Strategies and priorities in field collections for ex situ conservation: the case of the Israel Plant Gene Bank

• Published in: Genetic resources and crop evolution Vol. 64; no. 1; pp. 1 - 5
• Main Authors: Barazani, Oz, Mayzlish-Gati, Einav, Lifshitz, Dikla, Hadas, Rivka, Keren-Keiserman, Alexandra, Golan, Sivan, Faraj, Tomer, Singer, Alon, Beerman, Andrey, Perevolotsky, Avi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Biodiversity; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Collection; Conservation; Flora; Gene banks; Genetic diversity; Genetic resources; Life Sciences; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Physiology; Plant resources; Plant Sciences; Plant Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Short Communication; Wild type; Israel; Biodiversity; Ex situ conservation; Gene bank; Long-term storage
• ISSN: 0925-9864; 1573-5109
• DOI: 10.1007/s10722-016-0468-y

The ex situ collection of the Israel Plant Gene Bank (IGB) aims to encompass the rich local flora and its genetic diversity with an emphasis on crop wild relatives. However, to properly establish a core collection, collection efforts must be prioritized and strategized. We previously classified local plant genetic resources into four priority groups that assisted in strategizing the collection activities. The following years of intensive collection activity yielded over 4200 banked accessions. However, these do not necessarily represent the distribution range of the target species for collection (TSC) and consequently, their genetic diversity. To best cover the latter, the collecting area was divided into botanical districts and the magnitude of the collection was determined according to prioritization group, e.g., a wild relative of an agricultural crop with a vast distribution range should be represented by a larger number of banked accessions than one with a smaller range. Continuous evaluation of specific needs shapes the collection scheme of the IGB to maximize collection efforts, better represent the presumed genetic diversity of TSC, and establish its core collection.