Integration of Conservation Strategies of Plant Genetic ... - Genres

When regenerating germplasm a number of points must be taken into consideration:
• Selection within the original population as a result of regeneration procedures should be
minimized.
• No contamination with other samples, both during regeneration and seed handling should be
allowed.
• The breeding system of the crop in question is important. Cross pollinating crops need
additional measures to insure proper isolation.
• The population size of the original sample should be sufficiently large to avoid genetic drift.
Compared to self pollinating species, cross pollinating species usually require a higher number
of plants for regenerations to maintain the genetic variation that exists within the population.
To minimize the impact that regenerations can have on the genetic identity of a seed sample, the
frequency of regeneration should be kept as low as possible.
Plants that during regeneration clearly seem contaminants and not belonging to the total
population are discarded.
The reproduction rate should also be considered in order to produce sufficient seeds. So far only
in the case of faba beans the reproduction rate is a limiting factor and a relatively high number of
plants is used.