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The Genetic Diversity of the Spanish Vegetable Genebank BGHZ-CITA: Conservation and Utilization

Publicado en:Plant Gene Banks. 1-30 - 2025-03-04 (), DOI: 10.1007/978-981-99-4236-7_109-1

Autores: Mallor, C. & Luna, E.

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Resumen

The BGHZ Genebank was established in 1981 to avoid the genetic erosion of vegetable landraces and crop wild relatives. Genetic resources are stored as seeds, one of the most widespread and valuable ex situ approaches to conservation. Seeds are available for research, plant breeding, and direct use. The genebank is also involved in projects related to plant breeding and valorization of local landraces, in collaboration with stakeholders and researchers, and citizen science projects, such as “Ambassadors of Biodiversity”, which involves both growers and educational communities. This chapter aims to contribute to highlighting the importance of plant diversity stored ex situ in genebanks, with the BGHZ as a case study. The chapter contains a synthesis of the genebank resources and activities (acquisition, regeneration, characterization, storage, and distribution) and specific data related to its utilization from 2017 to 2022. During these years, 1133 seed requests were attended distributing 6171 accessions, which means more than seven million seeds. The most crop samples distributed were tomato, pepper, bean, pea, broad bean, lettuce, watermelon, melon, onion, and borage. Farming associations, cooperatives, and seed networks were the main requesters, which used the landraces to produce high-added-value products and to reinforce local rural economies. The BGHZ also supplies material for scientific studies and breeding programs to develop well-adapted and high-yielding commercial varieties with resistance or tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. This study emphasizes the importance of genebanks as reservoirs of unique genetic resources and their contribution to reintroducing cultivated biodiversity.

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