The secondary gene pool of vanilla includes some 100 species that have diversified in America, Africa, and Asia. These species have individual properties that may be of particular interest for the genetic improvement of cultivated vanilla, such as autofertility, resistance to disease (fusariosis, viruses), the capacity to bear a large amount of fruit, a lower dependence on the photoperiod for the induction of flowering, a higher vanillin content, the presence of other aromatic or medicinal metabolites, and resistance to drought. The establishment of gene banks, in the form of collections, is thus extremely urgent for vanilla in order to safeguard the endangered endemic and patrimonial genetic resources (Grisoni et al., 2007; Lubinsky et al., 2008a; Pandey et al., 2008; Soto Arenas, 2006). Their interesting characteristics could thus be used in genetic crop improvement programs, as has begun in India (Minoo et al., 2006, 2008b; Muthuramalingam et al., 2004).
Overview of the Conservation of Vanilla Genetic Resources
The most effective means of protecting the diversity of vanilla species ought to be in situ protection in their areas of origin. However, the natural areas where the primary gene pools are found are very often subject to strong demographic pressure that endangers the different species. This type of conservation can therefore only be envisaged if it is associated with a global conservation strategy at the level of a territory (Soto Arenas, 1999). In Mexico, the success and experience of the CONABIO (Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad) may enable the implementation of this conservation method. In South Africa, the iSimangaliso reserve focuses particularly on conserving V. rosheri, which is second in the list of rare and endangered endemic species (Combrink and Kyle, 2006).
However, the diversity of vanilla, including more than 100 species distributed over three continents and living in varied biotopes, makes it difficult to set up in situ conservation systems. The establishment of ex situ collections therefore appears to be a necessary strategy for protecting vanilla genetic resources.
Initiatives of varying degrees of importance have been taken in the past in certain vanilla-producing countries where the genetic resources are found (Puerto Rico, Madagascar, Costa Rica, Mexico). Thus, from the 1940s onward on the Mayaguez station in Puerto Rico, research was conducted to characterize and improve vanilla plants (Childers et al., 1959). At about the same time in Madagascar, the Ambohitsara vanilla station near Antalaha began to collect and hybridize a wide range of vanilla plants (Dequaire, 1976). However, this collection was decimated by repeated cyclones, a lack of maintenance, and the propagation of viruses (Grisoni, 2009). In the late 1970s, the CATIE (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza) in Costa Rica collected and maintained about 32 vanilla accessions from Central America. A part of this collection was safeguarded by passage in vitro (Jarret and Fernandez, 1984). In Mexico, alongside the CONABIO program, a collection of clones representing the diversity of the country was established, but unfortunately could not be maintained (M.A. Soto Arenas, pers. comm.).
Today, the most important collections are found in France—Réunion (CIRAD), French Polynesia (EVT), and Cherbourg (council/MNHN), in India (ICRI), and in the United States (Table 3.1). Several botanical gardens and research institutions also have varying quantities of vanilla specimens in their greenhouses (Les Serres d’Auteuil, Jardin du Luxembourg and Jardin Botanique de Nancy in France, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Copenhagen Botanical Garden in Europe, or
| Name of the Collection | CRB VATEL | American Vanilla and Wild Relatives Collection | Myladumpara Collection Vanilla (MCV) | EVT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location and address of the collection | Pole de protection des Plantes Saint Pierre 97410 La Reunion—France | University of California, USA | Indian Cardamom Research Institute Myladumpara, Kerala 682 553, India | Hamoa (Taputapuatea) 98735 Raiatea French Polynesia | |
| Organization or company responsible for the collection | Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD) | Dr. Pesach Lubinsky, University of California, USA | Indian Cardamom Research Institute Spices Board, Govt. of India | Etablissement Vanille de Tahiti (EVT) | |
| Curator of the collection and email | Michel Grisoni michel.grisoni@cirad.fr | Pesach Lubinsky plubi@hotmail.com; sdoneill@ucdavis.edu | Dr. K.J. Madhusoodanan dirres_spices@yahoo.com; icrimyla@eth.com; dirres_spices@rediffmail.com | Sandra Lepers-Andrzejewski sandra.andrzejewski@labo-vanilledetahiti.pf | |
| Purpose of the collection | Research, preservation | Conservation, breeding, research | Research, preservation | Vanilla improvement | |
| Date of creation of the collection | 1984 | Not official; based on collections since | 2004 | 1981 | 1999 |
| Number of Vanilla species in the collection | 25 (800) | 30 | 6 | 3 | |
| Number of accessions | 800 | 100 | 21 | 231 | |
| Living material | 400 | All live | 21 | 181 | |
| Dehydrated or spirit samples, nucleic acid extracts | 400 | 50 | |||
| Morphological and molecular descriptors | Yes RAPD, AFLP, SSR, plastid DNA sequences | Some ITS/psBA markers and AFLP | Yes No molecular descriptors | Yes AFLP, chromosome counts, 2C content | |
| Availability of material for export | Yes for some accessions, submitted to conditions (MTA, CITES) | No | Beans or DNA extract only | ||
| List of species in the collection | V. africana, V. albida, V. aphylla, V. bahiana, V. chamissonis, V. crenulata, V. ensifolia, V. grandifl ora, V. humblotii, V. imperialis, V. insignis, V. leprieuri, V. lindmaniana, V. madagascariensis, V. odorata, V. palmarum, V. phalaenopsis, V. planifolia, V. polylepis, V. pompona, V. tahitensis, V. trigonocarpa, Vanilla spp. | Focus on New World species | V. planifola, V. aphylla, V. pompona, V. tahitensis, V. andamanica, V. wightiana | Majority of V. tahitensis + V. planifolia, V. pompona and hybrids |