Charlotte Allender
Warwick Genetic Resources Unit
Warwick Crop Centre
charlotte.allender@warwick.ac.uk
•  Warwick GRU and its collections
•  Carrot diversity and the WGRU carrot collection
•  Composition and Structure of the Carrot
Diversity Set
•  Future Research
•  Conserves UK vegetable seed
collection
–  Vegetable crops of UK significance
–  Global collection
•  Seed kept in long term storage
–  Made available to organisations
engaged in research, education or
breeding
–  Monitored, regeneration of seed
stocks as required
Total
number
of
Accessions
held
13980
Brassica
crops
5273
Allium
(onions,
leeks
etc)
1754
Daucus
(carrot)
1533
Lactuca
(le8uce)
1483
Raphanus
(radish)
803
Total Number of Accessions available
1533
Wild species
243
Landraces/Traditional Varieties
266
Advanced Cultivars
974
Diversity in Carrot
Taken from Rubatzky et al (1999)
Questions are:
–  1533 is too many to trial/assay
–  How best can we cover genepool diversity
with a smaller number?
–  How can we pool data from different
experiments?
–  How can we cope with high levels of genetic
variation within genebank accessions?
•  Represents diversity in Warwick GRU carrot
collection
–  Root shape and colour
–  Geographic origin
–  Foliage characteristics
•  Overlaps with other diversity collections
–  Sharing and comparability of data
•  Includes space for elite material for comparison
during trials
Composition of Carrot Diversity Set
• Material from 35 countries
• 77 accessions from WGRU
• 10 experimental lines (parents of genetic mapping populations)
• Space for 7-9 elite cultivars
16 wild Daucus
31 landraces/traditional varieties
30 advanced varieties
Seed production carried out in 2010
at Wellesbourne
Seed Production - Managing genetic diversity within accessions
Screening carrot collections for
potentially useful variation
Diversity in content of nutritionally important compounds
From Baranski et al (submitted)
•  Field trial at Wellesbourne – Summer 2011
•  Production of S2 lines
•  Direct analysis of genetic diversity
–  Data from 2770 DArT markers
•  Seed vigour tests
•  Further collaborative work with Dr Rafal Baranski
(Agricultural University of Krakow)
•  Current project focuses on resource
development
–  What traits/problems are priorities for
research?
–  Pest and disease resistance – cavity spot/
carrot root fly/others….
–  Environmental stress tolerance/bolting
–  Others? Improved nutritional composition etc
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Dave Pink
Brian Thomas
Ann Baker
Mariateresa de Cesare
Horticultural Services Staff
Thomas Nothnagel
Phil Simon
Defra