Author
 |
Reed, Barbara |
|
Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Other Publication Acceptance Date: 1/1/2001 Publication Date: 4/1/2001 Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Relatives of cultivated currants and gooseberries include more than 150 species of shrubs which are native throughout Northern Europe, Asia, North America, and in mountainous areas of South America and northwest Africa. The discussion in this chapter will focus on the background and new methods of preserving these economically important species. Ribes plant collections must be maintained in fields or screened houses. It is now possible to provide laboratory backups to these field collections using plant tissue cultures stored at refrigerator temperatures or small shoot tips specially treated and carefully frozen to the temperature of liquid nitrogen (-320 F). Recent advances make both of these techniques viable for use with important plant collections. Technical Abstract: The genus Ribes L., the currants and gooseberries, includes more than 150 described species of shrubs which are native throughout Northern Europe, Asia, North America, and in mountainous areas of South America and northwest Africa. Ribes germplasm collections must be maintained as plants in fields or screened houses. Alternatively they may be held as in vitro cultures or as cryopreserved shoot tips in liquid nitrogen. It is now possible to secure active-clonal field collections of Ribes germplasm with secondary (active-backup) in vitro collections and cryopreserved base collections. Cold storage at -1 C in darkness or 4 C with a 12 hr photoperiod can be used for medium-term storage of 2-3 years, or for germplasm exchange, and cryopreservation is available for long-term base storage. Both of these techniques should be instituted as needed to protect and conserve Ribes genetic resources. |
