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A historic overview of the Dutch efforts concerning the conservation and use of old crop varieties is presented. Also attention is given to the current efforts to properly describe, multiply and market Dutch heritage varieties in order to maintain this precious material in a sustainable manner.

The scope of this two-day ad hoc meeting was to explore the possibility to abandon Central Crop Databases (CCDBs) and focus on EURISCO, in order to avoid duplication of data and working efforts. The main facilities of both systems were discussed. Current progress concerning the selection of Most Appropriate Accessions (MAAs) was reviewed for Solanaceae and Cucurbits and possible plans for the new phase of ECPGR (Phase IX, 2014-2018) were discussed.

The Solanaceae Working Group (WG) of the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) has established six databases for the crops that form its mandate. These include three major crops (Eggplant, Pepper and Tomato) and three minor crops (Cyphomandra, Pepino and Physalis). The ad hoc meeting of the Solanaceae Database (DB) Managers took place on 14 February 2012, prior to the meeting of the whole Solanaceae WG from 15 to 17 February. Willem van Dooijeweert, Chair of the WG, welcomed the DB Managers and explained the objectives of the meeting. The idea of the ad hoc meeting of DB Managers was brought up at an ad hoc meeting of the Vegetables Network Coordinating Group (18 April 2008, Wageningen, The Netherlands), as a response to the requirement of the initiative for “A European Genebank Integrated System” (AEGIS) that each WG submit lists of accessions for inclusion in the European Collection. The meeting was seen as an opportunity for the five attending DB Managers to exchange knowledge and discuss problems related to the management of the databases and, in particular, to prepare for AEGIS. After the one-day meeting, the DB Managers would propose a common vision of the selection process of European Accessions at the WG meeting that was to follow. Ahead of their meeting, the DB Managers had compiled Excel working files containing all data of each crop, which were extracted from the European Plant Genetic Resources Catalogue (or European Internet Search Catalogue, EURISCO) and the Central Crop Databases (CCDBs).

The CGN cucumber (Cucumis sativus) collection consists of 937 accessions. The majority of accessions originated from the working collection of the former Institute for Horticultural Plant Breeding (IVT), where they were used for breeding. The collection mainly includes old cultivars received from Dutch and foreign seed companies, and genebanks, but also contains landraces and accessions of the cropwild relative C. hardwickii. Passport data were updated in 2002, and used to rationalize the collection. In 2009, CGN participated in a project initiated by The Institute of Vegetables and Flowers of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing (CAAS), China. The project aimed at developing a structured core collection of cucumber germplasm using well-distributed and highly polymorphic SSR markers. For this purpose, the collections of CAAS, of the USDA (United States) and of the CGN were used. A total of 3,318 accessions were analyzed with 23 highly polymorphic microsatellite (SSR) markers, resulting in a core set of 109 accessions (in preparation). In addition to the collaborative project, the SSR data of 752 CGN accessions were analyzed separately in order to find further options to rationalize the collection based on these markers. A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on Jaccard similarity values. Four distinct groups could be recognized, i.e. C. hardwickii, landraces from South Asia, varieties from Asia, and varieties predominantly from Europe and USA. The SSR data were also used to verify passport data, such as origin country, and to improve accession documentation. Twenty-seven groups of accessions with identical microsatellite profile were identified. Trials are planned to compare these potential duplicate accessions morphologically. In the past, a “cucumber” group and a “gherkin” group were recognized within the collection, based on morphological traits. However, this division was not supported by the SSR data and therefore abandoned.

The Second Meeting of the Vegetables Network (VEGNET) of the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) was held on 26-28 June 2007 in Olomouc, Czech Republic. The meeting was organized jointly with the Third Meeting of the ECPGR Working Group on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAP WG), which had been formally included in the VEGNET from January 2004 to September 2006. The local organization of the meetings was arranged by the Crop Research Institute, Prague-Ruzyne, Division of Plant Genetics, Breeding and Product Quality, and its local Department of Vegetables and Special Crops in Olomouc. The first introductory session was attended jointly by the VEGNET and MAP Working Groups.

