Present Status and Future Outlook for Germplasm Reserves in Citrus

Abstract

Maintenace and Research studies of citrus collections are presently being carried out in the U.S.A. by about 12 university and U.S. Department of Agriculture working groups in six states and Puerto Rico. The United States Department of Agriculture supports research in California, Florida and Texas; in those states, as well as Arizona, Hawaii and Louisiana, state-financed studies are also established. Clonal registration programs supervised by state regulatory agencies are also in operation in at least three states. Since all common Citruscultivars require a nearly frost-free environment, plantings are not feasible in the central and northern states, nor has it been practical to maintain or evaluate citrus at any of the four Federal Regional Plant Introduction Stations. (The Federal 'Port of Entry' at Miami does have a frost-free climate). Foreign imports of citrus budwood are temporarily maintained in limited numbers in greenhouses at Federal Plant Quarantine headquarters, Glenn Dale, Maryland.