CRYOPRESERVATION OF PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES: CONVENTIONAL AND NEW METHODS

Abstract

Plant genetic resources (PGR) are important for agriculture and are mainly conserved in seed and field genebanks. Cryopreservation is an in vitro conservation method, which has become an important tool for the long-term storage of PGR. Within this method, the techniques of vitrification and encapsulation/dehydration are commonly used worldwide. Recently, new cryogenic methods using cryo-plates (the V cryo-plate and D cryo-plate) have been developed. The cryo-plate methods have advantages, such as ease of handling during the procedure and high regrowth rates after cryopreservation. It is important to research genetic stability in long-term tissue-cultured plants and cryopreserved plants for successful conservation of plant germplasm. The present paper reviews current cryopreservation techniques. Thus far, studies have reported no or small differences between cryopreserved and non-cryopreserved samples under optimized conditions according to various morphological, biochemical and molecular analyses (e.g., RAPD-PCR, AFLP, and MSAP).