The genetic diversity of cultivated plants has been significantly eroded over the last few decades. In Belgium, for example, three varieties all derived from the ‘Golden Delicious’ make up over 80% of domestic apple production. The value of old varieties derives from the great diversity of characteristics they offer, such as low disease susceptibility, hardiness, natural fruit conservation, diversity of tastes, shapes, colours, uses, etc. Moreover, the once-common standard tree orchards are disappearing from the countryside, as illustrated by photo 1. There was thus an urgent need to introduce conservation programmes for old varieties, to avoid losing this valuable resource. For nearly thirty years the Fruit Tree Genetic Resources Laboratory (RGF) has been involved in the collection, conservation, evaluation and valorization of old fruit varieties. The Department’s collection of old varieties to date comprises 3,160 introductions including some 1,600 apple trees, 1,030 pear trees and 340 plum trees. Its size and the originality of the material make this one of the most important collections in Europe. Our work focuses on systematic evaluation of all the material selected in the field for inclusion in the collections. Selection criteria include disease and pest resistance and the originality of the fruit. The trees and their fruit are assessed annually and the findings (diseases, flowering, organoleptic quality, storage, etc.) are fed into a central database. Describing the material and determining the authenticity of the identity of the varieties are other aspects of this work. In order to preserve this well-described resource for future generations, a collection duplication project has been launched. Due to a current lack of space and the risk of losing old varieties, some of which are rare or unique, we have established a network of outdoor conservation orchards in the form of ‘standard’ orchards. This plant material will be preserved at different sites and in different soil and weather conditions. A further aim of the project is to reintroduce all the regional and local varieties to their original areas. This therefore provides a “back-up copy” as well as expanding our knowledge of the different varieties’ potential for adaptation. More and more people (individuals, members of associations, various authorities, schools and nature reserves) are making use of our fruit variety identification expertise (almost 1,000 fruit samples were identified in 2004) or seeking advice on variety selection. Thanks to this public motivation, some original varieties are still being discovered, thus increasing the diversity of the characteristics occurring. Some of these varieties are introduced into the collection while others are recommended for preservation in a conservation and/or educational orchard containing old standard varieties. Over the past six years or so, a number of cooperative links have resulted in the creation or restoration of twenty orchards with the aim of preserving biodiversity. The area covered is approximately 42 hectares. Figure 1 shows the distribution of these orchards in the Walloon Region.
Description of tasks
This project aims to define and coordinate regional conservation and development policy for our fruit tree resources by creating a network of plots scattered through the main areas of the Walloon Region. This network has many advantages, notably: 1. coordination of existing and future projects, avoiding redundancy; 2. active cooperation with associations and official bodies, thus giving the projects a sociological basis; 3. return to their original area of some local varieties that had disappeared since our last surveys; 4. duplication of the collection ex situ and long-term conservation of the resources within a regional structure; 5. protection of nature and development of the landscaping function of standard orchards; 6. pooling of information on agri-environmental measures and orchards of this kind that may lead to economic opportunities for diversification; 7. the educational and public awareness-raising role with respect to the significance of agricultural biodiversity and, lastly, 8. development of commercial outlets for local and regional products. This project will serve as a model for the putting in place of a larger-scale structure for management of our agricultural biodiversity.
Expected results
• Rationalisation and regeneration of the Department’s fruit tree genetic resources collections • Presentation of a regional map of the organisation of the Walloon regional network • Selection and distribution of sites for conservation orchards (minimum of one site per agricultural region): variety selection, planting layout, wood sampling and custom grafting • Scientific supervision and technical monitoring of orchards • Creation and management of a regional database and integration with European databases • Publication of various documents on regional fruit biodiversity (data sheets, establishing a list of varieties considered part of the Walloon regional resources, publication of a conservation orchard maintenance manual) • Training and information events • Study leading to classification of these Walloon regional resources
