Survey and Analysis of Vegetable Germplasm Resources in Hubei Province

Based on the general survey of crop germplasm resources in Hubei Province, the third survey and collection of crop germplasm resources was conducted in 199 villages of 19 counties (cities/districts) of Hubei Province during 2015-2017. A total of 1 072 accessions of vegetables were collected. The taxonomy, distribution, agronomic traits and preservation of the vegetable germplasm resources, as well as the main vegetable resources and characteristic resources in the 19 counties (cities/districts) were analyzed. The results showed that the local vegetable landraces cover 26 families. Hong'an County, Zhongxiang City, Gucheng County, Nanzhang County and Yuan'an County have more vegetable landraces than other counties (cities/districts). The local landraces are characterized by good quality, strong resistance and tolerance to barrenness, but most of them are distributed in remote areas with low purity, low yield and serious threat of degradation. The local vegetable landraces are mostly preserved by some well-educated elder farmers. The vegetable cultivars of Cruciferae, Solanaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Liliaceae and Leguminosae account for 71.46% of the total vegetable resources. The characteristic vegetable resources such as pearl flower (Staghylea bumalda DC.), scallion (Allium paepalanthoides) and elephant-foot yam (Amorphophallus spp.) are scattered in the mountainous areas of Hubei Province. This study can provide reference for the protection and utilization of local resources of vegetables in Hubei Province.