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Genebank Conservation of Germplasm Collected from Wild Species

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Book cover North American Crop Wild Relatives, Volume 1

Abstract

Crop genebanks are tasked with maintaining genetic resources that support agriculture. They must keep a diverse array of samples alive for decades to centuries. Controlled conditions within the genebank are necessary to maintain quality and ensure consistency of the sample through time. Challenges for providing quality and consistency increase with samples that are mostly unstudied and highly heterogeneous and respond in unpredicted ways, as is the case for samples collected from the wild. The task of genebanking will be facilitated by better definitions of the “conservation target,” meaning the level of diversity that the sample is intended to represent. With that definition, collectors will have better knowledge of what and where to collect – and when to stop – and “fit-for-purpose” samples will be preserved. Major uncertainties persist about the life expectancy of the sample and whether genebanking imposes genetic shifts. Standards have been recommended by the international community to ensure lasting quality of samples despite a large number of unknowns. We believe some of these standards will be counter-productive or unobtainable for wild-collected samples, and we have offered alternatives that stress documentation so future genebank users can predict whether a sample will suit their needs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, National Laboratory for Genetic Resource Preservation, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Christina Walters, Christopher M. Richards & Gayle M. Volk

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  1. Christina Walters
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  2. Christopher M. Richards
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  3. Gayle M. Volk
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Correspondence to Christina Walters .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. USDA, Agricultural Research Service Center for Agricultural Resources, Research, National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Stephanie L. Greene

  2. USDA, Agricultural Research Service Beltsville Agricultural Research, Center, National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, MD, USA

    Karen A. Williams

  3. USDA, Agricultural Research Service Center for Agricultural Resources, Research, National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Colin K. Khoury

  4. Tropical Plant and Soil Science, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Michael B. Kantar

  5. Department of Agronomy/North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

    Laura F. Marek

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Walters, C., Richards, C.M., Volk, G.M. (2018). Genebank Conservation of Germplasm Collected from Wild Species. In: Greene, S., Williams, K., Khoury, C., Kantar, M., Marek, L. (eds) North American Crop Wild Relatives, Volume 1. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95101-0_10

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