Importance of genetic resources of pineapple (Ananas comosus [L.] Merr. var. comosus) in Colombia

Introduction. Pineapple (Ananas comosus [L.] Merr. Var. comosus) represents one of the productive systems with the highest participation in the fruit and horticultural sector in Colombia. Plant genetic resources are the biological basis of world food security and are also the essential raw material for the genetic improvement of crops. In Colombia, the planting of an improved pineapple variety is a great problem, because it displaces the use of native cultivars, which are culturally rooted in terms of production and consumption in each location. This problem could be solved through the knowledge, characterization, conservation, and sustainable use of genetic resources, which are a source of genes of interest and that could be used to start a breeding program for this species. Objective. To recognize the importance of genetic resources as a strategy to implement a breeding program for pineapple in Colombia. Development. Plant genetic resources constitute the basis of food security; hence their knowledge, conservation, and sustainable use are necessary to guarantee agricultural production and meet the growing environmental challenges and climate change. Pineapple genetic resources in Colombia could be exploited, since there are different local varieties of pineapple, which constitute a gene pool with genes and characteristics of interest that could be used in breeding programs to obtain new cultivars to meet current demands and supply national and export markets. Conclusions. Knowing the genetic variability in pineapple genetic resources would allow planning conservation strategies, their sustainable use in agricultural systems and in crop breeding programs. It is necessary to incorporate molecular biology techniques to accelerate genetic improvement of pineapple.