The conservation of germplasm of tropical fruits is an important action against the genetic erosion due to several agricultural activities that disturb the ecosystems in which they occur, with damages no rare irreversible to a lot of species, particularly the native ones. The creation and maintenance of field collections of perennial fruit species are costly, being common the unavailability of financial resources for this purpose. The farmer's involvement in this process is strategically an important action, because, besides favoring the conservation of that germplasm, it also stimulates the understanding of its importance in the communities involved. Based on that, two collections of tropical fruits were installed in 1995/1996: one in the College of Agronomy of the Federal University of Bahia, in Cruz das Almas, and the other in two rural properties in the municipal district of São Felipe, Bahia, Brazil. About 30 species, most of them native, have been conserved there. Some already started producing fruit, showing to be promising regarding its commercial cultivation.
Annona spp.; Averrhoa spp.; Eugenia spp.; Spondias spp.; Achras sapota; Genipa americana
