, Rosa stellata, Verdona, etc.). It is also very active in popularizing productive cultivation of some of these varieties for the market.Other development agencies, mentioned below, popularize the conservation of agricultural biodiversity:• Ente di Sviluppo Agricolo del Veneto • Agenzia Regionale per lo Sviluppo e l'Innovazione in Agricoltura del Lazio. Another interesting event is the research activities being carried out by some of the mountain communities who hold fruit tree collections (apple and pear).• Comunità Montana Valli Gesso Vermenagna Pesio, Robilante, Cuneo has a rich collection of approximately 50 varieties of apple and pear. It has a collection of local material found in the area, including 15 varieties of apple, 8 of pear, 5 of cherry and 5 varieties of plum. These are also tested in small field trials on different rootstocks and they are compared with standard varieties. The work that could be and is carried out by the professional agricultural institutes also must not be underestimated, e.g. Istituto Tecnico Agrario di Spilimbergo, Pordenone, Istituto Professionale Agrario di Cussanio, Cuneo, Istituto Professionale per l'Agricoltura e l'Ambiente di Pieve S. Stefano, Arezzo, who all have collections of various fruit tree varieties and who actively disseminate information regarding the conservation of genetic resources.An unusual initiative was carried out by E.C.A.P. (Ente Confederale Addestramento Professionale), Ravenna, which, in collaboration with Comune di Casola Valsenio, Ravenna, set up a project entitled \"Rediscovering forgotten fruits\". It is a territorial development project for the rediscovery and exploitation of resources and marginal agricultural cultivation in hilly areas. By \"forgotten fruits\", they mean medlar, sorb-apple, arbutus berry, cornelian cherry, pomegranate and also Mela della rosa and Pera volpina. They have produced a large quantity of information sheets and in October the annual trade fair dedicated to forgotten fruits will be held in Casola Valsenio.Many small and large initiatives fall within this sector which moreover should be well sustained because in many cases they have made up for the shortcomings of the public sector and they have often worked without financial aid. Nurserymen A few years ago, nurserymen started producing old varieties of fruit plants for selling. In some cases they have a collection of interesting material, even though they often follow market trends rather than favour the conservation of genetic material.• Vivai Dal Monte, via Casse, 9, 48013 Brisighella, Ravenna has a production line called the \"Antico pomario\" in which they produce many varieties of apple, pear, cherry and apricot of Romagna region. For a certain period they also kept an organic nursery. How did Hardenpont obtain his superior pears? It seems that he was a pioneer in the controlled pollination of pears, long before Knight (1759-1838) who is reputed to have been the first to practise controlled breeding of apples.Hardenpont soon had many imitators in Belgium and elsewhere in Europe. One of the most famous was a Belgian pharmacist and physician, Van Mons (1767-1842), who produced over 400 new pear varieties. In 1874, the pomologist Gilbert recorded 146 Belgian amateur breeders who had bred more than 1100 pear cultivars during the 18th and 19th centuries but he made no reference to the numerous pear landraces which existed on farms (Gilbert 1874).The great American pomologist U.P. Hedrick wrote in 1921: \"The pear was improved more in one century in Belgium than in all the centuries that had past\", and further: \"Now, mostly owing to the work of the Belgians, the buttery pears predominate\". Populer (1979) made a review on the Belgian pears and apples that he had collected in Belgium.In fact, Belgium may be considered as an important secondary centre of diversification for the cultivated pears and an astounding number of varieties bred in other countries have Belgian pears among their ancestors.A rapid survey of Belgian pear collections shows there is presently a lack of information on duplications and identification problems in most collections. Many of the identification errors in old collections come from inaccurate synonyms, mis-spelling, mis-labelling or from the interstock having overgrown the variety. Most curators have no time for evaluation or characterization. The data presented in Table 1 are therefore a first approximation which should be revised in the future.The collecting work of unique material, mostly landraces, is not yet finished at the Station de Phytopathologie but proceeds at a slower pace, as an increasing amount of time is devoted to the management and evaluation of the collections and to development activities in the commercial nursery and fruit-growing area, in connection with the old fruit varieties re-injected in the trade by the Station. Furthermore, BRG (Bureau des Ressources Génétiques), a governmental institution, aims to incite various partners to manage genetic resources more efficiently, and to develop, in collaboration with the different partners involved, a national agreement for the genetic resources of all species collected in France. No specific funds have been allocated to achieve this task. BRG asked M.-F. Tarbouriech to manage the apple and pear network.For apple and pear, the principal short-term objectives are:• to create and manage a national database • to develop a policy for material exchange • to achieve a more efficient management, i.e. detect accessions planted in too many sites, duplicate unique accessions. Two different databases have already been developed: • one database contains INRA's accessions (Informix Unix) • the other, for AFCEV's data, has been developed by the 'Conservatoire National de Gap Charance' (Hyperfile software).Descriptors entered in the database are essentially the accession name, the accession code and the code of the donor institute. AFCEV and INRA proposed a list of 90 characterization descriptors including flowering time, picking time, fruit characterization (attractiveness, taste), tree habit, vigour, resistance/susceptibility to major pests and diseases. The structure of the Malus and Pyrus Database is shown in Figure 1. It illustrates the relations between the different objects: one object \"genotype\" includes passport data and descriptors common to apple and pear; one object for apple-specific characterization descriptors; and one for pear-specific descriptors.AFCEV, INRA and all partners involved in conservation of Malus and Pyrus are working together to manage genetic resources more efficiently. The first step of this work is currently being implemented: a national database is being designed. It will lead to an official list of accessions planted in France. The next step will be the characterization of all this material with the minimum list of descriptors mentioned above, and its management. The final step will be the selection of 100 to 200 accessions representing the genetic variability of Malus and Pyrus germplasm in France to create a core collection. But all partners, whether working in governmental or non-governmental organizations, or amateurs, encounter the same major problem: finding funds.Reference Laurens, F. 1996 The further evaluation of wild species of Malus and Pyrus will include:• morphology and phenology for clarification of last taxonomic problems,• time and density of flowering (yearly)• fruit set • presence and percentage of apomixis • finding of different sources of scab and mildew resistance donors by evaluation of the natural infection without fungicide spraying • finding of fire blight resistance sources by artificial inoculation tests • support of the scab resistance selection in apple breeding by collecting and analysis of the races spectrum of the scab fungi population in the field of the Malus species collection.For the cultivars the following will be evaluated:• phenology • morphology • time and density of flowering (yearly)• fruit set and yield (yearly)• fruit quality and storability • scab and mildew infection (yearly) -this year without fungicide spraying, normally under a very low fungicide spraying programme to find donors for polygenic resistance • other damages, this year winter frost injury and spring frost damages.A special programme will be carried out for the evaluation of populations of Malus sieversii (Lodeb.) M. Roemer from Kazakstan, in cooperation with the Cornell University of Geneva, NY, USA. For the evaluation we use the special form which was presented at the ECP/GR workshop on European Malus germplasm held at Wye College, UK, in June 1995.All passport data and the evaluation data for