As Seen on CPC’s Rare Plant Academy: An Introduction to Plant Clonal Cryopreservation

Cryopreservation allows us to preserve and maintain genetic diversity of plant species in conservation collections. Orthodox seed storage is a well-known example of cryopreservation, but pollen, shoot tips, and dormant buds can also be preserved with similar methods. In a video produced for the Rare Plant Academy, Jennifer Kendall from the USDA-ARS National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation introduces the key points of clonal cryopreservation in plants. For cold-hardy plants, dormant bud preservation allows for future grafting or sprouting. For plants from both temperate and tropical regions, tiny shoot tips are immersed in cryoprotectants before immersion in liquid nitrogen. Not all methods of cryopreservation work for all plant species, so having options for genetic resource preservation helps to better ensure the conservation of rare plants.