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

Opening of the INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES IN EUROPE, Gatersleben,
December 6-8, 1993
U. WOBUS 1
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased to welcome you for our European Symposium on plant genetic resources here in Gatersleben.
When Dr. Helen Kearns the then British Council Science and Exchange Officer for Germany visited
us more than a year ago we talked about the research activities and the re-organisation of the Institute
of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research. It was her idea to chose genebank issues, i.e. plant genetic
resources, as a possible theme for a British Council-sponsored activity, We are very glad that this idea
materialised so successfully and that after a preparatory meeting in June this Symposium on Plant
Genetic Resources in Europe can now be opened. It is my special pleasure to welcome participants of
fourteen European countries. The British Council is represented by Mr. David Constable whom I
especially welcome.
The scientific part in organising the present meeting was mainly played by the staff of our genebank,
especially by Dr. Hammer and Dr. Begemann. The latter one is now at the Information Centre for
Genetic Resources (IGR) in Bonn.
The Gatersleben genebank as part of the Gatersleben Institute has a long and outstanding tradition. We
celebrated in June 1993 the 50th anniversary of our institute which included as a prominent part from
the beginning in 1943 a steadily growing collection of plant genetic resources. The unification of
Germany and the complete re-organisation of the East-German scientific landscape, i.e. the integration
into the West-German system of scientific institutions, caused various uncertainties also for this institute.
These uncertainties have mainly been solved and the institute made already a remarkable jump forward.
Just during the last week the present worl of the institute was presented to the Scientific Advisory Board
in nearly forty talks and more than 60 posters quite a number relevant to our topic.
The institute presently employs more than 470 people, about 150 of them scientists. The department
structure and the main research topics are depicted in the following diagram. One point demonstrated
by the scheme is the integral part played by the genebank for numerous research activities within the
institute beside its important national and international functions. The increasing use of molecular
methods already begun to further intensify both the genebank work with its material and the use of the
collections by the other departments.
As everybody will agree plant genetic resources are an important national issue but it is equally accepted
that the problem needs intense international cooperation. Questions of how the duties can be shared
without endangering the material preserved ex situ in genebanks, of how the information can be shared
properly and of how the genetic resources can be saved especially in the Eastern European countries
where the political and financial problems threaten the existing collections - all this important issues will
1
Author's address:
Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK)
Corrensstr. 3
06466 Gatersleben