morphological, phenological and agronomical characteristics will be computerized within the framework of the German EVA project.6 This constitutes a good source for a further project for an international Malus database. At present we are preparing an accession list of all fruit cultivars of different institutions and NGOs of Germany. This list contains so far 10 131 accessions of 4373 fruit cultivars, including 5526 accessions of 1861 apple cultivars and 687 accessions of 338 pear cultivars. We plan to make this list available on the Internet.Progress report on the Hungarian genebank for apple and pear species Types of material Material maintained in the genebank is listed in Table 2. Data acquisition Data recording for each item found in the genebank is started in the first year of fruit production (see below for list of characters recorded). Knowledge of the date of flowering, ripening, characteristics of the fruit and growth characteristics of the tree allows identification of varieties and duplications. The identification of accessions is difficult because of shortage of funds and staff. We think that it is necessary to preserve accessions in two sites. We have already taken steps to implement this in the case of pear. Most of the pear varieties can also be found in the west of Hungary, at Keszthely. There are multiple copies of several accessions in the collection. This is because the information which accompanied the scion wood for each was inconsistent and it was decided to retain each in order to establish if they were distinct cultivars.The accessions now planted in the orchard are divided into dessert and culinary cultivars. Non-Irish cultivars are also planted at the same location but are grouped together away from the Irish cultivars.This report will try to give an update with respect to the article presented in 1995 at the European Malus germplasm workshop (Grassie et al. 1996), and an inventory of the Pyrus germplasm present in ex situ collections in Italy. In addition, the subsequent work on the evaluation, utilization and valorization of old fashioned Italian cultivars will be discussed.At present, Italy does not have a formal national conservation strategy for fruit tree germplasm, even though the Istituto Sperimentale per la Frutticoltura (ISF), belonging to the Ministero per le Politiche Agricole, since 1993 has begun an informal coordination activity on deciduous fruit tree germplasm including Malus and Pyrus. The ISF carried out in 1993 an inventory of all the fruit tree germplasm present in Italy. The document was published by the Institute and is still available upon request. The accessions included not only Italian cultivars, but also foreign ones. In this report, it was considered appropriate to discuss mainly the material reported to be of Italian genetic origin. Furthermore, traits of particular interest, like quality, disease and pest resistance have been reported for some of the most interesting obsolete and old cultivars.Italy's apple production, like that of the rest of the world, is based on two cultivars, Delicious and its sports and Golden Delicious with recent expansion based on their seedlings Gala, Mutsu, Jonagold from Golden Delicious and Empire and Fuji from Delicious (Hokanson et al. 1997).Nonetheless, certain territories still base their production on old local cultivars. Two examples of this tendency are the ancient apple cultivars Annurca and Decio. The first was cited by Plinio, in the Imperial Rome, with the Latin name Orbiculata and locally called Orcola. It is still commonly grown in the Campania region (south Italy), and it is particularly appreciated for its peculiar flavour and crispy flesh. The second was grown in Roman times and was probably singled out in the gardens belonging to the Decio noble family, in the Latium region.Considering the pear industry, the number of cultivars grown commercially is very limited and breeding programmes throughout the world have not changed substantially the pear cultivar scenario, which is still based upon few and very old cultivars. An example of an old pear cultivar still very appreciated is Spina Carpi, described by the pomologist Gallesio (1800), which corresponds to the ancient pear Picena dei Romani (Morico et al. 1997). This cultivar is used in breeding programme projects for its resistance to Psylla pyri and for its good quality.Regarding apple, both the total production (2 017 000 t in 1996) and the cultivated area slightly decreased in recent years (Table 1). An important aspect of the new orchards is that some of the cultivars used are resistant to apple scab. Up to now, the most-used cultivar resistant to Venturia inaequalis (Cke.) Wint. is Florina, bred in France, but Golden Lasa introduced by the ISF, Section of Trento, will be one of the most-planted cultivars in Trento district to replace Golden Delicious.The percentage of the apple production of the main cultivars is reported in Figure 1. It is interesting to see how the old cultivar Annurca still represents 4.5% of the total Italian apple production.The pear industry seems to be more stable than the apple one and the total production in 1996 has been 999 000 t (Table 1). The varieties grown are mainly of foreign origin, the few Italian cultivars significantly grown commercially are Coscia, Spadona Estiva and Santa Maria (Fig. 2).  The first National Congress on fruit tree germplasm, held in Alghero (Sardegna) in 1992 at the conclusion of a 10-year-old project funded by the National Research Council (CNR), aimed at recovering, collecting, inventorying and conserving the main fruit tree species.From then on, the activity on the conservation and valorization of the indigenous apple and pear cultivars, performed by the various research institutions, has steadily increased.The results of such activity can be easily seen throughout the country by consulting the nursery catalogues and the promotional commercial activities linked with obsolete apple and pear germplasm, adapted to specific pedoclimatic regions.All of the Research Institutions that took part in the project, collected, evaluated and described the local regional material. Particular attention was paid to the selection of this material for horticultural traits such as quality, spur and compact habit, wildness, pest and disease resistance and fruit shelf life (Table 2). The aim of this exercise was to identify cultivars that could satisfy several main categories of utilization:1. Single out particular positive horticultural traits that can be useful in breeding programmes. 2. Study the possibility of using successfully modern orchard management techniques on obsolete cultivars, to overcome the inconveniences manifested by these cultivars, such as late bearing, small fruit size, alternate bearing, short shelf life, etc. 3. Cultivars that can satisfy consumers' requests for home garden production and for ornamental purposes (weeping, compact and dwarf habit, flowering trees, green edges, etc.). An example of this is the double-purpose pear cultivar Scipiona, of the Emilia-Romagna hills, used both as a garden hedgerow and for its production. 4. Cultivars suitable for integrated pest or biological control management, thus reducing both the environmental impact and the production costs, objectives that cannot be easily achieved by growing modern and homogeneous bred cultivars. In fact, the wildness (less susceptibility to biotic and abiotic stresses) that belongs to most of these cultivars has been the main reason for their diffusion in ancient times.(28.5%), 602 of which are considered at risk of extinction. The numbers reported do not take into account the duplicate accessions present, so it is reasonable to consider the number of distinct accessions to be certainly smaller. In fact in the census made in 1993 the total number of distinct apple and pear accessions accounted respectively to 1438 and 718 (Morico et al. 1993).The data collected on pear germplasm show that nearly 50% of the total accessions are of Italian origin. The total pear accessions are 887 (Table 3). The production is based on very few old cultivars introduced between 1700 and 1800. This phenomenon has largely contributed to the loss of unique local cultivars. A survey carried out in Italy reported that 285 pear cultivars (most of which of local origin) have already disappeared, and with them many precious characters (Bellini and Scaramuzzi 1976).Because of the extremely slow evolution of the varietal assortment and the market need to have uniform products, production has concentrated on a few old common cultivars, thus causing a progressive and uncontrolled loss of Italian pear germplasm.The main cause of apple genetic erosion, on the other hand, is the everincreasing varietal turnover and to the market need to have a standardized and uniform product.Collecting, characterization, evaluation and utilization of old local cultivars, adapted to difficult and different environments characterizing the Italian peninsula, can potentially provide a rich and useful genetic variability, especially for resistance and quality traits. Furthermore, this genetic variability also allows us to diversify the production to meet the consumers' increasing demand for a healthier and better-quality product. In accordance with the worldwide accepted concept of a more 'friendly agriculture', Italian ancient cultivars can contribute to a more ecological way of production.Quadretti, R., M. Ventura, C. Buscaroli and S. Sansavini. 