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Cryopreservation of Recalcitrant Seeds

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Cryopreservation of Plant Germplasm I

Part of the book series: Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry ((AGRICULTURE,volume 32))

Abstract

Long-term ex situ storage of plant germplasm is of increasing importance, both for maintaining the genetic diversity of species with current human use, and for the preservation of species threatened with extinction in the wild. Seed banks have long been used for this purpose, taking advantage of a natural plant preservation mechanism: the dry seed. Most agricultural species have desiccation-tolerant, or orthodox, seeds, which can often remain viable for many years. Longevity can be increased further by storing the seeds at low temperatures (e.g., Ellis and Roberts 1980), and orthodox seeds are generally adaptable to cryopreservation (storage in liquid nitrogen, LN) (Stanwood 1985).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Reproduction of Endangered Wildlife, Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine Street, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45220, USA

    V. C. Pence

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  1. V. C. Pence
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India

    Y. P. S. Bajaj (Former Professor of Tissue Culture) (Former Professor of Tissue Culture)

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© 1995 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Pence, V.C. (1995). Cryopreservation of Recalcitrant Seeds. In: Bajaj, Y.P.S. (eds) Cryopreservation of Plant Germplasm I. Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry, vol 32. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-03096-7_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-03096-7_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-08184-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-03096-7

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