Author
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Reed, Barbara |
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Submitted to: Plant Cryopreservation, A Practical Guide
Publication Type: Book / Chapter Publication Acceptance Date: 5/20/2007 Publication Date: 11/12/2007 Citation: Reed, B.M. 2007. Plant Cryopreservation, A Practical Guide. New York, NY: Springer. 515 p. Interpretive Summary: The alarming loss of plant biodiversity both in nature and within agricultural systems has led the plant biology community to look for alternatives to preservation of plants in their native environments. Although cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen by itself is not the answer to the global loss of biodiversity, it is a useful tool for long-term maintenance of select plant types. Cryopreserved collections, now located in several countries around the world, show the usefulness of cryopreservation. Now the challenge is to expand these techniques by making them available to laboratories that do not specialize in cryopreservation, but rather wish to use it as a safe backup for valuable plant materials. This volume was written for those active in cryobiology, and also for those who are not cryobiologists, but in need of a long-term storage method. The volume is divided into two parts. The first section introduces the reader to cryopreservation and the main techniques used. The second combines literature reviews of plant groups with defined step-by-step protocols. These techniques will be directly useable by the scientific community. Technical Abstract: The alarming loss of plant biodiversity both in nature and within agricultural systems has led the plant biology community to look for alternatives to in situ conservation. Although cryopreservation by itself is not a panacea for the global loss of biodiversity, it is a useful tool for long-term maintenance of select plant germplasm. Cryopreserved collections, now located in several countries around the world, are a testament to the utility of cryopreservation. Now the challenge is to expand these techniques by making them available to laboratories that do not specialize in cryopreservation, but rather wish to use it as a safe backup for valuable plant materials. This volume was written for those active in cryobiology, and also for those who are not cryobiologists, but in need of a long-term storage method. The volume is divided into two parts. The first section introduces the reader to cryopreservation and the main techniques used. The second combines literature reviews of plant groups with defined step-by-step protocols. These techniques will be directly useable by the scientific community. |
