LONG-TERM CONSERVATION OF PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES IN LITHUANIA

Bronislovas GelvonauskisPlant Gene Bank, Stoties 2, Akademija, Kedainiai District Lithuania. E-mail: b.gelvonauskis@agb.lt

A National plant genetic resources coordinating centre was founded at the Institute of Agriculture in 1993. The Baltic-Nordic project for plant genetic resources (PGR) was initiated by the Nordic Genetic Resource Center (the former Nordic Gene Bank) in 1994. The main objective of the project was to develop the national plant genetic resources conservation network in Lithuania. This project activated the cooperation and coordination work among the education and research institutions involved in PGR investigation and conservation. In nowadays, 8 institutions are involved in the activity of collection, investigation and conservation of plant genetic resources. In 1994 research programme “Genetic resources of cultivated plants“ was started to implement and it was funded by the State science and studies foundation. The programme ended in 2008.

In 2001 the law on National plant genetic resources was enacted by the Seimas (Parliament) of the Republic of Lithuania. Government of Lithuania adopted a resolution to establish Plant Gene Bank from the 1st of January 2004. The main goals of Plant Gene Bank is to coordinate activities on plant genetic resources, to secure long-term preservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources, to secure accessibility, safety and particularity of information about plant genetic resources, manage database of plant genetic resources and implementation of the law on National plant genetic resources and other juridical acts on preservation of national plant genetic resources.

In 2002-2003 thirteen juridical acts associated with the law on National plant genetic resources was adopted. These documents regulate and define the order for plant genetic resources collection, investigation, conservation and regeneration. Five research institutes and universities are involved in plant genetic resources network as coordination centres to coordinate collection, investigation conservation of plant genetic resources to such plant groups: agricultural crops, forest trees, horticultural plants, ornamental plants and medical and aromatic plants (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. Scheme of plant genetic resources management

Plant Gene Bank handles seeds following the procedures described in manual for seed handling (Rao et al., 2006). Seeds allocated for long-term storage first of all are cleaned from weed seeds. A dehumidified drying chamber is used for seeds drying. Seeds are dried for two-three months at temperature 15-20C° and relative air humidity at the drying chamber – 10-15%. Seeds moisture content after drying reduces to 3-5% (6-6.5% for pea, bean). After seeds are dried to standard moisture content, seeds are packed in the airtight aluminium foil bags and stored at -18C°. The first seeds germination test is carried out after 5 years of storage at -18C°. Firstly, seeds taken out from freezer were humidificated at room temperature (20 C°) for 4-5 days. Tests are carried out in Petri dishes on a top of paper. A sample size of 200 seeds for germination test are used, two replicates with 100 seeds per replicate. The first count of germinated seeds is carried out after 3 or more days, depending on species.

Table 1. Number of seed accessions in long-term storage, end of 2012

Institute of Agriculture, as the main institution responsible for agricultural crop breeding and genetics, has numerous collections of different agricultural crops. This institute sent the largest number of seed accessions to long-term storage (Table 1). Active programs for evaluation and selection of forest tree species (Pinus Sylvestris, Picea abies, Betula pendula, Fraxinus excelsior, Alnus glutinosa) are curried out at Forest Research Institute and seeds from superior phenotypes are collected for long-term storage.

Seeds of 2843 accessions were conserved in long-term storage in 2012 (Fig. 2). Seeds of old landraces and varieties of agricultural crops, advanced varieties and valuable breeding material, distinguished populations of wild relatives of cultivated plants and forest trees are already stored in the long-term seed storage of Plant Gene Bank.

Fig. 2. Number of seed accessions at long-term storage

The agricultural crops are presented by the largest number of accessions at Plant Gene Bank long-term seed storage (Fig. 3). Another large group of seed accessions represents forest trees.

Fig. 3. Number of seed accessions in the long-term storage, end of 2012

EUCARPIAEUCARPIA Section Genetic Resources Symposium on Plant Genetic Resources ‘Pre-Breeding - fishing the gene pool ’. Alnarp, Sweden, June 10-13, 2013

Donor institution Total number of accessions

Institute of Agriculture 1964

Institute of Horticulture 87

Forest Research Institute 412

Botanical Institute 77

Vilnius University Botanical Garden 148

Kaunas Botanical Garden of Vytautas Magnus University

27

Aleksandras Stulginskis University 136

Agricultural crops, 2105

Medicinal and aromatic plants,

190

Forest trees, 412

Horticultural crops, 87O rnamental

plants, 49

No Genus Number of tested

accessions

Viability reduction more than 15 %

unit %

1 Agrostis 23 2

2 Allium 5 1 20

3 Avena 36 31 86

4 Beta 15 6 40

5 Brassica 14 0 0

6 Bromus 14 3 21

7 Carum 97 9 9

8 Cucumis 8 2 25

9 Dactilis 187 6 3

10 Daucus 15 7 46

11 Festuca 301 10 3

12 Festulolium 7 0 0

13 Hordeum 141 40 28

14 Hypericum 26 15 57

15 Linum 16 0 0

16 Lolium 146 19 13

17 Lupinus 25 2 8

18 Medicago 63 6 10

19 Origanum 17 4 24

20 Phleum 77 10 13

21 Pisum 11 3 27

22 Poa 146 15 10

23 Secale 14 4 28

24 Trifolium 147 23 15

25 Triticum 107 2 2

26 Vicia 64 1 1,5

Table 2. Viability of seed accessions after 5 years of long-term storage

2575

2646

2843

2500

2550

2600

2650

2700

2750

2010 2011 2012

Year

A germination test was used for estimation the viability of seeds. The germination test showed that 10 % or less of accssions with reduced viability were ascertained in 12 genus (Table 2). A large number of acessions lost seed viability in genus Avena, Beta, Daucus, Hypericum. Seed viability of cultivars of Brassica, Festulolium, Linum, Dactilis, Triticum, Vicia was not lost or only few accessions were established with reduced viability.