Progress of collection, conservation and innovative utilization of sand pear resources in the National Sand Pear Germplasm Repository (Wuhan)

Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai, a perennial deciduous fruit tree belonging to the genus Pyrus of Rosaceae family, is the most widely distributed and abundantly cultivated species of the pear genus in China. It originated from the Yangtze River basin and southern regions of China and is predominantly distributed in China, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula. The domestic genetic resources of the sand pear are extremely rich, providing a robust foundation for pear breeding and industry development in China. In 1979, the Fruit and Tea Research Institute of Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences officially commenced the collection of sand pear varieties and established a sand pear variety resource repository. In 1986, the repository had successfully passed inspection by the Ministry of Agriculture, and in 1987, it was approved and designated as the National Fruit Tree Germplasm Wuchang Sand Pear Repository, becoming one of the 16 national-level fruit tree resource repositories. In 2022, it was included in the first batch of 72 national-level crop and agricultural microorganism germplasm resource repositories and renamed the National Sand Pear Germplasm Resource Repository (Wuhan). As the primary conservation unit for pear germplasm resources in China, the National Sand Pear Germplasm Resource Repository (Wuhan) had, as of December 31, 2024, preserved 1520 germplasm accessions belonging to 9 species across 3 genera, including 1386 P. pyrifolia Nakai, 43 P. calleryana Dcne., 41 P. betulaefolia Bge., 5 P. ussuriensis Maxim., 8 P. × sinkiangensis Yu, 3 P. × serrulata Rehd., 32 P. communis L., 1 C. oblonga Mill., and 1 S. alnifolia K. Koch. Through long-term systematic identification and evaluation, 154 excellent germplasm accessions have been successfully screened, exhibiting traits such as minimal stone cell content, high chlorogenic acid content, suitability for juice production, better storage resistance, high resistance to pear scab, resistance to pear midge, triploidy, high pollen quantity and germination rate, red skin, and overall excellent traits. Between 2001 and 2024, the repository provided 712 germplasm accessions, totaling 11 000 distributions, to research institutions such as Huazhong Agricultural University, Nanjing Agricultural University, Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of Pomology of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, as well as to agricultural technology extension departments, cooperatives, enterprises, and farmers in provinces and cities including Hubei, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Jiangsu. These germplasm resources have supported basic research, breeding utilization, and industrial development in areas such as pear origin and evolution, genetic diversity, fruit quality, stress resistance, pear virus detection, and pear self-incompatibility. The utilization of sand pear germplasm resources has made significant contributions to pear breeding and industrial upgrading in China and have played an important role in rural poverty alleviation, prosperity, and sustainable industrial development. This article summarizes and reviews the current status of sand pear germplasm resource collection and conservation at the National Sand Pear Germplasm Repository (Wuhan) over the past 24 years, as well as the progress made in the innovative utilization of pear germplasm resources. It also looks forward to future research on germplasm resources, aiming to provide references for the effective utilization of sand pear germplasm resources and industrial development in China.