Active-site Seed Storage Management and Maintenance in Ames, Iowa, a U.S. Nation
Active-site Seed Storage Management and Maintenance in Ames, Iowa, a U.S. National Plant Germplasm System Location
Forrest Douglass; Lisa Burke; Candice Gardner; and Gayle M. Volk
Corresponding author<EMAIL_ADDRESS>The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of some key germplasm management and maintenance responsibilities and activities related to inventory management and maintenance of orthodox seed collections, and of germplasm distribution at the North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station (NCRPIS), in Ames, Iowa, part of the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System.
Outline
- Introduction
- What is a genebank accession?
- Storing new accession samples
- Inventory maintenance & management
- Distributing germplasm
- Summary
- References
- Additional information
- Acknowledgments
1. Introduction
In this chapter, readers will become acquainted with the origins of plant genetic resources held in genebank collections, responsibilities of the genebank, definitions of terms associated with germplasm and genebanking, and germplasm storage properties with a focus on orthodox seeds and their processes. Methods and resources used in the conservation and propagation of plant genetic resources will be discussed.
Plant genetic resources are also referred to as plant germplasm. Plant germplasm is the genetic, heritable material of a plant species or plant. Germplasm includes DNA, cells, tissues, seeds, pollen, other plant parts or whole plants. Germplasm collections include landraces of crops that have emerged over millennia of improvement by farmers, wild plants related to cultivated crops, older and current crop varieties, parental lines, specialized plant materials used to develop new varieties and hybrids, or mutant genetic stocks maintained for research. Germplasm can be preserved as dried seeds, plants growing in greenhouse, screenhouse, field plantings, or as in vitro cultures. Dried seeds of many species can be held at low temperatures in sealed containers for many years. Seeds are largely categorized as orthodox or recalcitrant for storage purposes. Orthodox seeds survive drying and/or cold storage protocols and retain their viability in storage, as opposed to recalcitrant seeds, which do not withstand drying and conventional cold storage and are more difficult to store. Plant genera that produce desiccation-intolerant seeds, or those genera that can only be propagated clonally, may be maintained in vitro as cultures of tissues or as buds, pollen, or other plant parts preserved at ultra-low temperatures. There is variability for sensitivity to these practices, and some seeds are classified as intermediate in their storage capability. Video 1 provides additional information on NCRPIS seed storage conditions.
Video 1. Ames seed storage manager Lisa Burke explains the origins and preservation of germplasm held at the NCRPIS.
2. What is a genebank Accession?
The term “accession” refers to a unique collection that represents a population (or