1996 Observations and measurements were made on the following characters: phenology; morphology of woodcuttings, buds, flowers and fruits; tree habitus; yield; winterhardiness; scab resistance; canker resistance (230 cultivars investigated); apple blotch resistance (30 cultivars investigated).The Malus collection contains almost 600 accessions (Table 1). More than 70% of them are of foreign origin, others are old local cultivars or were created at the Institute (cultivars and hybrids). There are 38 cultivars resistant to apple scab (genes Vf, Vm) and 49 accessions with columnar habitus in the apple collection. During the 1950s and 1960s the main purpose of the introduction and cultivar evaluation was finding cultivars for commercial cultivation. The main purpose of the apple breeding programme was to create winterhardy, precocious apple cultivars, with excellent fruit quality and high storage potential. Donors of apple scab resistance have been used in breeding since the 1970s. Besides the abovementioned traits the new apple cultivars are distinguished by dwarfness or semidwarfness and a compact crown. The donors of these traits started to be introduced and used in the apple breeding programme.National programme activities related to Malus/Pyrus have been carried out since 1980 with a short break at the beginning of last decade, when existing collections were not well financed by the Ministry of Agriculture. Besides apple and pear collections, held in good conditions at the Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture, there is a Malus collection (in situ) in the Botanical Garden in Powsin near Warsaw. The collection is sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture. It contains about 250 accessions, which are evaluated systematically according to UPOV descriptors. The main task of the collection is to maintain the primitive autochthonous cultivars of Polish origin.Other collections (ex situ) existing in Agricultural Academies in Poland have not been financed and they are not developing now. Collections (in situ) within the ecological community have also been registered and their number increases constantly, mostly in the northern part of Poland, depending on the financial support.We record the blossoming and ripening date every year. Crop productivity of trees and quality of fruit are also measured. In addition, the growth of trees, shape of canopy and occasionally the resistance to main pests and diseases is evaluated. Some accessions are used in the special breeding programme conducted at the Research Institute of Pomology at Skierniewice.Data management includes the European Malus/Pyrus Database. In the apple collection, 40% of passport data have already been completed and 80% of accessions have photograph documentation of the fruit. Malus and Pyrus sp. evaluation has systematically been completed.Coordinator, Fruit Research Institute, Piteêti -M²r²cineni, Romania Romania, by its geographical location in Europe and thanks to its temperatecontinental climate which is favourable to the cultivation of many fruit species, owns a rich genetic fund created both by natural selection and by the introduction of foreign cultivars. The first concern for identification, description and classification of local and foreign genetic resources goes back to 1877 when 1075 cultivars were described and collected in a farm near Cenad (Arad district) by Maté Bereczki.Presently, fruit germplasm conserved in situ or ex situ comprises nearly 6000 accessions as follows: The National Collections for each genus and species can be found in one or two 2 outstanding locations which have favourable climatic conditions for growing and highlighting the specific traits of cultivars (Fig. 1). The total area of ex situ collections is 65 ha but this will be reduced because of low financial support. The same is true for the plant material in the botanical gardens or that identified in situ.At the national level, there is a Committee for Plant Genetic Resources at the Ministry of Agriculture, which together with the Gene Bank Suceava coordinates the activity for preservation and evaluation of fruit germplasm in Romania. Fruit genetic resources are managed by 15 research stations and they are included in the national research project which at present is poorly financed.The organization on a scientific basis of the national collections was initiated in 1970 and has continued ever since, involving the genetic resources in the breeding programmes.Simultaneously, the cultivars were evaluated using UPOV European descriptors so that after 1990, more than half of accessions were computerized in a database. The utilization of some cultivars present in the collections as parents gave more than 200 new valuable cultivars and rootstocks, grown commercially. To highlight the activity in this field, international symposia on plant genetic resources were organized at Suceava in 1993 and 1996.The favourable ecological and climatic conditions linked to the quick introduction in the Cantabrian coast of Malus domestica Borkh. and its hybridization with Malus sylvestris Miller on one hand, and the mode of multiplication of apple (sexual and vegetative) on the other hand, have led to the appearance of a large number of varieties that are suitable for cider and other apple by-products. The major part of these varieties have a local distribution, although some of them, which are interesting as dessert apples, are more widely spread.The National Apple Germplasm Bank (CIATA Asturias) and the Regional Apple Germplasm Repository (Galician, Vizcaya, Guipúzcoa, Navarra y Zaragoza) are located in the north of Spain. Among the regions of the Cantabrian coast, Asturias has the higher diversity of genetic resources of apple, and it can be considered as a secondary centre of genetic variation. These genetic resources are of great interest for breeding, particularly now that the race 6 of Venturia inaequalis (Cke.) Wint. has overcome the resistance of the Vf system (which has been used during the last 45 years in breeding programmes). This fact strengthens the interest to associate a polygenic resistance character (which is already present in 39.5% of the Asturian apple varieties studied) with major genes, such as Vf or Va genes.The CIATA of Villaviciosa has carried out exploration and collection of local cultivars of the Cantabrian coast, mainly the Asturian ones. Since 1986, intensive work on characterization and evaluation, focused on the selection of apples of interest, has been developed. The main objectives considered were:• resistance to diseases and pests • production: precocious, high and regular bearing • organoleptic and technological quality. Since 1989, the CIATA has been developing a genetic improvement programme of cider apple varieties, through the crossing of Asturian cider apple varieties of agronomic and technological interest with some varieties or hybrids possessing important characteristics such as Vf scab resistance character, high fire blight resistance, relatively late ripening, and one fruit per inflorescence (kindly provided by INRA Angers, France) (Table 1). The main breeding aims are:• resistance to scab + tolerance to mildew, canker, fire blight and rosy apple aphid + technological characters • regular bearing (good tree habit) + resistance to scab + technological characters • resistance to scab + tolerance to fire blight and rosy apple aphid + fruit quality (eating apple).In addition, for the improvement of scab polygenic resistance and technological characters a programme of crosses betwen Asturian cider apple varieties is being carried out (Table 2). Mangas, J.J., E. Dapena, M.S. Rodríguez, J. Moreno, M.D.Gutiérrez and D. Blanco. 