Regional strategy for the ex situ conservation and use of crop genetic diversity in the Pacific islands region

Abstract

The aim of the RGC is to assist Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) to conserve the region's genetic resources, and to provide access to the germplasm they need. The Centre is using in vitro techniques for conservation, and priority is given to taro, yam, sweet potato and banana, but other crops, such as cassava, kava, breadfruit, aibika (Abelmoschus manihot) and black pepper are also receiving attention. The RGC was a key partner in the Taro Genetic Resources Conservation & Utilization (TaroGen), the Taro Network for Southeast Asia and Oceania (TANSAO) and the South Pacific Yam Network (SPYN) projects, and currently collaborates with IPGRI's global crop networks, such as the International Network for Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP) and the Coconut Genetic Resources Network (COGENT). It is also collaborating with other international agricultural research centres (IARCs), in particular the Centro Internacional de Agricultural Tropical (CIAT), the International Potato Centre (CIP) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), to make improved germplasm of their mandate crops (cassava ,sweet potato and yams, respectively) available in the Pacific.