Chili Pepper Conservation Strategy
Developing a global conservation strategy for Capsicum crops and their wild relatives
The great diversity in cultivated peppers relies on access to the genes in wild relatives.
Start date: 1 October 2021
End date: 28 February 2022
What is the issue?
Collections of genetic resources are key mechanisms for reducing crop vulnerability and for supplying material with novel traits and underlying genes to crop breeding and research programs. The global conservation status of Capsicum is currently unknown. In order to ensure the conservation and availability of chili pepper genetic diversity in perpetuity, a global strategy is required.
How does the project address the issue?
A global strategy will guide future investments into the conservation of chili pepper, which will benefit existing and future smallholder farmers through the supply of more resilient chili pepper varieties. The Project will:
–       comprehensively assess the status of Capsicum crop conservation globally, with a particular emphasis on ex situ collections;
–Â Â Â Â Â Â Â identify key priority actions needed to preserve crop diversity effectively and efficiently for the future;
–Â Â Â Â Â Â Â seek input and feedback from chili pepper specialists and collection curators, who will complete extensive survey and attend a virtual workshop to develop the strategy.
What results are expected?
The conservation strategy will be used to address not only the extent of Capsicum genetic diversity conserved ex situ worldwide, but also how securely it is conserved and if there are any collection gaps.