This project focuses on the integration of Triple P in marketing and personnel policy. The aim of the project is as follows: “How can you effectively use the intrinsic values of sustainable agriculture and corporate social responsibility in the marketing of organic fruit and vegetables?” In the framework of this project, a training programme was set up to introduce employees to Triple P ideas. Furthermore, three consumer surveys were conducted to promote the integration of signals from the market in future marketing and personnel policy In het co-innovatieproject ‘Vergeten soorten, nieuwe marktpotenties’ is een groot aantal komkommertypes en -rassen verzameld, geteeld en multidisciplinair beoordeeld op hun potenties voor commerciële introductie in de biologische glasgroenteketen. Gaande het project zijn er vanuit teelt- of marktperspectief vele afgevallen. Uiteindelijk is er één interessant concept op de markt geïntroduceerd onder de naam ‘Oerkomkommer’ (Duits: ‘UrGurke’). Onder de afvallers zaten een aantal komkommertypen die door consumenten zeer interessant gevonden werden, maar die om reden van teelt- of producteigenschappen niet geselecteerd zijn. De Mexicaanse komkommer, de Himalaya komkommer en de Vietnamese komkommer waren daarvan de drie typen met de meeste potentie. De vraag is nu of door selectie en veredeling op afzienbare tijd (5 tot 10 jaar) producten gemaakt kunnen worden, die in de professionele (biologische) groenteketen geïntroduceerd kunnen worden. Binnen het onderzoeksprogramma ‘co-innovatie biologische afzetketens’ van het ministerie van LNV was er de mogelijkheid om een haalbaarheidsstudie te doen naar deze vraag. Eindconclusie van dit onderzoek: Van de drie komkommertypen maakt de Vietnamese komkommer de meeste kans om binnen een termijn van 5 tot 10 jaar op de markt geïntroduceerd te worden. Het is de vraag of positieve eigenschappen die de soorten nu hebben zoals kleur en smaak, behouden blijven in het veredelingstraject.

In het project 'Vergeten soorten, nieuwe marktpotenties' is gezocht naar een onderscheidend komkommertype, dat appelleert aan positieve associaties van de consument bij 'vergeten groenten':authentiek, puur, nostalgie. In het project zijn 58 soorten komkommers en komkommerachtigen van over de gehele wereld verzameld, waaruit na twee teeltproeven 10 soorten zijn geselecteerd, die voor consumentenonderzoek gebruikt zijn. Uiteindelijk waren er twee rassen die voor marktintroductie in aanmerking kwamen en werden er marketingconcepten bedacht. De rassen kregen de namen 'Oerkomkommer' en 'Lentekomkommer'.

Cucurbits include various crops used as food all over the world, the most economically important being melons, cucumbers, watermelons and pumpkins. Cucurbit genetic resources are necessary for breeders, given the high susceptibility shown by these crops to many pathogens. The European Cooperative Programme for Crop Genetic Resources Networks (ECP/GR) is promoting the coordination of cucurbit genetic resources activities in Europe in order to increase and facilitate their conservation and use. The establishment of the Cucurbits Working Group (CWG) was proposed and formally approved by the ECP/GR Steering Committee in October 2003. The first activity of the CWG was the establishment of the European Central Cucurbits Database (ECCUDB), managed by the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Spain). It is known that 28,647 accessions are currently being stored in European institutions, of which 13,641 correspond to Cucumis genus, 7546 to Cucurbita genus and 6892 to Citrullus genus. Completion of the ECCUDB, including characterization and evaluation data, establishment of standard protocols for regeneration, definition of the minimum descriptor list for each crop and the planning of safety-duplication of each collection under long-term conservation conditions were defined as priority tasks for the Group. A project is being submitted to the EU call for proposals AGRI GEN RES 2005 to give impetus to the activities of the Working Group.

Following a decision at the ECPGR Solanaceae Working Group meeting in September 2001 in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, VIR, Russian Federation took responsibility to develop a searchable database for tomato germplasm. Passport data of many countries were gathered but several technical problems were encountered in the management of files which delayed the creation of the European Tomato Database. In May 2007 Web access to the European tomato collection was opened on VIR’s Web site but the passport data of the European accessions were presented as spreadsheets and were not easily searchable. Considering the urgency and importance of having an on-line searchable European Tomato Database, it was agreed at the ECPGR Solanaceae Working Group meeting in September 2007 in Olomouc, Czech Republic to give CGN, The Netherlands the responsibility to develop a searchable central crop database for tomato germplasm, collected and preserved by ECPGR members and associated countries. The technical work of this version was carried out by Willem van Dooijeweert and Frank Menting at CGN. The database has been available since November 2007 and contains passport data for more than 20 000 accessions of several species. The database is being developed following the FAO/IPGRI Multicrop Passport Descriptors. An extra field for original taxonomic data has been added. The taxonomy in the searchable fields is in accordance with Mansfeld or GRIN accepted nomenclature. In future more fields will be added to incorporate characterization data.

International audience

Physiological and molecular research on resistance responses of Solanum tuberosum cultivars and partially resistant Solanum species to Phytophthora infestans requires a reliable resistance test that can be used in the laboratory. Laboratory tests performed on detached leaves and intact plants were compared with field tests for similarity of late blight reactions. Detached leaves from field-grown plants were as resistant as detached leaves from climate chamber-grown plants when challenged with P. infestans. However, detached leaves incubated in covered trays at high relative humidity were more susceptible than detached leaves kept in open trays or leaves on intact plants. The incubation conditions of detached leaves in covered trays rather than detachment itself appeared to affect the resistance expression. Detached leaves of some wild Solanum genotypes became partially infected, whereas intact plants were completely resistant when inoculated. Inoculation of leaves on intact plants, however, resulted in lower infection efficiencies. These limitations should be taken into account when choosing the appropriate inoculation method for specific purposes. For resistance screening, laboratory tests proved to be a good alternative for field tests. The ranking of resistance levels for twenty plant genotypes was similar under laboratory and field conditions.