1992  The rather decentralized approach of variety conservation requires good data management. Fructus and Pro Specie Rara are working with coordinated databases on Filemaker including all information on collecting sites and in situ collection (see below, part B).The information system allows detection of accessions which are threatened with extinction. A so-called 'red list' is being established with the following categories:• accession on less than 5 sites → threatened accession → red list • accession on 6 to 30 sites → rare accession • accession on more than 30 sites → safe accession.Pro Specie Rara Rétropomme Obstgartenaktion Schaffhausen Obstbauverein Mittelbünden Sortensammlung Hofen etc.Actually two red lists of the apple and pear varieties exist: one for original Swiss accessions and one for all known accessions. The Swiss accessions on the red list are now being multiplied with highest priority and subsequently distributed to collections or collaborating farmers.Based on several national and regional fruit exhibitions, it was possible to photograph and describe a considerable number of apple and pear accessions, mainly through the activity of Fructus. At the moment pomological description of about 500 apple and 300 pear accessions is completed and most of these descriptions are already included in the database.Fructus and Pro Specie Rara are jointly preparing a CD-ROM with pictures and pomological descriptions of about 500 apple and 300 pear accessions. It should be ready for the next common fruit variety exhibition which will take place in October 1998 in Burgdorf near Bern.Until now the Swiss government was almost not involved in the conservation of fruit genetic resources in Switzerland. Private activity was predominant. However, following the conferences of Rio and Leipzig, there are initiatives to increase the government's commitments in the conservation of plant genetic resources. A report was recently prepared which gives a good summary of the current situation concerning plant genetic resources in Switzerland, targeting gaps and proposing solutions to fill these gaps. It is obvious that in the area of fruit genetic resources there are still considerable gaps to fill, mainly in respect to stone fruit. We hope that decisions will be taken during this year.The Research Stations of Wädenswil and Changins are closely collaborating with Fructus and Pro Specie Rara. These stations are involved in apple and pear breeding programmes respectively. As there are no official government-funded genebanks for fruit species this collaboration is very important. It is hoped that through the progress in the characterization of the fruit genetic resources they can be considered more frequently in the breeding programmes. A broader genetic base is required in many modern fruit breeding programmes and it is obvious that in this context the fruit genetic resources play an important role.1 , Monica Goerre 1 , Peter Enz 2 and Martin Bossard 3 1 Swiss Federal Research Station, Wädenswil 2 Fructus, Botanical Garden, Zürich 3 Pro Specie Rara, Sortenzentrale, KöllikenBoth NGOs are working with Filemaker 2.1 and 3.0 databases. These databases include three main parts:• addresses of collections and single-tree holders (on-farm conservation)• passport and pomological data that also can be used for determining varieties • site information: quality and security of the site, age of the tree, number of trees.This relational database is being established at the Federal Research Station Wädenswil on MS-Access. It will be connected to the Fructus and Pro Specie Rara Databases. This database is essentially developed for testing modern cultivars. However, the pomological descriptions of fruit genetic resources will also be included.• annual evaluation data from field trials.The characters on this level can be defined individually with the help of a mask for different character types. All the defined characters of the variety descriptions are also included.* literature (mainly older varieties or very new ones) * results of our own trialsThe characters in the variety description have been fixed. Apart from biological and genetic information such as parents, resistances, ploidy level, virus status, they consist of pomological characters, of measured characters such as sugar content, acidity and firmness and characters related to tree performance. For the daily use there are also data about breeders, partners of experimental contracts, date of importation, variety rights and variety protection.The results of our own field trials can be automatically read into the variety description sheet. The possibility of manual correction is provided.Regular meetings with the partner institutions are envisaged for discussion and adjustment of data.Most of the characters are evaluated as ratings. Two rating scales can be used: either 1-9 or 0-100. The results can be shown on either scale. Some characters are evaluated by a choice of descriptive adjectives. Others consist of measured values.It is possible to search for any defined character of the variety description.Presentation forms are not yet finalized. A star diagram and a time diagram for a choice of key characters of one or several varieties together are already available.The database is designed for use in four languages. The translations, however, have not yet been made.Import facilities for data being gathered on other programmes:• Addresses are already dealt with on a Filemaker database.• One partner (Fructus) was already using Filemaker for variety description of old varieties. So it was a condition to provide regular importation of these data. • For field data we use a programme called Widas (compatible with Excel).• Calibration data are also entered from Widas via Excel.In the future, networking with other institutions worldwide and data exchange are envisaged.Faculty of Agriculture, Belgrade, F.R. YugoslaviaInvestigations were performed on apple and pear varieties and their wild relatives. During the period 1976-79, T. Van der Zwet of the United States carried out the project Studies of Autochthonous Varieties of Pear in the Territory of the Balkan Peninsula. With the help of researchers from Yugoslavia (Stankoviº, Ristevski, Paunoviº, Jovanceviº), Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary, he inventoried 279 varieties, including 225 varieties from the territory of former Yugoslavia (Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia). These varieties can be found in collections in the United States today. Bell and Stuart (1990) subsequently carried out further investigations of the mentioned varieties and concluded that the following autochthonous varieties of pear from the territories of Serbia and Montenegro were highly resistant to Psylla piricola Först.: Jeribasma, Karamanka, Smokvarka, Mednik, Obi¹an vodenjak and Zelenika. During this research, they established that Smokvarka was in fact a hybrid of Pyrus communis L. and Pyrus elaeagnifolia Pall.During the period 1985-88, the Belgrade Faculty of Agriculture, led by Evica Mratiniº independently began the project Inventory of Autochthonous Varieties of Apple and Pear in the area of Mt. Kopaonik. Research was carried out with financial assistance from agricultural organizations of this area. On that occasion, researchers recorded, marked and described 90 varieties of apple and 53 varieties of pear in in situ conditions.In 1987, the S.F.R. Yugoslav government financed a study of the possibilities for setting up a bank of Yugoslav plant genes, as a federal institution. Within this study, in the period 1989-91, the S.F.R. Yugoslav government financed the project 'The Setting up of a Bank of Plant Genes of Yugoslavia' and within this 'The Setting up of a Bank of Fruit Tree Genes of Yugoslavia'. This project was implemented with the participation of 18 institutions (institutes, faculties) from all over former Yugoslavia, and 137 scientific researchers. Investigations were carried out on 13 varieties of fruit trees.To study and isolate genotypes of fruit trees in situ, the corrected or supplemented descriptor list of the IBPGR was used for apple, pear, plum, apricot, cherry, sour cherry, almond and olive, and a new descriptor list established according to the IPGRI (IBPGR) method for myrobolan, vineyard peach, walnut, hazelnut and raspberry. On that occasion, 145 varieties of apple and 134 varieties of pear were studied.This project was to continue in the next period as well, when the already registered genotypes would be moved from in situ to ex situ conditions, and registering and studies of new genotypes would also continue. Moreover, the work undertaken on the establishment of a federal Yugoslav bank of plant genes (buildings and collection gardens) would be completed. Unfortunately, the project was