Fruit and Nut Crops

The volume on fruit and nut as a part of series entitled "Agro-biodiversity: Conservation and Use of Genetic Resources" will be a unique resource, first of its kind, which will elaborate on origin, evolution, taxonomy, identification, chemical characterization, genetic improvement of fruits and nut crops.

Fruit and nut crop diversity is crucial for nutrition, livelihoods and ecosystem resilience around the world. The importance of these fruit and nut species are increasing day by day due to its contribution to food and nutrition, ecosystem and environment sustainability and empowerment of livelihoods. Since most of these fruit and nut crops are perennial trees species, the conservation of these tree species in the centre of origin and or centre of genetic diversity is essential for its continued evolution. Their conservation requires understanding which leads to their effective utilization in plant improvement, both for productivity and quality traits. However, the regions that host genetic diversity are threatened by loss of habitat, vandalism, urbanization, industrialization and modernization of agricultural practices. Hence requires serious conservation efforts, both ex situ and in situ.

Several fruit and nut species are semi-wild and domestication of these tree species helps to inculcate a secondary or tertiary gene pool and evolved for a new set of genome adapted for the agro ecological condition and biotic/abiotic stresses. Apparent lack of diversity in many modern cultivars can seriously limit our capacity to breed for both qualitative and quantitative traits. A better understanding of domestication acrossmany crop species may provide crucial information that may be needed to breed better fruit and nut crops for the future. Even then, the limited access to genetic diversity among the tree species creates an urgent need for exploration, evaluation and conservation. Conservation of genetic resources through complementary approaches will provide a sustainable and evolution friendly strategies. Utilization of these genetic resources, directly or indirectly (including in breeding programme) will improve the economic and social status of several communities, this will inturn contribute to the national social, cultural and economic betterment. The knowledge about the tree crop, its origin, diversity, distribution, taxonomy and botany will help the breeder to choose the appropriate parent and breeding strategy. Breeding of perennial fruit species is a long-term activity involving a high investment as compared to annual crops due to two challenges: long juvenile periods and large plant size. Despite these difficulties, breeding programmes have been developed in all important perennial fruit crops, aimed at the improved economic profitability of the crops by increasing yields, altering the harvest window, creating new fruit types, and improving fruit quality while simplifying management. The recent increase in activity has been encouraged by the integration of the intellectual property rights (IP rights) in fruit production which has created substantial research incentive in private and public spheres for innovation in the fruit industry.

This volume will be useful in fruit and nut genetic resources conservation and its effective utilization to breed improved crop cultivars. It should provide as a springboard for all fruit breeders desiring an update on the latest technologies, horticulturalists who wonder what is being done in fruit breeding.