EVA Perennials project meetings

The EVA BOOST Perennials Workshop, held at the Università Politecnica delle Marche, Italy, gathered plant genetic resources (PGR) experts to discuss the conservation, management and utilization of fruit crop genetic resources. The event assessed ongoing initiatives, shared experiences and explored strategies for improving access and sustainability in perennial crops.
EVA Coordinator Sandra Goritschnig introduced the ECPGR European Evaluation Network (EVA) initiative, emphasizing the importance of collaboration at the European level and the need to facilitate classifying and cataloguing plant accessions for breeding and research. A key workshop objective was discussing how to apply the EVA framework to perennials to establish a dedicated EVA network.
ECPGR Working Group members presented past and ongoing initiatives, showcasing the benefits of networking and joint research. Discussions highlighted European projects expanding research on perennial crops and engaging new stakeholders.

Presentations are available below.

Small group sessions focused on key themes for developing an EVA network for perennials, including selecting the crops to focus on (major crops vs. neglected crops), evaluation of wild relatives for resilience, material exchange management and multilocation trials. These trials are crucial for perennials, where long regeneration times make early-stage evaluations time-intensive.

Looking Ahead

The workshop emphasized the need for greater collaboration among breeders, researchers and NGOs to strengthen initiatives in Berries, Malus/Pyrus, Prunus, Vitis and nuts. Key priorities include securing sustainable funding, improving data sharing and addressing material exchange challenges to support climate-resilient breeding. Stakeholders will continue working on strategies to integrate these crops into broader conservation efforts and apply the EVA framework to perennials.
Stay tuned for updates! A detailed workshop report will be available soon.