interrupted by the events which took place in the territory of former Yugoslavia in 1992 and the following years.The following institutions (faculties and research institutes) contribute to the preservation of Malus and Pyrus germplasm today:1. The Belgrade Faculty of Agriculture During 3 years of work on a joint project 'Setting up a Bank of Yugoslav Plant Genes' and 'Setting up a Bank of Fruit Genes', financed by the Yugoslav federal government, the above institutions registered and described 89 autochthonous varieties of apple and 83 autochthonous varieties of pear in in situ conditions. About 90% of the registered Malus and Pyrus gene fund which is found in situ has been transferred to the ex situ state (active collections) over the past 5 years (without financial assistance of the government) by the researchers participating in the project. This number of genotypes, financed under the project, was determined on the basis of funds made available by the government at that time. It is just a small part of the exceptionally large number of autochthonous varieties of Malus and Pyrus in Yugoslavia.Autochthonous varieties of Malus and Pyrus are found in Yugoslavia mostly in hilly-mountainous regions, on individual farms, where fruit growing is extensive. There is a great possibility that certain genotypes will disappear owing to the abandonment of agricultural practices and to ageing of orchards. Bearing this in mind, many researchers continued to work on registering and collecting autochthonous varieties of Malus and Pyrus, either individually or within the activities of the institutions where they were employed. These activities were conducted with the objective of preserving the existing gene fund without any financial assistance from the government. These individual investigations were carried out primarily thanks to the great enthusiasm and personal commitment of the researchers, as well as financial assistance from agricultural organizations in the field.Table 1 presents autochthonous varieties of apple and pear whose study was financed by the government, as well as the total number of autochthonous varieties studied and collected in situ and ex situ in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.Studies of introduced apple and pear varieties are carried out within a project financed by the Yugoslav federal government and the republican governments of Serbia and Montenegro. The preservation of these varieties in ex situ collections is not sufficiently financed by these governments. In addition to the collecting of autochthonous and introduced varieties of apple and pear in Yugoslavia by the Faculty of Agriculture of Belgrade, work has also begun on the rich populations of wild species of apple and pear. Malus species found in this area in natural populations have been determined, as well as their distribution. They are: Malus sylvestris Miller, M. dasyphylla Borkh. and M. florentina (Zuccagni) C. Schneider. Malus florentina is especially interesting as a species endemic to the Balkans. It is found in Yugoslavia (southern Serbia), Macedonia, Greece, Albania, and southern Italy.The following species of Pyrus are found in natural populations in Yugoslavia: Pyrus communis L., P. amygdaliformis Vill, P. nivalis Jacq., and P. elaeagnifolia Pall.Work continues on selection, in situ investigations, and collecting of the economically most interesting genotypes. This research is also being carried out without any financial assistance from the Yugoslav government.Genotypes in active collections are evaluated according to the most important phenotypic and pomological characteristics in order to determine their importance for horticulture and breeding.Each genotype (accession) in the collection is represented by five trees and its characteristics are evaluated according to the IPGRI descriptors list. The following characters are evaluated in apple genotypes: trunk thickness, time of blossoming, time of maturation of fruit, productivity, fruit size, basic and additional colour of epidermis, firmness of fruit, fruit quality, resistance to the pathogens Podosphaera leucotricha (Ell. & Ev.) E. Salmon and Venturia inaequalis (Cke.) Wint., and ecological factors (frost and drought).The following are evaluated in pear genotypes: trunk thickness, time of blossoming, parthenocarpia, time of fruit ripening, productivity, fruit size, epidermis colour, fruit quality, resistance to the pathogens Psylla pyri L., Venturia pirina Aderh., Psylla piricola, and Erwinia amylovora (Burril) Winslow et al., and to ecological factors (frost and drought).All these apple and pear genotypes are interesting for different purposes:• to create new varieties • for commercial cultivation • for cultivation in gardens • for ornamental use or for revegetation of bare mountainous areas • as rootstocks • for fresh consumption • for processing.Reference Bell, R.L. and L.C. Stuart. 1990. Resistance in Eastern European Pyrus germplasm to pear Psylla nymphal feeding. HortScience 25(7):789-791.In 1975 a research project on fruit trees genetic resources and disease resistance began. A collection of old fruit tree cultivars has been set up progressively and has now reached 2550 accessions of which 1250 are apples. The material is continuously evaluated for disease resistance and agronomic characters in experimental orchards (Lateur and Populer 1996).The first few crosses were made in 1988 with the initial aim of studying the pollen intercompatibility (Lateur 1996). Since 1990 started a breeding programme has focused on apple scab polygenic resistance, using the better-performing old cultivars screened out of our collection. Thanks to new funding, the programme has been operational since the beginning of 1996 (Lateur and Wagemans 1996;Lateur et al. 1997). It is the second way of valorization of our genetic resources, after the direct re-introduction of some old fruit cultivars through commercial nurseries (Lateur and Populer 1996).1. Selecting from the evaluation of our genetic resources :• new sources of polygenic scab resistance, mildew resistance and Nectria canker resistance • sources of fruit quality (taste, firmness, conservation, etc.) and hardiness 2. Selecting the parents with the best combinations of good diseases resistance and good agronomic characters. 3. Developing specific methods for testing the polygenic scab resistance of young seedlings by: • standardizing all parameters: soils, inoculum, quantitative inoculation, temperature, RH, etc. • developing a quantitative assessment key • controlling the consistency between the greenhouse scab test and the plant resistance in the field. 4. Selecting the best parents which transmit their good characters to a sufficiently large proportion of their offsprings.The general crossing scheme is given below. During the last 5 years, around 80 old apple cultivars have been used as parents in different combinations to test their ability to transmit their polygenic resistance characters for scab and for mildew. Table 1 shows the average cycle of selection based on preliminary results. Through the preservation, evaluation and utilization of the existing genetic diversity, fruit breeders have promising chances to develop new cultivars adapted to the future conditions of fruit growing.1 , Christa Fischer 2 and Rolf Büttner 1 1 Genbank Obst Dresden-Pillnitz des IPK-Gatersleben, Dresden, Germany 2 Institut für Obstzüchtung Dresden-Pillnitz der BAZ Quedlinburg, Dresden, GermanyFruit breeding is heavily dependent on the constant use of old and new varieties as well as on the use of different wild species. This is especially important for the introduction of disease and pest resistance, as well as of stress tolerance. Besides the collecting and conservation of fruit collections, their evaluation for later use in breeding work is of great importance. Therefore we give priority to the collecting and conservation of varieties and species which show significant properties and express them under different ecological conditions.For each kind of cultivated plant, related wild species are an important genetic source. These sources contain genetic information -in this case especially resistance traits -that can be transferred to the cultivated form. The genetic pool of wild species collections reveals what is actually possible with regard to resistance. This means that a certain completeness of a collection of wild species should be aimed at. An analysis of the resistance features supplies information for evaluation of the manifold plant forms. This means that high demands have to be placed on the quality of these analyses if they are to correctly convey the genetic resistance