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

National activities on plant genetic resources in the Czech Republic
L. DOTLACIL; Z. STEHNO; M. RESATKO 1
1. Introduction
National activities on plant genetic resources
Study, conservation and utilization of plant genetic resources has a long tradition in Bohemia and
Moravia. Various research and breeding stations and botanical gardens were already working with
genetic resources at the beginning of this century. Collections of a wider species spectrum were gathered
in three places (BARES, 1984; BARES and DOTLACIL, 1987). The Husbandry Botanic Research
Station in Tabor (established in 1880 and closed in 1919) started testing the genetic resources of barley
in 1899 and wheat and other species in 1903.
The Chemical and Physiological Research Station in Jenec near Prague (established in 1898) tested
various species and varieties. In 192O the station was transferred to Uhrineves at the National Research
Institute of Agriculture, Prague. This institute took over the collections of the Husbandry Botanic
Station in Tabor. In 1948 it was transferred to Doksany and in 1952 to the Research Institute of Crop
Production in Prague-Ruzyne. At that time, the collections contained 2847 varieties of cereals, legumes,
oil and fodder crops.
The Moravian Land Agricultural Research Institutes in Brno, established in 1919, have assembled a
collection of land races. From 1951 to 1954, the collections of this institute were transferred to newly
established institutions. Most went to the Research Institute of Cereals in Kromeriz, the Research
Institute of Fodder Crops in Troubsko and to its Grassland Research Station in Roznov.
A number of local landraces and bred varieties of Czech origin, from the beginning of this century, have
been preserved in collections of the above mentioned institutes. Old varieties of vine and fruit woods
from the same period have also been preserved in plantations registered or documented by these research
institutes.
The original 6000 varieties gathered in 1951 in the Czech and Slovak collections were rapidly extending,
particularly in the fifties and the sixties. There were 42.5 thousand of accessions in Czechoslovak
collections in 1991.
Considerable working capacity was directed to the maintenance of these collections. Seed-propagated
species were regularly regenerated according to the results of germination tests. In the seventies and
particularly in the eighties air-conditioned storage of seed samples in freezing boxes and later in cooling
chambers were installed in some institutes holding collections. The Gene Bank of the Research Institute
of Crop Production in Prague has assured the long-term storage of seed samples for all institutes since
1988.
1
Authors' address:
Research Institute of Crop Production
Ruzyne 507
16106 Praha 6
Czech Republic