Ex situ conservation

Heera Babu
407/18
BSc. Botany, S6
 Introduction

• Other name : Off-site conservation

• Outside natural habitat
• Focused on endangered species
 Conservation techniques

• Seed banks
• Gene banks
• Germplasm banks
 Seed bank

Aim
• Preservation of endangered plants' seed
• Making seeds viable up to 20 yrs

Major steps

1. Seeds are dried (water content < 4%)

2. Cooled at -20°C
 Types of seeds

Orthodox
• Can withstand low temperature
• Can withstand low water content
• Eg : Cereals, legumes

Recalcitrant

• Seeds will be killed at low temperature

• Eg : Jack tree, coconut palm, rubber, tea
 Seed banks - Examples

• International Rice Research Institute, Manila (world's largest seed bank)

• International Maize & Wheat Improvement Center, Mexico
• Kew Gardens, London

Seed bank project of Kew gardens

 Millennium Seed Bank

 Source of seeds stored : Tropics & sub-tropics
 Gene Banks

Aim

• Preservation of DNA sample & Somatic material

• Focused on : Endangered species

Major steps in preservation

1. Reduction of water content ( below 4% )

2. Freezing ( 0 to -10°C )
Merits

• Genetic material can be retrieved

• Bred in captivity
• Used for genetic research

Gene banks - examples

• International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (Hyderabad)

• Svalbard Global seed Vault (Norway)
 Germplasm Banks

• Conservation of genetic erosion loss

• Generally vegetative propagating crop plants are used
• Incorporation of Tissue culture & Cryopreservation
 Major steps

culturing of meristematic cells

formation of Calluses

Cryopreservation

tissue made viable over

unlimited period of time

retrieved & multiplied

Significance of Tissue culture in Germplasm banks

• When progeny is highly variable

• When seeds are recalcitrant
• When seeds are absent

Advantages of Tissue culture

• Storage of large genotypes in small areas

• Low cost
• Enables reintroduction of endangered species
• Helps to save specific genotypes
Thank you