background. Without going into further details, we would like to point out the difficulties encountered in analyzing resistance features that are dependent on environmental conditions.Resistance to scab, mildew and fire blight plays a major role in the breeding of apples today. Table 1 shows the scab and mildew resistance of our Malus wild species collection.For breeding purposes it is a distinct advantage that, with the exception of apomictic polyploids, wild species of apples can be crossed with cultivated apples without limitations. This means that to determine the genetic background, resistance carriers can be combined with cultivated varieties at all stages. In crosscombination programmes at Pillnitz the following species and cultivars were used:•  Following initial information about a possible breakdown of the monogenic M. floribunda scab resistance, it became necessary to consider further sources of resistance. Since 1994, 18 highly scab-resistant Malus species have been crossed with cultivated apples and subjected to an early selection in a prebreeding programme with the Institut for Fruit Breeding Dresden-Pillnitz. Likewise, it was attempted to transfer the good mildew resistance of Malus sylvestris Miller to cultivars. The results will be evaluated in the coming years.A valuable aid in identifying sources of resistance has been the marking of the resistance genes by PCR techniques. To ascertain the resistance to fire blight, numerous Malus species were screened in cooperation with the Phytopathological Institute in Aschersleben, Germany. The results revealed that the northwestern American species Malus fusca possesses complete resistance.The evaluation of the apple cultivars of the Fruit Genebank is also a decisive help in discovering new sources of resistance within this collection. The discovery of carriers of polygenic resistance that are decisive for the stability of resistance in the field is of prime importance. By crossing these varieties a limitation of the genetic diversity in apple populations can be avoided. In the last few years it had been feared that this could occur because only a few high-quality apple cultivars had been used in breeding programmes. An analysis of more than 700 cultivars over a 4-year period revealed that only a few varieties remain that have not been infected by scab and mildew. The varieties not affected by these pests were Alkmene, Hibernal, Kardinal Bea, Remo, Rote Sternrenette, Roter Eiserapfel, Peasgoods Nonsuch and Schlesischer Lehmapfel. The cultivars Boskoop, Rewena and Discovery showed only slight damages due to mildew in one year. These varieties will be more heavily involved in future resistance breeding programmes, especially since their fruit quality is considered to be quite unproblematical.In recent years there have been numerous indications of the breakdown of the monogenic scab resistance of Malus floribunda and its progenies. For 3 years now, usually unaffected M. floribunda origins in our assortment of wild species have also been diseased by scab. The spectrum of races has been investigated and it was discovered that in Pillnitz the scab race no. 3 has apparently been responsible for the contamination of otherwise resistant forms. As a result of this research and in order to permit a considerably tougher selection process, all seedlings from the scab resistance programme of the Breeding Institute will also be infected with this aggressive racial spectrum stemming from the Fruit Genebank since 1996.The rate of susceptibility in the populations is higher than by using the natural scab inoculum as before.In the first step of the resistance breeding work in Pillnitz, the selected cultivars possess only one resistance source. It is important to note that the first varieties of the Re-series include cultivars with different bases of scab resistance:Remo, Retina, Rewena, Rene, Reanda, Relinda, Releika, Resi, Rebella, Regine, Renora Vr Realka, Releta, Remura, Regia, Reka Va Reglindis.In the following steps the first high-quality clones with two scab resistance sources are in the last field testing:Va + Vf 17 breeding clones Va + Vr 3 breeding clones Vr + Vf 6 breeding clones Vf + Vf 4 breeding clones.Some scab-resistant cultivars, especially with the Vf gene, proved to be mildew resistant. These are Remo, Rewena, Reanda, Rebella and Resi. Other named cultivars are only weakly susceptible to different degrees. We found this in the Vrcultivars, a few of which were susceptible to mildew. The same problems with mildew in the field were found in Jonafree, Freedom, Liberty, Florina and Priscilla.Commercial trials carried out over 12 years without fungicidal sprays have demonstrated that the Pillnitz resistant cultivars (Vf, Va and Vr) have up to now a durable resistance to scab and sufficient levels of resistance to mildew. Fungicides can be reduced by at least 80% for these cultivars. It was very encouraging to note that diseases caused by other fungi were also absent in these trials.Breeding material with mildew resistance obtained from both oligogenic and polygenic sources (M. × robusta Persicifolia, M. × zumi Calocarpa, cultivars) are being tested in the field.Fire blight resistance is very important because there are no efficient bactericides registered for use in orchards. Donors of alleles for resistance have been found in progenies involving M. × floribunda and some cultivars. Progenies of Clivia, Golden Delicious, Alkmene and Pi-A 44,14 produce a good percentage of seedlings with a high level of resistance. Varieties resistant to fire blight are Remo, Rewena, Rene, Rebella, Reanda and Realka.The cultivars Remo, Rewena, Rebella and Reanda possess triple resistance to scab, mildew and fire blight. Parents with triple resistance transmit a high degree of resistance to their progenies. The best combination, Pi-AS 44,14 × Rewena produced on average one triple-resistant plant for every seven seedlings tested.The resistance levels of different Pillnitz Re-cultivars ® are listed in Table 2.The following investigations were carried out to examine the durability of scab resistance of new cultivars. The tested cultivars were chosen out of a number of resistant cultivars with different genetic background: M. floribunda (Vf), Malus pumila Russian Seedling 12740-7A (Vr), Malus micromalus (Vm) and the cultivar Antonovka (Va). The resistant cultivars were compared with a few non-resistant commercial cultivars. Simultaneously, different Malus species and resistant parents of the resistant cultivars were included in these tests.Shoots of the grafted test plants in a greenhouse were i noculated with scab suspension, at a concentration of 1 x 10 9 cfu. The scab-infected leaf material was taken from different M. floribunda accessions of the Fruit Genebank (named AWS). The control suspension derived from a mixture of scab-infected leaves of nonresistant cultivars in the orchard at different locations without fungicide spraying. Two lines were received from Ahrensburg (KRÜGER), from COOP 8 and 5002 (Vf). These four different scab inocula were able to infest various resistant cultivars to a distinctive extent (Table 3). The non-resistant cultivars were heavily infested.The Re-cultivars from Pillnitz and the cv. Ahra from Ahrensburg showed resistance characters without symptoms and hypersensivity. Liberty, Baujade and Delorina were strongly infested by M. floribunda-AWS-inoculum, and Priam was infested with slight sporulation. With the exception of Karmina the resistant Czech cultivars showed heavy scab infestations by the inoculum from M. floribunda-AWS. Rosana and Vanda were slowly infested also by the control inoculum. The three AWS types of M. floribunda including M. floribunda 821 showed heavy symptoms after inoculation by M. floribunda-AWS (Table 3).The Vr-resistant cultivars based on the resistance of M. pumila R 12740-7A were found with resistance characters in different levels. The resistant cultivars derived from Antonovka ( Va) showed various symptoms of scab infection, Reglindis a slight sporulation with the 5002 inoculum, and Angold a strong sporulation with the M. floribunda-AWS-inoculum.The results of natural infection in the field showed heavy infestations on cv. Golden Delicious and on host for race 3 and also on M. floribunda 821, but the differential host for Va showed only slight sporulation. The genotype Evereste was completely resistant without symptoms. After the test of the differential hosts for the scab races which were involved in the experiment, we conclude that the scab races 1 and 3 predominate in the natural scab population in the region of Dresden-Pillnitz and we consider race 3 as responible for the infestations of the Vf genotypes.These results can be summarized as follows: 1. Strategies to increase resistance stability must be applied in apple breeding programmes. A number of distinct genes for scab resistance should be combined in one cultivar (Vf × Vr, Vf × Va, etc.). The different resistance genes must be identified by molecular markers. 