Status of genetic resources of Tropical and Sub-tropical fruits in Ghana

Abstract

In Ghana, there are a lot of indigenous fruit species and their relatives, which have not yet been exploited. A major component of successful breeding programme is the collection and conservation of germplasm with the view to exploiting the variation that may exist in the populations. Efforts have been made since the era of colonization to introduce, conserve and utilize various fruit species. Problems such as losses through diseases and other environmental hazards including bush fires and drought have been associated with the conservation of fruit species germplasm in the field. This paper reports on some of the indigenous and introduced fruit species available, efforts that are being made to conserve them in the field, threats to these collections and efforts that are being made to alleviate the dangers posed by these threats.

Journal of Applied Science and Technology (JAST) , Vol. 5, Nos. 1 & 2, 2000, pp. 114 - 123