STORAGE OF TROPICAL FRUIT SEEDS: TOWARDS GERMPLASM CONSERVATION IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA

Abstract

There are over a hundred species of edible tropical fruits in South East Asia. These species are propagated vegetatively or by seeds. Seeds of tropical fruits are classified into two groups - the orthodox and the recalcitrants. Orthodox seeds such as papaya, bananas, guava and ciku are not desiccation sensitive hence can be dried and stored in a seed bank at subzero temperatures for a couple of years. However, majority of the tropical fruit seeds belong to the recalcitrant type, which cannot be dried or stored under low temperatures around zero degrees centigrade such as durian, mangosteen, mangoes and many other popular fruits. Therefore at present long term conservation of these species is not possible except for in situ conservation or ex situ that is in a field genebank. However, present studies show a possibility in the new technique of storage of excised embryos of recalcitrant seeds. With further refinements, this technique may be adopted soon as a method for long term conservation of fruit germplasm. This paper emphasizes the rich diversity of fruit genetic resources and their importance in this region. The current practices of conservation are described and future techniques discussed. The national, regional and international roles of various organizations in this region will be illustrated.