2. Resistant cultivars bred under different ecological conditions are to be tested at the breeding site for their degree of resistance. 3. Evaluation of the resistance has to be carried out with highly virulent scab inocula. 4. Resistant cultivars and clones must be tested against all five or six races of scab, and at different locations. This is a good project for fruit genebanks cooperation and using the evaluation results. Whilst genetic diversity of the genus Malus is wide, commercial apple cultivars have a narrow genetic base (Noiton and Alspach 1996). Of the 10 000 cultivars which are documented (Way et al. 1990), only a few are grown on a large scale. Furthermore, the tendency of breeders has been to derive new cultivars from these few: Golden Delicious, Jonathan, Red Delicious, Cox's Orange Pippin, McIntosh. But the apple breeder needs genetic diversity because the larger the diversity within his breeding population, the more efficient will be the selection.The situation for pear is very different. Most of the commercialized cultivars are quite old and a lot of old cultivars are currently included in the hybridization strategies.Various studies have been developed at INRA Angers on old cultivars of apple and pear. We will not put emphasis on the characterization of all the cultivars planted in INRA's orchards; unfortunatley these data have not yet been computerized. We will just highlight three recent studies which illustrate different research activities performed on genetic resources:Analysis with 16 enzymatic systems (25 polymorphic loci, 109 alleles) was applied on 36 wild species, and 179 cultivars (18 cider and juice cultivars, 18 rootstocks; 68 old French cultivars, 43 old foreign cultivars, 25 recent commercial cultivars; 7 scab-resistant hybrids) (Coutant 1996).Multidimensional analyses show a large polymorphism in the wild species group. Local cultivars show a tendency to pool according to their geographic origin. This fact could confirm the climatic adaptation of the cultivars or highlight the fact that the geneflow is bigger between two different countries than within the same country.Quantitative analyses of variability show that allelic diversity has been affected by selection. However, in the cultivated apple, enzymatic polymorphism is still high: all cultivars can be distinguished (Table 1).This study should be continued by using molecular markers. Testing resistance As mentioned before, disease and pest resistance is a major objective of the apple and pear breeding programmes. Various sources of resistance are checked in order to enlarge the variability of the potential genitors. Old and local cultivars are often tested to find durable resistance. Two examples of such screening will be given. Thibault and Lelezec (1990) tested the resistance to fire blight of 76 apple cultivars and 83 pear cultivars. The experimentation took place between 1981 and 1986 in an orchard at Dax (south of France). Resistance/susceptibility behaviour was assessed after artificial inoculation on shoots and leaves. This study shows a great variability in the resistance of the tested cultivars. The same results could be pointed out for apple and pear: among the old cultivars, very few are resistant: Beurrée Alexandrine Lucas, Beurrée Giffard for pear; most of them are very susceptible: Passe Crassane, Doyennée du Comice, Alexandrine Douillard for pear; James Grieve, Reine des Reinettes for apple. A recent screening  performed in glasshouse conditions after artificial inoculation on old cultivars of pear showed a high amount of susceptible and highly susceptible plants among the old cultivars tested.Large scab resistance screening tests were performed in 1996 and 1997 on 120 old apple cultivars from various French regions. Head curators of conservatoires (=repositories) selected the cultivars which were the most resistant to scab in their orchards and sent budwoods to INRA. Grafted trees were inoculated in glasshouse with different scab strains: race 1, race 6 and other strains collected in Europe.First results showed a wide variability of behaviour among accessions. Some of them, which seemed very resistant in the field, were very susceptible in the glasshouse. Others showed specific resistance with some strains and were highly susceptible to others. A few accessions showed resistance symptoms whatever the tested strains. These latter accessions could be very useful as durable sources of resistance to be incorporated in breeding programmes. This study will be completed next year.At INRA Angers, some of the cultivars released from the dessert apple breeding programme derived from old or local cultivars. They have been used for various characteristics: good fruit taste, resistance, etc .Chantecler was released in 1977 (Lelezec 1990). It was obtained by crossing Golden Delicious and Reinette Clochard, a local French cultivar which transmitted a very good taste.Baujade, released in 1991, is scab resistant. It has in its pedigree Reinette du Mans, an old French variety which gives flavour to Baujade (Lespinasse et al. 1992).A recent hybridization programme has been developed in collaboration with the Conservatoire Nord Pas de Calais in the north of France. Cultivars selected by this conservatoire have been crossed together and with seven hybrids coming from INRA's breeding programmes and carrying the Vf gene. We faced problems for the scab screening in glasshouse compared with tests carried out usually in our breeding programmes on the progenies involving only the Vf gene. Therefore new scab-screening processes adapted to this type of material (lower inoculum concentration, adapted assessment scale, etc.) were developed.At INRA Angers, pear breeding programmes involved a lot of old local varieties. A new pear hybrid will be released in 1997. It is originated from a cross between Doyennée d'hiver and Doyennée du Comice. It is a late-maturing variety which could replace Passe Crassanne because of better fruit quality and longer storage ability. Furthermore it is less susceptible to fireblight and has no secondary blossom.These three examples -characterization of the diversity, screening for resistance and hybridization -illustrate part of the research activities involving germplasm which are carried out at INRA Angers.To achieve an efficient selection, the breeder needs the largest variability. A broad germplasm range is very useful to breed all the characters. But the breeder encounters several difficulties in including old cultivars or landraces as parents in the breeding programmes:• usually, this material brings on one hand some very interesting characters but, on the other hand, it could also transmit undesirable traits which are very difficult to eliminate through the selection; i.e. unattractive fruits, biennial bearing, low productivity, short storage ability • generally, no genetic data are available on them; only phenotypical data or subjective observations.It is therefore necessary to collect and conserve a large number of accessions in germplasm orchards but their characterization and evaluation are crucial for an efficient use in breeding programmes. This is what we are trying to achieve with the Malus/Pyrus germplasm network in France, in collaboration with all partners involved in the conservation of these two species. These populations consist of 812 trees in total and were replicated onto M27 rootstock and subsequently distributed to project partners in order to correlate the phenotypic data with the molecular data. It was decided to use the J family as the primary mapping population.The activities and disciplines involved in this project ranged from basic molecular biology through genetics and breeding to all sciences related to characters selected in apple breeding such as plant pathology, entomology, analysis of fruit quality and tree habit. In addition the project was focusing on the economic and social aspects of apple production. A major effort was devoted to the development of the Apple Store database. The aim of this database was to store genetic data, phenotypic data and analytical results and make them available in a user-friendly way to all researchers.There are three main groups worldwide working towards detailed genetic linkage maps for apple: the European Group; Cornell University, USA, and the New