Sergio Molinari

The GeneBank and the characterization of plant genetic resources Since its foundation, the Institute contributed significantly to the safeguard of plant biodiversity, a fundamental prerequisite for the breeding of all species. Exploration, collection, multiplication, evaluation, characterization and documentation of genetic resources, as well as studies of genetic diversity, genepool evolution in crop species, research of new allelic variants and of physiological parameters underlying seed vitality, are among the main activities carried out at IBBR of Bari. In recent years, particular attention has been paid to crop species mostly widespread in the Mediterranean area, such as cereals (wheat, barley, oats, etc), grain legumes (faba bean, pea, bean, cowpea, chickpea, lupine, lentil, etc), fodder legumes (vetch, French honeysuckle, etc) and vegetables (cabbage, eggplant, pepper, artichoke, etc). Some “new” plant varieties, already included in the National Register of Varieties, have been patented, such as the Norba variety of durum wheat and the lines Farvento and Triventina of hulled wheat. The Institute has also given a significant contribution to the exploitation of some local bean varieties and the IGP pepper, respectively from Sarconi and Senise areas in Basilicata region. Furthermore, considerable interest was addressed to local agro-ecotypes (the so-called "typical productions") or endangered agro-ecotypes, to wild "relatives" of cultivated plants, to species potentially useful for nutraceutical and/or technological purposes, and finally to model species for genetic studies (i.e. Arabidopsis thaliana). Actually, the GeneBank is equipped with cold rooms at -20° and 0° C, with 30% relative humidity, for long and short/medium term seed conservation; moreover, it holds about 56.000 accessions belonging to more than 40 genera and about 600 species, also acquired through productive exchanges with other national and international institutions. All data are regularly computerized and collected in the Mediterranean Germplasm Database (MGD, https://ibbr.cnr.it/mgd/)) which makes easier the management of the available genetic resources, accurately labelled with unique codes and information (name of the explorer and/or donor, species, taxonomic family and genus, country of origin, seed conservation method, seed multiplication in experimental fields, and GPS coordinates).