Project

Kennisbasis bomen en struiken

This project aims to develop and apply new methods and insights to support the ex situ and in situ conservation of genetic diversity of trees and shrubs. Specifically, it is about applying and being able to make better use of new technologies in the field of genomics to improve the management of gene bank collections and the conservation of in situ populations. In addition, expertise development is needed to establish protocols for the creation of seed collections at trees and shrubs. Long-term storage of seeds is now possible for many tree and shrub species. However, no standards are available for most tree species. For some species, with seeds that are poorly able to withstand dehydration or have a very short lifespan, cryo-storage (- 196 C) is an alternative to conventional storage (- 20 C). Seed storage protocols and effective techniques for monitoring the germination capacity of seeds, including germination rest breakthrough, will be developed per species or species group.

This project provides the knowledge base for applying genomics for characterization and optimization of gene bank collection management and to improve methods for conservation of genetic diversity in in situ. New possibilities of SNP genotyping for population genetic questions in trees and shrubs are inventoried and applied cost efficiently for collection management. In addition, the project focuses on knowledge development of seed biology and germination requirements of tree and shrub species in order to develop methods and protocols for long-term seed storage and cryopreservation.

Publications