Plant Diversity ›› 2007, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (01): 43-50.

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Ex Situ Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources through Seed-Gene Bank

TANG An-Jun, SONG Song-Quan, LONG Chun-Lin   

  1. Kunming Institute of Botany , Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Received:2006-03-10 Online:2007-02-25 Published:2007-02-25

Abstract: With the acceleration of extinction of species, biodiversity conservation is extensively concerned. The extinction of species is concerned with the degree of threat by biotic and abiotic factors. So, taking action to preserve plant species is very necessary and paramount before their extinction. One of the most effective biological techniques to conserve the biodiversity is the establishment of genebanks, i. e. ex situ conservation. The elucidation of various factors that regulate seed viability and vigor in storage is essential . An ideal condition to prolong the longevity is mainly depended on seed water
content, temperature, humidity and types of containers used during storage. The optimum stage of seed maturity, harvesting techniques and processing , in addition to physiological features such as degree of dormancy, also play key roles in seed storage. Certainly, desiccated seeds deteriorate with time even under extremely good genebanking conditions. According to seed storage behavior, it is necessary to consider three principal factors: storage environment, storage duration and plant species which will affect seed survival under good genebanking conditions. The present review is an attempt to discuss the importance of the aforementioned aspects of seeds in detail in order to conserve plant germplasms ( especially wild rare and endangered plants) for ex situ conservation through seed-gene bank.

Key words: Biodiversity

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