S01 - Session O10 - A public-private consortium approach for sustainable bitter gourd breeding and production in Asia

Authors: Narinder Dhillon *

Bitter gourd ( Momordica charantia L.) is a commercially and nutritionally important cucurbitaceous vegetable cultivated on more than 400,000 hectares annually in Asia. Over the last two decades, bitter gourd breeders have been successful in improving cultivars for fruit types fitting different market niches. Breeders have mainly focused on crossing elite lines, which has reduced the genetic diversity among commercial bitter gourd cultivars of various market segments. Low genetic diversity in elite bitter gourd cultivars has rendered the crop vulnerable to biotic and abiotic stresses, and has limited the long-term yield improvements. This trend will not be reversed unless a concerted effort is made to introduce additional genetic diversity. The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) has organized a bitter gourd support group for private seed companies and public organizations, so that breeders can access the Center's new breeding lines derived from biodiverse landraces to develop new, genetically improved, high quality bitter gourd cultivars with enhanced fruit yield and disease resistance. To facilitate this partnership, the WorldVeg cucurbit team displays improved bitter gourd breeding lines and F1 hybrids and products of recurrent selection during the annual Bitter Gourd Open Field Days at the WorldVeg East and Southeast Asia Research and Training Station, located on the campus of Kasetsart University in Kamphaeng Saen, Thailand. This event attracts breeders, plant pathologists, product development managers, marketing and sale managers, R & D heads, and managing directors representing 25n30 seed companies from across Asia. WorldVeg's cucurbit team discusses the specific horticultural traits of WorldVeg's unique lines and F1 hybrids with seed industry staff, explores methods to address the narrow genetic base of current commercial cultivars, maps a way forward to create new market segments of bitter gourd to satisfy the needs of various value chain actors. Outputs of this public-private partnership will be discussed.