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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » National Clonal Germplasm Repository » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #213749
Title: Perspectives on the Development of Plant Genetic Resource Preservation in Kazakhstan

Author
item KOVALCHUK, I. - N.C.BIOTECHNOLOGY ALMATY
item KUSHNARENKO, S. - N.C.BIOTECHNOLOGY ALMATY
item RAKHIMBAEV, I. - N.C.BIOTECHNOLOGY ALMATY
item Reed, Barbara

Submitted to: CryoLetters
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/15/2007
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: A National Gene Storage Center to preserve plant and animal genetic resources was conceived in 2004 and construction will begin soon near Almaty, Kazakhstan. This Center was organized to provide a central location for important genetic resources of Kazakhstan. Currently collections are maintained at diverse locations under a variety of conditions. In the new center animal genetic resources will be represented by cryopreserved (stored in liquid nitrogen at -320 °F) gametes and embryos. Plant storage will include both seeds and vegetatively propagated materials. Seeds of a range of field and horticultural crops and wild relatives, and seed representing populations of wild fruit will be held in dry conditions and in cold storage. The vegetative materials of selected fruit crops will be held as tissue cultures at 45 °F or cryopreserved as shoot tips or dormant buds. Kazakhstan is a center of diversity for apples, apricots, and tulips and has good representation of many other types of plants. Many of the economically important crops are represented by field collections held at institutes throughout the country. For example the field collection of apple is held at the Pomological Garden near Almaty and contains 60 accessions within 3 wild species and 1667 cultivars of domestic apple. This collection is currently backed up by a tissue culture collection of about 50 genotypes and a cryopreserved collection is in progress. Seed collections of wild apple species covering the range of diversity and habitats will be added to the cryopreserved collection.

Technical Abstract: A National Gene Storage Center to preserve plant and animal genetic resources was conceived in 2004 and construction will begin soon near Almaty. This Center was organized to provide a central location for important genetic resources of Kazakhstan. Currently collections are maintained at diverse locations under a variety of conditions. In the new center animal genetic resources will be represented by cryopreserved gametes and embryos. Plant germplasm storage will include both seeds and vegetatively propagated materials. Seeds of a range of agronomic crops and wild relatives, and seed representing populations of wild fruit will be held under desiccated cold storage. The vegetative materials of selected vegetable and fruit crops will be held as in vitro cultures at 4°C or cryopreserved as shoot tips or dormant buds. Kazakhstan is a center of diversity for apples, apricots, and tulips and has good representation of many other species. Many of the economically important crops are represented by field collections held at institutes throughout the country. For example the field collection of Malus is held at the Pomological Garden near Almaty and contains 60 accessions within 3 wild species and 1667 cultivars of Malus domestica Borkh.. This collection is currently backed up by an in-vitro collection of about 50 genotypes and a cryopreserved collection is in progress. Seed collections of wild apple species (Malus sieversii (Ledeb.) M. Roem., Malus kirghisorum Al. et An. Theod., Malus niedzwetzkyana Dieck.) covering the range of diversity and habitats will be added to the cryopreserved collection.