Preserving tissues by storing in liquid nitrogen at temperatures below –130°C.
In a recent interview conducted by Dr. Joyce Maschinski, plant cryobiologist Dr. Raquel Folgado describes how The Huntington Botanical Gardens set up a cryopreservation lab for research. She highlights the important equipment needed and explains that with only a small investment a botanical garden can increase the value of their collection in a very small […]
Dr. Hugh Pritchard is a renowned botanist at The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. In this interview, conducted by Dr. Joyce Maschinski, he discusses how cryopreservation techniques are necessary to the conservation of important plant species where seed is unable to be stored using traditional seed banking methods. […]
Talented cryobiologists Bart Panis, Shin-Ichi Yamamoto, Meera Das, Daniel Ballesteros, Chris O’ Brian, and Rachel Folgado describe what they believe makes for a good cryobiologist. Among the many qualities they discuss are such attributes as patience, fine motor skills, dedication, enthusiasm, a desire to preserve material for future generations, and above all, passion. […]
Neusa Steiner, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Emily Coffey, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Jason Ligon, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Lisa Hill, USDA-ARS, Emma Dorr, USDA-ARS, Laurie Blackmore, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Christina Walters, USDA-ARS Torreya taxifolia Arn (Taxaceae) is an ancestral evergreen tree on the brink of extinction. This dioecious plant is found in the Florida panhandle and is threatened by a fungal pathogen. […]
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Valerie Pence, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Plant species that, either through seed availability or physiology, are unable to be conserved and recovered using conventional seed banking practice have been designated as exceptional plants. A definition of exceptionality has recently been put forward, describing four factors that contribute to this condition, depending on what step in […]
Cryopreservation, a method of storing tissues in liquid nitrogen, is becoming increasingly important to rare plant conservation. This is because many plant species, including large groups such as oaks, orchids, and bryophytes, are unable to be stored long term using more traditional seed banking methods. Using cryopreservation techniques, researchers are able to preserve greater crop […]
Plant Conservationists have found that many plants are unable to be stored using traditional seed banking techniques. To address this issue, researchers are exploring the use of cryopreservation, the storing of tissues in liquid nitrogen, to preserve exceptional species. In this video scientists Daniela Impe, Christina Walters, and Karin Van Der Walt explain how they […]
Dr. Valerie Pence, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Although there are published protocols for initiating shoot cultures for over 20 oak species, the cryopreservation of oak shoot tips has not been reported. We have applied the droplet vitrification protocol to four species of oaks, including the endangered Q. hinckleyi, in order to evaluate the feasibility of […]
Joyce Maschinski, Center for Plant Conservation Joyce Maschinski interviews world famous plant cryo-biologists to learn about how cryopreservation of plant cells is imperative for the future of food. Many food crops can’t be preserved using traditional seed preservation methods. For some of these species cryopreservation is the only long term option. Plant researchers from across […]
Dani Ballesteros, Christina Walters, Hugh W. Pritchard Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Wellcome Trust Millennium Building, United Kingdom, United States Department of Agriculture., United States Often various plant propagules (e.g., seeds, pollen and fern spores) can be stored dry (or partially dry) at sub-zero temperatures for extended periods of time. Under such conditions the cell cytoplasm […]
Meera Das*, Reema Diengdoh, Seram Devika, Suman Kumaria, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, India, *Speaker North-east India, being one of the global hot-spots, is considered the richest reservoir of diverse plant genetic resources. However, the vast utilities of plant species in medicines, ornamentals, fragrances, urbanization and illegitimate harvest of plant genetic resources have immense impact on […]
Lourdes Delgado-Aceves, Maria T. Gonzalez- Arnao, Liberato Portillo, Raquel Folgado, CUCBA-University of Guadalajara, University of Veracruz, The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens Agave tequilana cv. chato is an important resource widely used to produce a very emblematic and popular Mexican beverage called mezcal; however, its wild populations are currently severely degraded due to […]
Jose Faria, Lisa Hill, Christina Walters, Tree Seed Laboratory, Federal University of Lavras, Brazil, USDA-ARS, National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation, United States Quercus imbricaria is included in the red oak group (Lobatae) and is broadly distributed in the Midwestern US. The embryonic axes are about 1 mg dry mass and have 0.68 g H2O/g […]
Josette Tin, Taylor La Val, Sean Lahmeyer, John Trager, Raquel Folgado*, The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA., United States, *Speaker Succulent plants are significant to the horticultural industry, and they are also sources for food, fibers, medicines, and cosmetics. The main threats for the wild population of these often emblematic […]
Megan Philpott, Valerie PenceL*, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, United States *Speaker Threats to global plant biodiversity compel the need for ex situ collections of species worldwide. However, the subset of species known as exceptional plants are often overlooked. These species produce few or no seeds or produce recalcitrant seeds. The Center for Conservation and […]
Manuela Nagel, Hans-Peter Mock, Markus Kuhlmann, Johanna Stock Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Germany Plant cryopreservation is a back-up approach for vegetatively propagated genetic resources. The cryopreservation process represents a model for complex stress response mechanisms. During cryopreservation, meristematic tissues have to cope with several stresses including mechanical, osmotic and […]
Christina Walters, Jennifer Crane, Lisa Hill, United States Department of Agriculture., USDA-ARS Seeds of papaya (Carica papaya) are tolerant to desiccation, but they are quickly damaged when stored at -5 to -20C. The seeds have a high lipid content that reflect “tropical oils,” which are high in saturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids. Differential Scanning Calorimetry […]