A global conservation strategy for crops in the Cucurbitaceae family

The strategy briefly discusses the origins, domestication and centers of crop genetic diversity, highlighting important CWRs, and provides up-to-date information on crop taxonomy and gene pools. Importantly, current ex situ holdings for the major crops are summarized, indicating vulnerabilities (particularly for landraces and CWRs) and gaps in existing collections. Within the strategy, survey data collected from genebanks with Cucurbitaceae collections inform a discussion of current germplasm and genebank management, highlighting research gaps and outlining ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of crop genetic diversity conservation. The content of the strategy is derived from a thorough literature review combined with four activities sponsored by the Crop Trust: (i) an expert meeting at the Crop Trust in Bonn, Germany (October 2019); (ii) an expert consultation workshop in Thailand (December 2019); (iii) a detailed online survey sent to 50 genebanks around the world; (iv) analysis of data from Genesys, WIEWS and other online germplasm databases.

The strategy aims to promote the rationalization of conservation efforts at national, regional and global scales, and to identify priority actions to strengthen the conservation of cucurbit genetic resources. Approaches include encouraging partnerships and the sharing of responsibilities, facilities and tasks for the conservation and sustainable use of Cucurbitaceae crop genetic resources. The document is intended to lead to strong stakeholder engagement and community ownership.