Contents

Introduction

• Database
• Success Stories
• 'At Risk' Varieties
• Orchard Mapping

Firstly, may I introduce myself, my name is Pippa Palmar, I have spent over twenty years working with apples, initially at the National Fruit Trials at Brogdale and then for English Apples and Pears Ltd. I am now working for Wye College running the UK Network for Malus.

Despite a lack of communication over the past few months, the UK Network for Malus, a project funded by MAFF that details on-farm collections, is rapidly picking up momentum. Nostalgia for our heritage of the English apple is very strong and many people are welcoming this project. With the difficult times seen in the commercial world today, it is even more important that we conserve apple varieties within their local environment. Through the UK Network for Malus we can assess which varieties are 'at risk' and provide the appropriate information to local enthusiasts to assist in situ conservation.

As more people are aware conservation of Malus species and cultivars is of international concern. 150 countries have signed up to the Food & Agriculture Organization of The United Nations (FAO) Global Plan of Action of Plant Genetic Resources. One of the central approaches for conservation in the GPA is on-farm management of crop diversity