Experiment 3:

Reproduction in plants – Alternation of generation and life cycle

Date of the Experiment:

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Introduction:

Germplasm:

It is defined as the sum total of hereditary material i.e. all the alleles of various genes,
present in a crop species and its wild relatives

(a) Germplasm collection:

Reasons for collecting germplasm:

There are over a quarter of a million plant species on earth. There is a case to be made,
based on the precautionary principle, that all are equally legitimate targets for collecting. The
demand for germplasm (ranging from individual genes to co-adapted gene complexes to entire
genotypes or even populations) is unpredictable and dynamic. The more diversity is conserved
and made available for future use, the better the chances of fulfilling future demand. Germplasm
collecting can be expensive, and funds are usually limited. It is therefore important to have clear
justification for any collecting expedition. The main reasons that can be put forward for
collecting germplasm of a given gene pool in a given area are that:

 It is in danger of genetic erosion or even extinction;

 A clear need for it has been expressed by the users, at national level
 The diversity it represents is missing from, or insufficiently represented in, existing ex
situ germplasm collections;
 Germplasm may be both threatened and useful, and there may be gaps both in collections
of a gene pool and in what is known about it.

Genetic erosion - the loss of genetic diversity - may come about for a number of often
interrelated reasons. The replacement of numerous, diverse traditional crop types by fewer,
uniform modem varieties has become a global threat to traditional landraces of many of the
major crops, especially since the 1960s. In many areas, locally important traditional food crops
are being replaced by exotic staples or by cash crops. Irreversible loss of genetic diversity can
also be caused by the overexploitation of a species in the wild, for example by overgrazing in the
case of forages or by uncontrolled harvesting from their natural habitat in the case of medicinal
plants, firewood species and timber trees, etc. Dam and road construction, the spread of cities
and the cutting down of tropical rain forest for ranching are other examples of processes leading
to habitat fragmentation and loss. The occurrence of natural calamities such as disease
epidemics, extended drought periods and floods can also result in the loss of genetic diversity.
Wholly artificial calamities that can threaten biodiversity include pollution (including the sort
that many believe will result in global warming) and the introduction of alien organisms (e.g.
competitors, predators, pests).
Collecting for immediate use
Local communities are continuously collecting germplasm for immediate use. This
ranges from farmers exchanging planting material, as they have done for millennia, to local
people collecting seeds from the local community. However, in the formal sector, 'using
germplasm' in general means incorporating it into a crop breeding or plant introduction and
selection programme. Plant breeders usually maintain their own active collections consisting of
carefully selected genotypes, but there is a continuous need for new, specific traits and
combinations of traits in introduction, selection, domestication and improvement programmes,
allowing new problems to be solved and new demands to be met. A close linkage between
germplasm collecting and germplasm use has often proved to be the most effective way of
guaranteeing its conservation.
Modern biotechnological tools have dramatically increased the possibility of transferring
genes from one species to another. One of the immediate consequences is a widening of the pool
from which a specific gene can be drawn. This means that users will increasingly be interested
in species which are taxonomically and genetically less closely related to the species with which
they are primarily concerned, e.g. material in the tertiary gene pool of crops as well as the
primary and secondary gene pool. Other species are important in land management and habitat
restoration or rehabilitation, or as the 'keystones' of ecosystems. For a germplasm sample to be
useful in a crop breeding programme it may be sufficient for it to include at least one copy of all
common alleles.
 One possible source of useful germplasm exists ex situ collections, either within the
country or abroad, which have been characterized (and possibly evaluated) or which include
material from geographic areas or habitats likely to harbor desired traits. If the required material
is not available in gene banks, it may be necessary to collect it. For example, if cold resistance is
required in a particular crop, and landrace material or wild relatives from high-altitude or high-
latitude areas is not available in existing collections, such regions would be high priorities for
collecting. Clearly, if material of the target species from particular areas has already been
collected, an especially strong case will need to be made for new collecting there. Also, since
sometimes germplasm is only collected from more easily accessible sites within a region (e.g.
along roadsides or in markets), careful analysis will be required to judge the true eco-geographic
coverage of past collecting. Repeat collecting may also be necessary if it is wanted to estimate
genetic erosion in an area.
(b) Germplasm conservation:
Type of materials to be conserved:
Land races, primitive cultivars, wild species, wild relatives, obsolete cultivars, advanced
lines and synthetic materials.
Two types of conservation
1. in situ conservation
2. ex situ conservation
1. in situ conservation:
It is known to be on siting conservation i.e. conservation of genetic resources in natural
environment or the place of its origin. It helps to protect the endangered plant species in its
natural habitat. It is done by declaring the conserved site as protected area. Some of the in situ
conservation sites are national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and biosphere reserves. India has more
than 90 national parks and more than 15 biosphere reserves. The national parks are strictly
reserved for wildlife where cultivation and grazing is strictly prohibited and their boundaries are
well demarcated whereas wildlife sanctuaries are also protected area where collection of forest
products, timber trees are allowed as long as they do not interfere with well-being of animals and
their boundaries are not demarcated. The biosphere reserves consisted of three zones viz., core
zone, buffer zone and transition zone.
a. Core zone: it is the inner zone which is undisturbed area and it is protected legally.
b. Buffer zone: it lies between the core and transition zone. Research activities are done here.
c. Transition zone: it is the outer most zones where cultivation and recreational activities are
done.
2. ex situ conservation:
It literally means the offsite conservation. It is the process of protection of plant species
in a place where it is not originated. It means outside of their natural habitat. Its primary
objective is to conserve the plant species where its native habitat is threatened. Some of the ex
situ conservation sites are botanical gardens, seed gene bank, pollen bank, tissue culture and
DNA banks.
Seed gene bank
Conservation of germplasm is in the form of seed. The majority of plants are propagated
through seeds. Seeds occupy less storage area and transportation is easy. But the viability of
seeds gets reduced at certain time period and prone to pest infestation. There are two type of seed
based on their storability
a. Orthodox seeds: These seeds can be dried to moisture content of 5 per cent or lower without
losing their viability. These seeds can be stored for longer periods.
b. Recalcitrant seeds: The viability of these seeds gets reduced if the moisture content is
reduced below 12 to 30 per cent.
Seed gene banks are meant for orthodox seeds which can be dried to very low moisture
content. In case of recalcitrant seeds where long term storage is not achieved by seed gene bank
hence other methods such as field gene bank, pollen bank and in vitro germplasm storage might
be adopted. Based upon the storage condition, short term, medium term and long term storages
are present
a. Short term storage: In this type of storage, the temperature is maintained at 15 to 200C and
relative humidity of 30 to 40 per cent.
b. Medium term storage: The temperature here is maintained at 0 to 100C with relative
humidity of 25 to 30 per cent. Here the seed can be maintained for a period of 25-35 years.
c. Long term storage: The storage condition was maintained at a temperature of -10 to -200C
with no control on relative humidity. The seeds can be maintained for a period of 50 years.
Advantages of ex situ conservation:
It helps to conserve endangered species away from its natural environment, helps to
rescue the threatened germplasm and helps to restore habitat loss.
Assignment:

1) a. What is germplasm documentation and how it serves as a valuable tool for plant breeders?

b. Elaborate on the utilization of germplasm in plant breeding and agricultural practices?

2. What is pre-breeding?

3. Enlist the international institutes affiliated with CGIAR that are responsible for the
conservation of various crop species?

4. What is plant quarantine and how are the procedures carried out at NBPGR, New Delhi?

5. Elaborate on the concepts of the primary, secondary, and tertiary gene pools, specifically in
the context of rice?

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