S02 - Session P1 - The Biological Resources Centre "Tropical Plants" A tool for Research and Agriculture in the Caribbean

Authors: Nilda Paulo-de-la-Reberdière *, Michel Roux-Cuvelier

Abstract : Plant genetic resources and their diversity are essential components in the development of agriculture in tropical areas. The preservation and availability of these resources are important to address the major challenges of global changes, such as climate change, which can strongly impact the island environments. The Biological Resources Center (BRC) « Tropical Plants » is located in Guadeloupe and Martinique (French Windward Islands). It is jointly managed by CIRAD (French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development) and INRAE (National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment). It includes five collections of tropical plant genetic resources. All these collections are quality managed and controlled, the BRC « Tropical plants » being certified according to the ISO 9001-2015 standard. In addition, the BRC also hosts the herbarium of Guadeloupe. The Banana collection includes 403 varieties representative of the world's banana diversity. It is maintained in the field and partly in vitro. Different kinds of banana are represented: plantain banana, cooking banana, dessert banana, ornamental banana and wild banana including Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana . The Yam collection contains 430 varieties which are maintained in the field with an in vitro duplicate backup. The main species represented in the collection are Dioscorea alata , D. trifida, D. cayenensis-rotundata, D. Bulbifera and D. esculenta . The Mango collection contains 120 varieties, mainly of Mangifera indicae specie. 70 % of the genotypes of the collection are originating from different African countries. It is maintained in the field. The Sugarcane collection includes 335 varieties from the CIRAD's breeding programmes and also commercial accessions from various countries. Seven species of Saccharum and one of Elianthus are preserved in the field. Some vulnerable accessions are also kept in vitro. The Pineapple collection is located in Martinique. It includes 467 wild and cultivated varieties representative of the world's pineapple diversity. It is currently maintained in the field but must be preserved in cryopreservation in the near future. To avoid any spread of viruses and other diseases, the accessions of yams, sugarcane, and soon pineapple, a plant sanitation program for all the genotypes is currently developed by meristem tip culture and thermotherapy. Genetic resources of these collections are used mainly by CIRAD and INRAE and their research partners for breeding research programmes. Accessions can also be distributed to farmers for production or to various organization for education, training, being to raise awareness about the preservation of genetic resources.