Germplasm Bank

 

The Germplasm Bank of the Botanical Garden of Rome carries on researches aimed at supporting the ex situ preservation. Seeds from the species cultivated in the Garden are stored and specific investigations for the collection of spontaneous species within the flora of Latium, especially the endangered ones, are actually ongoing. Some of the accessions is kept at 4°C (to be short-term used) and some at -20°C (to be long-term preserved). Both qualitative and quantitative analyses and germination tests (sowing in a nursery and in climate chambers) are performed on some of the collected seeds. Results give information about the ecology of the species, while the seeds can be used to increase or repopulate damaged original sites.

The Germplasm Bank is one of the founding members of the Germplasm Bank Italian Network for the ex situ preservation of the Italian flora germplasm (RIBES).

Actually, in the Bank there are stored 1943 accessions belonging to 1055 species, among which 245 are spontaneous, and periodically the Germplasm Bank publishes an Index seminum for the seed exchange with other Botanical Gardens or research institutes. The publication of the 2020-2021 Index seminum is actually ongoing. It contains 653 species belonging to 105 families, purposely selected.

 

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