Fruit Trees Genetic Resources in Tunisia: Biodiversity, Challenges, and Adapted Strategies for Conservation and Improvement

In Tunisia, arboriculture occupies a surface of 2.155 million ha. The country is characterized by a rich genetic heritage of fruit trees. Nevertheless, the local Tunisian accessions faced several threats such as underutilization, spread of improved introduced materials, monoculture, climate conditions, and intensive urbanization. These problems have resulted in a rapid replacement and a dramatic loss of local Tunisian accessions. Through awareness of the problems threatening Tunisian genetic resources as a heritage, there have been concerted efforts on the part of the government, scientific community, and farmers to cope with the problem. Two methods have been established for the conservation of Tunisian arboriculture genetic resources: "in situ" and "ex situ." These collections can be useful for modern breeding. This chapter presents a review of the genetic diversity of main fruit trees in Tunisia, the threats they face, and the policies adapted toward conservation and improvement.