A GLOBAL SURVEY ON THE CONSERVATION AND USE OF CITRUS
GENETIC RESOURCES
August 2013
A Global Network of Citrus Scientists is putting together a global strategy for the conservation and
use of citrus genetic resources. In order to describe the current situation as best possible, we need
updated information on the status of citrus collections. As a curator and/or scientist working with a
citrus germplasm collection, we kindly request you complete/update this questionnaire. It has 40
questions and will take you approximately 60 minutes. The feedback received will contribute to the
Global Strategy and you will have an opportunity to review its content and provide feedback. If you
manage a collection, even if it is small or for a particular breeding or research objective, please
respond to this survey. We would prefer to be inclusive as much as possible.
Please return your completed survey by 15 October 2014 to :
Dr. Mikeal Roose mikeal.roose@ucr.edu
Dr. Richard Lee Richard.Lee@ars.usda.gov
We would be grateful if you could provide an updated list of accessions for inclusion in an
International Citrus Germplasm Database -This information can be sent in any format that is most
convenient for you. Please send the updated accession list to Dr Mikeal Roose by email, as a pdf
or by mail to the following address: mikeal.roose@ucr.edu
Your participation in the development of this initiative is highly valued. If you have any questions or
difficulties, please do not hesitate to contact Mikeal Roose or Richard Lee.
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Institutional information
1. Name and address of institution holding the citrus collection
Name of institute:
Address:
Country:
2. Curator managing the citrus collection:
Last name:
First name:
Address:
Email:
3. Please give your name if not provided in the response to Question 2
Last name:
First name:
Position:
Institute:
Address:
Email:
4. Please indicate the type of institute that holds the citrus collection:
 Public-funded institute (government institute, university, public-funded research institute)
 Private institute
 Other, please specify:
5. Please indicate what responsibility the institute has in maintaining the citrus collection
(only one tick per row)
Yes
No
Don’t know
Does the institute own the collection?
Does the institute have an official mandate from the
government to conserve citrus ?
Does the institute have an official mandate from the
government to carry out research on citrus?
Does the institute have an official mandate for conserving
citrus at the regional or global level?
Does the institute have sole responsibility for management
decisions concerning the collection?
Does the institute provide most or all of the recurrent costs
for the collection?
6. If you have answered “no” to any of these questions please specify, where possible, who
is the responsible institute(s):
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The content of the collection
7. What year was the collection initiated: _____________
8. Please estimate the number of accessions in the collection
Number of accessions
Number of accessions at the founding of the collection
Number of accessions in 1990
Number of accessions today
9. Please describe the main objectives of the collection (in terms of conservation, breeding,
dissemination):
10. Please indicate the number of accessions in the collection within the categories below:
Type of accessions Number of accessions
Commercial Citrus cultivars (including old ones)
Related Citrus species
Wild relatives of other genera (Swingle/Reece taxonomy)
Wild seedling accessions of citrus relatives
Wild clonal accessions of citrus or citrus relatives
Clonal accessions selected in farms
Seedling accessions collected from farms
Clonal accessions selected in breeding plots
Other (please specify):
11. Please estimate the percentage of accessions in the following categories
Categories Percentage %
Local origin (native to host country)
Regional origin (native to the host region but not the host country)
Introduced (not native to the host region)
Unknown origin
12. How many, if any, accessions are there in the collection that represent duplicates from
other citrus collections?
Number of accessions
Number of duplicates from the same institute
Possible number of duplicates from another institute in
the country
Number of duplicates from another collection abroad
None
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13. What part of the collection (which accessions) make the collection important or unique?
14. How has the collection changed in the past 10 years?
Estimated
number of
accessions
How many accessions have been acquired in the past 10 years?
How many accessions have been lost from the collection in the past 10 years?
How many accessions have been removed as part of the rationalization or
reduction of the collection?
15. Please describe any gaps in the collection in terms of genetic diversity that would help
fulfil research or breeding objectives?
16. Is there any genetic diversity in the host country, either in cultivation or in the wild, that
is poorly represented in ex situ collections?
17. Please describe any recent efforts or future plans to collect germplasm:
Germplasm management
18. Please indicate the number of accessions conserved in the following forms:
Number of accessions
Field collection
Greenhouse or nursery
In vitro (medium-term storage)
Cryopreservation
Pathogen-tested
Other forms? (specify)
19. What is the size of the field collection?
Number of independent plots:
Total size of field collection (in ha):
Average number of trees per seedling progeny
Average number of trees per clonal accession
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20. What methods of clonal propagation are used (only one tick per row)?
Methods
Rooted cuttings
Budded or grafted plants
Mostly
Rarely
Never
21. What facilities are available (tick as many as appropriate)?
Facilities
Multiplication facilities (nursery,
etc.)
