New Study Investigates Duplicate Seed Samples at Genebanks

A 

report

 from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) indicates that up to 70% of the 7.4 million 

accessions

 

stored in 

genebanks

 

around the world might be duplicate holdings. As 

genebanks

 struggle with high workloads and inadequate resources, it is important to identify these duplicates so that resources can be prioritized correctly.

 But it is also important to make sure that the duplicates really are identical 

to prevent loss of genetic diversity.

 

In a new study, 

co-authored by 

NordGen, researchers have investigated

accessions

with identical or similar names

 

and determined whether or not they 

actually 

belong to the same 

cultivar

. Ten groups of cabbage 

accessions

 with similar names 

from 

the Russian and Nordic gene banks

 

were

 examined.

 

 

–

 Cabbage is a cross-pollinating plant. That is why there's always some genetic variation within a 

population

.

 In the study, we conclude that in five of the ten groups with similar names, there are clear genetic differences. In one case, a white cabbage and a red cabbage had similar names, says Anna 

Palmé

, Senior Scientist at NordGen and one of the authors of the study.

Relationships Among Cabbage

 

Genetic characterization was used to establish the relationships among cabbage.  

 

– Two varieties of red cabbage can be genetically quite diverse. On the other hand, a white cabbage can be genetically similar to a red one. To know how the varieties relate to each other, we must, in addition to the purely morphological characterization, also analyze their geneti

cs

, says Anna 

Palmé

.

 

C

areful With C

ross-polli

n

ators

 

When it comes to modern cultivars, 

two accessions with the same names are most likely similar to one another. 

 

 

– But when it comes to older cultivars, they may have been named for marketing purposes. In particular, it's hard to correctly identify duplicates

 

within the old landraces, where documentation is lacking, says Anna 

Palmé

.

 

The study highlights the necessity to be careful when identifying duplicate accessions based solely on the name, 

especially 

when it comes to

 old cross-pollinating cultivars with complex breeding history and naming practices.

 

Read the

full article here.