In vitro genebanks for preserving tropical biodiversity

Abstract

Conservation of plant biodiversity can be accomplished in many ways. Tropical plants often cannot be stored as seeds and must be conserved as growing plants. These plants are at risk from disease and environmental factors such as climate change so it is important to provide secondary backups of any field genebanks. One option is the use of in vitro culture as a medium-term storage form. In vitro genebanks are maintained in several countries and provide a secure backup for field collections of many important crops and their wild relatives. In addition, the availability of in vitro collections provides the materials for long-term storage through cryopreservation and international exchange of germplasm. This chapter describes the factors involved in developing an in vitro stored collection and some of the collections held as in vitro plants in various genebanks around the globe.