Plant cryopreservation for biotechnology and breeding

Abstract

Plant biodiversity is crucial for sustaining human life on our planet. More than 50,000 species are used globally for food, feed, fiber, medicine and horticulture. A wide range of plant-based biotechnological systems such as isolated root cultures, embryogenic cell and tissue cultures and cell suspensions are used in breeding programs, forestry and the production of pharmaceuticals. Cryopreservation is an essential tool for conservation and long-term maintenance of diverse germplasms with minimal requirements for cost and labor and a low risk of loss of preserved samples. However, large-scale use of cryogenic storage to back-up plant genetic collections is hampered by unavailability of effective methodology and genotype-specific responses of diverse specimens to cryoprotective treatments. Newly developed techniques such as droplet-vitrification are more effective and user-friendlier than classical methods of cryopreservation. Cryopreservation has been successfully employed for preserving several different types of plant materials. In this chapter we review various approaches to develop and improve cryopreservation protocols for diverse plant species. Applications of modern cryopreservation methods in biotechnology-based industry as well as breeding programs are also discussed.