CONSERVATION OF UNDER-UTILISED FRUIT TREE SPECIES IN EUROPE

Since reviews on the state of conservation were uncompleted and general data bank on the existing collections (Passport data) and on the possible utilisation and evaluation were not easily available a working group formed by 11 Institutions from France, Greece, Italy and Spain was established.

In order to create a common basis for the promotion of sixteen under-utilised fruit tree species (namely Fig, Pomegranate, Japanese Persimmon, Loquat, Cactus Pear, Quince for fruit production, European Chestnut, Pistachio among the inventoried, and Strawberry Tree, Cornelian Cherry, Medlar, Jujube, Azerole, Sorb, Mulberry Tree and Carob Tree among those non inventoried) the involved Institutions are working in a specific project on the "Conservation of minor fruit tree species" in the frame of the European programme on the germplasm conservation and utilisation (EC regulation N° 1467/94).

Descriptor Lists (containing Passport, First Characterisation and Further Characterisation and Evaluation data) were defined for each interested species. Passport and First Characterisation data were collected for all of the 1,386 both ex situ and in situ collected accessions.

A First European Inventory of Collected Accessions was edited in the Internet and the European Minor Fruit Tree Species Database (EMFTSDatabase) has been completed for Passport and First Characterisation data, while input data concerning the Further Characterisation and Evaluation represents the 45,5% of observable data of this category.

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