Building and promoting a European Pyrus collection - a case study
Activity Coordinator: Marc Lateur Email
The project "Building and promoting a European Pyrus collection - a case study", submitted by the Malus/Pyrus Working Group for funding under the Activity Grant Scheme, was selected by the Executive Committee in December 2014
- Activity proposal (101,0 KB)
Implementation
June 2018
The Final Activity report is in preparation.
Summary of results:
In the framework of the project, 16 SSR markers data have been produced and analysed for 149 European historical pear accessions from 16 countries. Original and unique accessions have been identified: out of 142 accessions, 130 were clearly different genotypes which pointed out 11 synonyms mostly within the country but also between countries.
Out of these 130 cultivars, 116 historical European pear cultivars were collected. The procedure to define these cultivars as “EURISCO Candidates” is ongoing prior to their upload to the EURISCO catalogue. These 116 historical European pear cultivars have been characterized and evaluated with 22 common phenotypic descriptors. Data are being prepared for uploading in EURISCO.
Based on the EcoHisPy SSR data set analysis, 23% of the accessions have been identified as clear triploïds. Such information is very important for potential users, especially breeders, because triploid cvs are very poor parents in breeding works.
A first draft catalogue in English of 112 European historical pear cultivars with fruit pictures, summarizing the main information on their history, main characteristics, qualities and pointing out their different uses was produced. When finalized, this document will be widely disseminated. It is considered a key element for developing an ECPGR Pyrus portal.
Implementation status by April 2016 (extract from ECPGR Annual Progress Report 2015)
The aim of ECoHisPy was to initiate the AEGIS European Collection of Pyrus, focusing on a sample of around 100 true-to-type historical and landraces European pear cultivars.
Partners agreed on the methodology for the selection of the most appropriate set of cultivars (identification of synonyms, SSR analysis, use of characterization and evaluation descriptors, and standard descriptions).
The SSR profiles of 141 leaf accessions from the ECoHisPy partners were analysed by Agroscope (Switzerland) using 16 SSR markers and 8 reference cultivars. Results of the analysis were compiled and merged with those of other studies from Germany, Switzerland and UK; the complete data set covers a total of 220 pear accessions that have at least 9 SSR markers in common.
The agreed C&E descriptors, including 10 priority characterization traits and 19 evaluation traits, were used during the 2015 harvest period by all partners for their most original cultivars.
A first analysis of SSR data was carried out to identify putative synonyms, homonyms and original material; this information played a key role for the final definition of the most original and historical European pear cultivars defined as “Most Appropriate Accessions (MAAs)” that will be proposed to be included in the AEGIS European Collection and will finally be described by each partner on common bases.