Plant Genetic Resource Management in Indonesia

Abstract

The loss of genetic resources which sustain people is now widely recognized to be critical; therefore, plant genetic resources have to be intensively managed. Plant genetic resource materials need to be conserved in crop research institutes as base and working collections. Ex situ conservation has been carried out with cold storage of seeds of plant genetic resources, while plant genetic resources propagated by vegetative organs are conserved in the field and in vitro. To increase public awareness, the National Committee of Genetic Resources promotes the importance of managing genetic resources. The morphological characters of plant genetic resources that have been collected in seed-field banks should be measured, and their resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses and their nutritional values should be evaluated. Germplasm accessions to develop core collections or for preliminary evaluations can be selected using cluster analysis involving quantitative plant characteristics. Plant genetic resources have been used as materials for agricultural research.