CBD First National Report - India - National Biodiversity Authority

The Indian National Gene Bank0 India is the original home of over 160 plant species including numerous major crops like rice,fruits and vegetables and spices. In addition, a large number of crop plants introduced herein remote past have been naturalised and diversified.0 The importance of safeguarding genetic resources has been by India in itsallocation of resources of the development of the Indian National Gene Bank (INGB). In1996, a new building for the INGB became operational. The completed facility has providedlong term storage for nearly 1.5 million samples of seeds or cultures.0 India’s gene bank is managed and operated by the National Bureau of Plant GeneticResources. Its functions include collection of indigenous germplasm, preservation of seedsand other propagules, seed increase and maintenance for distribution and exchange, and thesafe keeping of duplicate germplasm holdings of other organisations.0 The INGB handles the genetic resources of nearly 200 cultivated plants and their wildrelatives. Refrigerated modules currently store over 160,000 seed samples of different cropsat (Base collection). In addition, cryotanks using liquid nitrogen hold some1250 samples of small-seeded crops, gametes and embryonic axes. Tissue culture is usedto preserve other vegetatively propagated material (850 samples covering 25 genera). Thiscapacity for preservation of genetic material has been increased several fold in the newfacility for the INGB.2.25 The INGB conservesoprimitive cultivars and land races of cultivatedcrops and vegetables associated with traditionalagriculture and inbred lines of released hybrids0 released varieties and any survivor varietiesowild species closely related to crop plants andgenetic stocks and populations having desirablegenes.