Zealand Apple Gene Mapping Programme. All three groups are aiming to accumulate molecular markers to the major genetic components of interest to apple breeders.The European Apple Project has produced interesting results which are reviewed in a large number of scientific and popular publications. Markers for scab and mildew resistance genes, aphid resistance and further characters have been developed and will partly be applied in marker-assisted breeding. A European Apple Genetic Linkage Map was constructed, based on the J population. The project has fostered collaboration among research teams in different European countries and we hope that a new collaborative project coordinated by INRA-Angers and recently submitted at Brussels will be approved.A range of molecular marker technologies is currently available. Until recently there have been limitations in the ability of existing markers (both isozyme and DNA) to be used for practical management and assessment of genetic resources. This has been due to high cost, low reproducibility or low polymorphism. The development of DNA Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs or Microsatellites) offers many advantages for genetic, breeding, pedigree, fingerprinting and genetic diversity studies of plants. They are amenable to accurate and absolute size determination, and possess the requisite level of polymorphism for the information content, provided they are relatively easy and inexpensive to use. In the longer term, the assays are amenable to automation and locus multiplexing, where the SSR primers are fluorescently tagged and analyzed on standard DNA sequencing instruments. However, the costs of development are often prohibitive.At HRI, we have developed and used a range of SSR markers for Malus which are capable of distinguishing between closely related apple varieties. We are continuing to locate these marker loci on the European Apple Linkage Map. There are several advantages to using mapped SSR markers. Choice of marker loci from different linkage groups will maximize genome coverage. Where markers are linked to known agronomic traits or introgressed regions, then these may be targeted to identify conserved chromosomal segments among groups of accessions.• testing hypotheses relating to SYNONYMS and HOMONYMS • Testing seven loci over 10 varieties and selections used in mapping studies revealed between 5 and 11 alleles per locus. • Restricting the range of genotypes tested has reduced the number of alleles observed. • Some markers represent more than one locus, and this is reflected in larger mean number of alleles per (diploid) accession Most SSR markers selected to date for mapping studies represent one locustwo alleles are typically resolved per Malus genotype (homozygotes are relatively rare). Triploids are commonly detected through the presence of three alleles (Table 1).Example C. Survey of a locus from the linkage group containing Sd1 aphid resistance scored over 160 cultivar accessions reveals unequal distribution of 6 alleles See Table 2.• The presence of common alleles in progenitor and half-sibling progeny demonstrates that SSRs may be used to corroborate or exclude pedigree relationships. • All documented pedigree relationships appear to be consistent with the distribution of alleles. • One may infer the presence of alleles in lines which have not been tested.• The presence of common alleles (e.g. allele 2) in modern varieties suggests narrowing of the genepool and allelic redundancy. • Possession of a combination of relatively rare alleles is likely to reflect greater genetic diversity, and may guide resource managers. Prima ----+ -------------+ ---+ ----+ Fiesta --+ ---------------+ ----+ --+ -3762 M. robusta -------+ ------------+ --+ ----SA572/2 -----+ ----------------+ ---+ -Crimson Spy --+ ----------+ --------+ --+ --Double Red Northern Spy --+ ----------+ --------+ --+ ------------+ ----+ ------+ ----+ Starkspur Golden Delicious --+ -+ -----------------+ ----+-------------+ -+ ------+ ----+ Gloster 69--+ ----------+ --------+ ----+ Ashton Bitter -------+ ---+ ----------+ ----+ Bramley Bittersweet --+ --------+ ------+ ----+ --+ + Dabinette -----------+ ---+ ------+ ----+ Ellis Bitter ----+ --+ -------------------+ Michelin -----------+ ---+ ----------+ + Jonathon + -+ -------------------+ ---+ -Wagener --+ ------------+ -------+ -+ --Idared --+ ------------+ -------+ --+ -Cox ---------------+ --+ -------+ + Blenheim Orange ------------+ --+ ------+ ---+ + Ribston Pippin ---------------------+ ----+ Margil ---------------+ --+ ------+ -+ Florina + -+ -----------------------+ -Nova Easigro --+ -----------------------+ + Priscilla ----+ --------+ -----------+ -+ Sir Prize --+ -+ -----------------+ ----+ 9A R2 T128 M. micromalus --+ ------------+ ------+ --+ --9A R2 T196 M. micromalus --+ -----+ -----------------+ + A1706 M. zumi calocarpa -+ ------------+ ----+ -+ ------A1990 M. baccata -----+ ----------------+ ---+ -A1992--+ ----+ -----------+ --+ -----A2041 Russian --+ ------------+ ---+ --+ -----A2048 M. sikkimensis ---------+ ---------+ ----+ -+ -M. floribunda 821 -+ -------------------+ ---+ --M. floribunda emla -+ -------------------+ ---+ --M. floribunda excellens -+ -------------------------M. floribunda fli -+ -------------------+ ---+ --M. hopa ------+ ------------+ -------+ M. hupihensis --+ + ---+ -+ ----------+ + -+ ---+ M. platycarpa -+ --+ ----------+ ---+ --+ -----M. pratti ---+ ----+ ----------------+ + -Antonovka Grammovaya --+ -----+ ------------+ -+ ------------+ ---------+ --+ -+ -----------+ + ----------------+ -+ Niedzwetzkyana Derivative -------+ -------+ ---------+ -+ targeting the gene families in the Rosaceae most likely to be involved in such mutations in order to develop highly specific allele-specific markers. This work will be presented in more detail in a future refereed publication. This work was funded by the UK Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (MAFF) and the CEC (AIR-3 programme). HRI has also developed similar SSR marker systems which are effective for Pyrus, Prunus spp., etc.Enquiries to: Dr Graham King, HRI, Wellesbourne; email: Graham.King@hri.ac.uk 16. Donor institute code (DONORCODE) Code for the donor institute. The codes consist of the 3-letter ISO 3166 country code of the country where the institute is located plus number or an acronym as specified in the Institute database that will be made available by FAO. Preliminary codes (i.e. codes not yet incorporated in the FAO Institute database) start with an asterisk followed by a 3-letter ISO 3166 country code and an acronym.(DONORNUMB) Number assigned to an accession by the donor. Letters should be used before the number to identify the genebank or national system (e.g. IDG indicates an accession that comes from the genebank at Bari, Italy; CGN indicates an accession from the genebank at Wageningen, The Netherlands; PI indicates an accession within the USA system)(OTHERNUMB) Any other identification number known to exist in other collections for this accession. Letters should be used before the number to identify the genebank or national system (e.g. IDG indicates an accession that comes from the genebank at Bari, Italy; CGN indicates an accession from the genebank at Wageningen, The Netherlands; PI indicates an accession within the USA system). Multiple numbers can be added and should be separated with a semicolonThe remarks field is used to add notes or to elaborate on descriptors with value \"99\" (=Other). Prefix remarks with the field name they refer to and a colon (e.g. COLLSRC: roadside). Separate remarks referring to different fields are separated by semicolons.The coding scheme proposed can be used at two levels of detail: either by using the global codes (1 or 2) or by using the more detailed coding (e.g. 1.1). The proposed list of minimum descriptors for Malus presented below was compiled using:• List A (see p. 98)• the results of a study carried out on selected common cultivars in UK, France, Belgium and Italy (see p. 24) • International Board for Plant Genetic Resources -Descriptor List for Apple (Malus), 1982 • UPOV Guidelines for the conduct of tests for distinctness, uniformity and stability -Apple TG/14/8, 1995The following accession characters were accepted as common descriptors for Prunus at the extraordinary meeting of the ECP/GR Prunus Working Group and the first coordination meeting of the project GEN RES 61 in Rome, October 1996. It may be useful to consider them here in the context of Malus and/or Pyrus. The next few pages contain more detailed tables regarding these suggested flower and fruit characters. ","tokenCount":"19727"}
\ No newline at end of file