National Center for Genetic Resources  History Seeds Clonal Germplasm Animals Germplasm

1. NATIONAL CENTER FOR
GENETIC RESOURCES
Fort Collins, COLORADO

2. CONTENTS
• Introduction
• History
• Seeds
• Clonal Germplasm
• Animals

3. INTRODUCTION
The National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation (NCGRP), part of USDA's
Agricultural Research Service (ARS), maintains the genetic diversity of the world's crops and
livestock as living germplasm that is distributed nationally and internationally to improve
agricultural productivity, fight hunger, improve nutrition, reduce pesticide use and restore
ecosystems.
Strategic Objectives:
– Preservation
– Research
– Information Management
– Partnerships

4. HISTORY
• 1890s: Genebanking in the US officially began in the 1890s with the establishment of Plant
Introduction Stations around the country to evaluate plants with interesting traits.
The first "official" plant introduction (PI) was a cabbage (Brassica oleraceae) from
Siberia.
• 1958: The National Seed Storage Laboratory (NSSL) was built in Fort Collins, Colorado to
consolidate plant collections from PI stations
• 1977: Seed storage vaults were converted from refrigerators (5’C) to freezers (-18’C)
• 1990: Application of the modern cryopreservation tanks. Preservation of vegetative cuttings and
recalcitrant seeds was now possible with the cryopreservation facilities at NSSL.

5. HISTORY
• 1992: The NSSL building was expanded and the capacity to store germplasm increased ten-fold.
• 1992: The first clonal plant propagules were placed in liquid nitrogen storage; a few years later,
cryopreservation of selected clonally propagated plants was standard procedure.
• 1999: USDA's first animal genebank, the National Animal Germplasm Program
(NAGP), was initiated.
• 2002: Name change to the National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation (NCGRP)
• 2009: The preservation of plant-associated microbes became part of the NCGRP mission.

6. SEEDS PRESERVATION
WHY to Preserve:
– Climate change
– The spread of new Diseases
– Destructive pests
– Abiotic stresses (drought and salinity)

7. PRESERVING GENETIC RESOURCES
• Seeds are packaged in moisture proof foil bags for
cold vault storage (-18°C; 0°F).
• Cryogenically (liquid nitrogen, -196°C; -320°F) stored
seeds are sealed in polyolefin tubes.
• The testing and storage protocols developed at
NCGRP are shared with other researchers and
genebanks and expertise is used worldwide.

8. SEEDS
PRESERVATION
There are 29,951 unique
organizations or individuals who
have contributed or requested
seeds from about 82 countries,
including rare or endangered
collections from 22 botanical
gardens.

9. SEEDS PRESERVATION
Crop Accessions (unique samples) stored at NCGRP*
Corn 15,264
Wheat 59,442
Beans 12,587
Sorghum 44,151
Rice 18,313
Cotton 6,203
* as of 2013

10. GRIN Global
Information about them is stored in a data management system called the
Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Global).
Researchers worldwide can view collections online and order germplasm
without cost by going to www.ars-grin.gov/npgs

11. ACQUIRING GENETIC RESOURCES
1. Seeds are acquired from the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS).
(Twenty-five field stations around the U.S. are responsible for growing specific crops to
produce seed. The harvested seed is then sent here for long-term preservation.)
2. NCGRP also receive seeds from all over the United States and the world through
foreign governments, public institutions and non-governmental organizations, companies,
and other U.S. agencies.
3. NCGRP has duplicate collections from other genebanks as a back-up security
measure.

12. EVALUATING GENETIC RESOURCES
• When seeds arrive at NCGRP they are equilibrated
(brought to a moisture content appropriate for
storage) and tested for moisture content.
• Seeds are evaluated for viability (tested for
germination or dormancy) before and during
storage.

13. SUCCESS STORY
In the 1980’s the Russian wheat aphid became a serious pest causing over a
billion dollars in direct and indirect losses.
Researchers and breeders have screened varieties in NCGRP collection and
discovered ten different genes that help confer resistance to the Russian wheat
aphid.

14. CLONAL GERMPLASM
WHY to Preserve:
Apples, bananas, blueberries, cacao, cherries, grapes, oranges, peaches,
pineapples, potatoes, strawberries, sugarcane, sweet potatoes, walnuts and
many other plants are preserved by clonal propagation.
Preserving clonally propagated genetic resources ensures their availability for
future replanting, breeding and research when unpredicted events as weather
disasters, pest and disease infestation or climate change occur.

15. CLONAL GERMPLASM
To back-up these crops, freeze and store certain types of plant tissues (as
shoot, root, stem fragment, dormant bud or somatic embryo) in liquid nitrogen
which can be cloned once the tissue is revived.
Scientists and researchers from other countries receive training at NCGRP in
cryopreservation of clonally propagated plant species aiding in development of
international genebanks and increasing worldwide protection of agricultural
crops.

16. ACQUIRING CLONAL GERMPLASM
NCGRP acquire plant tissue (as in vitro culture, dormant
winter buds or immature flower buds) from the National
Plant Germplasm System (NPGS).
There are 12 NPGS stations around the U.S that are
responsible for maintaining specific clonal crops.
The stations provide plant material for long -term
preservation based on an established priority list.

17. PRESERVING CLONAL GERMPLASM
Plant samples that are cryopreserved to the lab standard
are placed in cryotanks (liquid nitrogen, -196C; -320F)
for a long-term storage. Currently approximately 12
percent of the NPGS clonally propagated germplasm is
backed-up in liquid nitrogen.
Genotypes that do not survive in viable numbers are the
subject of research on optimizing pre- and post-liquid
nitrogen treatment.

18. CLONAL GERMPLASM; Success Story
After a loss due to disease, over 100 unique apple samples (accessions) were
re-grafted from cryopreserved dormant buds and the apple cultivars were
restored for propagation.

19. ANIMAL GENETIC
RESOURCES
National Animal Germplasm Program (NAGP) use an
integrated approach comprised of inf ormation systems,
g enetics and cryobiology along with interaction with national
and international partners to address these issues.
NAGP is the one of the world’s largest animal gene bank s
with over 760,618 samples (semen, embryos, ovaries,
blood), f rom 21,394 individuals f rom 33 species. Over 200
breeds and industrial populations are represented in the
collection.