Preservation of plant genetic resources in the biotechnology era

Abstract

Thousands of years ago humans began domesticating crops as a food source. Among the wild germplasm available, they selected those that were best adapted for cultivation and utilization. Although wild ancestors have continued to persist in regions where domestication took place, there is a permanent risk of loss of the genetic variability of cultivated plants and their wild relatives in response to changing environmental conditions and cultural practices. Recognizing this danger, plant ex situ genebank collections were created since the beginning of the last century. World-wide, more than 6 million accessions have been accumulated including the German ex situ genebank in Gatersleben, one of the four largest global collections, housing 150,000 accessions belonging to 890 genera and 3032 species. This review summarizes the ex situ plant genetic resources conservation behavior with a special emphasis on German activities. Strategies for maintenance and management of germplasm collections are reviewed, considering modern biotechnologies (in vitro and cryo preservation). General aspects on genetic diversity and integrity are discussed.

Seed conservation in ex situ genebanks—genetic studies on longevity in barley

“…The importance of genebank accessions is undoubted because they form the basic material for the work of plant breeders, pharmacists and ecologists. For an accurate maintenance of genebank collections consisting predominantly (90%) of seeds (Börner 2006), studies on the longevity of the accessions stored are essential.…”

An evaluation of genetic fidelity of encapsulated microshoots of the medicinal plant: Cineraria maritima following six months of storage

“…Establishment of gene banks for ex situ conservation of plant germplasm in the form of field gene banks, seed gene banks, in vitro collections, and cryogenically preserved tissues is a common practice (Withers 1983;Rao 2004;Borner 2006). Alginate encapsulation provides a viable approach for in vitro germplasm conservation as it combines the advantages of clonal multiplication with those of seed propagation and storage (Standardi and Piccioni 1998;Ara et al 2000).…”

Cryopreservation of Spices Genetic Resources

“…Panis and Lambardi (2006) discussed the evolution of technologies for plant material, covering cell suspensions and callus cultures of herbaceous species, pollen, shoot meristems, woody species, as well as seed and embryonic axes. The ex situ gene bank at Gatersleben in Germany houses 986 potato accessions are cryopreserved and trials on other species are performed (Börner 2006). The National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi has over 702 accesion of various spices, medicinal and aromatic crops in its cryo gene bank (Table. 3).…”