S02 - Session O2 - Malus doumeri: The tropical apple species in Vietnam

Authors: Thi Thu Hoai Tran *, Gayle Volk, Kien Nguyen Van, Yen Dinh Bach, Thuy Nguyen Thi Bich

Malus doumeri is a tropical wild apple species growing adjacent to citrus, bananas, and coffee in Vietnam. Chloroplast sequence data reveal that it is distantly related to the cultivated apple. Malus doumeri trees grow up to 40 meters high and are sparsely distributed in the Vietnamese landscape. During 2018-2021, fruit and seeds were collected in Lam Dong, Cao Bang, and Ha Giang, Vietnam, through collaborations between the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Plant Resources Center (PRC), Vietnamese Academy of Agricultural Science in Hanoi. Passport and phenotypic data were recorded, and seeds were split between the USDA National Plant Germplasm System and the PRC. These results are the first glimpse into the distribution and the morphological traits of this rare Malus species.