Collecting germplasm from trees-some guidelines.

There are many reasons for collecting tree germplasm.There may bea need for planting material that will be distributed immediately to users-farmers or horticul- :turists or extension workers. With the rapid rate of deforesta- tion throughout the tropics, many species of trees-and their: genetic wealth-are endangered and the collection may be.to conserve their germplasm for posterity. In addition, : germplasm may be collected because it is needed for tree-.improvement programmes. Germplasm collection is a key step in any process to do-.mesticate trees;the genetic variation of a species should be : present in the collected germplasm, and this is needed for. the selection and improvement that are part of domestica-:tion. Many tropical trees have undergone little or no domes-.tication,so the best source of germplasm for improvement:of these species is wild populations.However, collecting is . also often done in exotic stands, because they are relatively :easy to get at and they provide a good comparative base in.trials to assess the performance of different sources of . germ plasm