In-vitro conservation of forest genetic resources

Abstract

Past fifty years have witnessed the development and refinement of storage conditions for seeds and other plant parts as a measure of forest tree germplasm conservation. During the last two decades the quest for genetic resource conservation has reached to such a level that existing methodologies require development of an innovative and reliable technology package for the genetic resource preservation. Techniques of in-vitro conservation hold enormous potential, however, extensive and systematic efforts to refine them into technology are needed. To date the research had mainly confined to the temperate species. Tropical forest genetic wealth which is under serious threat of depletion/extinction needs special attention for the development of in-vitro conservation strategies. The paper briefly discuss the recent approaches like in-vitro and cryopreservation technology for genetic conservation of valuable plant resources and highlighted their important role in forest trees.