Irrigation facilities
Post-entry quarantine
Pathogen-indexing
Yes, on site
Yes, provided by partner institute
No
22. To what extent are pests or diseases having an effect on the collection (only one tick per
row)?
Yes, major
effect
Yes, minor
effect
No effect
Affecting trees within specific accessions
Affecting trees in a wide range of accessions
Causing annual losses of trees
Preventing distribution of germplasm
Incurring costs in pest & disease control
23. If yes, which are the most damaging pests and diseases:
24. Please estimate the percentage of original accessions in the collection that are safety
duplicated:
Number of original
accessions in the
collection
Form of safety backup
(field, liquid nitrogen,
tissue culture)
Number of accessions in the collection that are not
duplicated elsewhere
Number of accessions that are duplicated in different
fields at the same site
Number of accessions that are duplicated at a distant
location in your system
25. If less than half of the collection is in safety duplication please indicate the main reasons
why?
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26. What activities have been carried out or are ongoing concerning the collection (only one
tick per row)?
Carried out
on a routine
basis
Carried out
occasionally
Not carried
out
Field maintenance and labelling
Characterization for taxonomic traits (leaf
shape, tree form)
Characterization using molecular markers
Evaluation of yield traits (harvested yield, visual
crop rating, fruit color, shape, and size)
Field observations of disease and pest
incidence
Screening for disease & pest resistance
Breeding (hybrid or clonal trials)
Quarantine of incoming/outgoing material
Pathogen indexing
Dissemination to farmers
Germplasm exchange with other institutes
Safety duplication for other institutes
27. How are the data mostly managed (tick as many boxes as apply)?
Spreadsheets
Database
Hard copy
(paper)
Website
Not
collected
Passport data (name, origin,
etc.)
Photographs of accessions
Characterization data
Evaluation data
Management data
Shipment of germplasm
28. How are the data made available (only one tick per row)?
Regularly (once
or more a year)
Sometimes (less
than once a year)
Never
Upon request as electronic downloads or printouts
On the institute web site
Published catalogues
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29. Please describe any plans, needs or constraints concerning managing information on
accessions in the collection. We are particularly interested in any additional information on the
germplasm management systems currently in place at collections, including;
(i)
the name of any software being used,
(ii)
who has access to the information (individual staff members, all institute staff or the
wider citrus community), and
(iii)
whether a new system is being considered (e.g. GRIN-Global).
Germplasm exchange & dissemination
30. How frequently are samples of germplasm distributed from the collection (one tick per
row)?
Once or
more
every
month
Less than once
a month but at
least once a
year
Less than
once a
year
To local users
To more distant users in the country
To users outside the country but within the region
To users outside the region
31. What is the average number of accessions distributed annually?
Average number of accessions
To local users
To more distant users in the country
To users outside the country but within the region
To users outside the region
32. Which accessions are distributed from the collection (only one tick per row)?
Distributed
locally
Distributed
outside the
country
Never
distributed
Locally-collected accessions
Accessions originating from outside the country
Clones
Seedlings
Seed
33. What factors, if any, limit the use of materials for breeding?
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34. Where possible, please indicate for what purposes disseminated materials are used
Purposes
Frequent
use
Moderate
use
Rare use
Never used
Research activities (taxonomy and related
studies)
Characterization
Evaluation
Pre-breeding
Breeding
Biotechnological research
Distribution to growers
35. What, if any, are the conditions or requirements that apply to requests for germplasm
(e.g. formal or informal approval processes, agreements or any other requirements relating
to the availability of germplasm)?
Long term security of the collection
The responses to the following questions are important in providing baseline information to estimate
the costs of supporting citrus conservation at a global level.
36. What is the current status of the collection with respect to the following factors?
Factors
Very
Good
Adequate Inadequate
No
opinion
Funding for routine operations and maintenance
Number of trained staff
Status of buildings, facilities and equipment
Funding for collecting germplasm
Funding for research on the collection
Level of use by breeders, researchers or growers
37. Please estimate the annual costs in US$ per 100 accessions of the following activities
carried out on the collection.
US$/100 accessions/year
Field collection maintenance
Morphological characterization
Molecular characterization
Agronomic evaluation
Germplasm health (indexing & eradication)
Information management
38. Please provide the details of any other major costs
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39. What changes to the present situation would you consider to be essential for the longterm conservation of citrus at a global level?
40. Please describe the major needs or concerns influencing the long-term sustainability of
the collection
Thank you for completing this questionnaire.
o Please return the completed survey by email to: Dr. Mikeal Roose mikeal.roose@ucr.edu
o Please send the updated accession list for inclusion in The International Citrus Germplasm
Database - to Dr. Mikeal Roose by email pdf to: mikeal.roose@ucr.edu
o Place any additional general comments below.
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