The cotton genetic resources managed by CIRAD is located in Montpellier (South of France) and represents one of the most important collection of seed resources from Gossypium species in the world. It includes 3185 accessions representing a large range of diversity. Major part of the 50 species of Gossypium genus (all 5 tetraploid and 35 of the 45 diploid species) are present. These accessions originate from 99 different countries, with United States of America, the French West Indies, French-speaking Africa, and Latin America as most frequent origins. G. hirsutum L. accounts for 68 % of the collection, and 87 % of the total are tetraploid accessions. The collection comprises both cultivars and primitive accessions. Close to 1700 accessions are cultivars, with a particular emphasis on the varieties that Cirad developed in partnership in different tropical countries. Two millions hectares are cultivated to day with these varieties in West and Central Africa, South America and South East Asia. Numerous primitive landraces as well as early domesticated forms were collected in the eighties under the umbrella of former IBPGR throughout the diversification areas of G. hirsutum and G. barbadense. Finally a series of interspecific material derived from hexaploid and tetraploid hybrids and developed for possible introgressive breeding (backcrosses to cultivated G. hirsutum) are conserved. Seed renewal is undertaken under tropical conditions once every 12 years for cultivars and 15 years for others. The seeds (300 and 100 grams per accession respectively) are stored in a cold room at 5oC and 40% RH. Storage conditions have recently been completed by a parallel storage in an 18 oC freezer. More than 2700 accessions of the collection have been described for morphological and fiber quality traits. The cultivated germplasm is permanently used for seed exchange and several breeding programs had been launched using samples of this germplasm. The primitive pool and the obsolete varie