Gene Bank of the Slovak Republic

Gene Bank of the Slovak Republic (hereinafter SR), that was established in year 1996 provides principal task at conservation of seed species of the plants. The Gene Bank is specific technical institution for medium-term and long-term storage of the seeds in vital state. Gene Bank of the SR in compliance with aims and needs of National Programme on Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture for years 2010 - 2014 ensures monitoring, accumulation, evaluation, study, identification and long-term conservation of gene pools of the all agriculture crops.

Gene bank of the SR provides and practises realization of the tasks resulting from National Programme (NP), and the law No. 215/2001 on Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and Regulation No. 238/2006 with co-operation other institutes from around the country where represented 28 758 accessions.

The task solution of the National Programme can resume into following items: a) gathering and evaluation of biodiversity of original domestic gene pool of Slovakia; b) conservation of seed accessions in individual ex situ collections, in vitro and field collections; c) acquisition of rare foreign genotypes into the collection of NP; d) creation of passport and descriptive databases; e) participation in international co-operation; f) education and edification; g) offering biological material for breeding, research, study purposes and for exchange to other gene banks.
Seed accessions in the Gene bank of the SR are maintained in the base collection and in the active collection. In the base collection are the samples of seed storied at -17°C like long-term seed storage on 50 years or longer, it depend on the seed viability. In the active collection are storage sample maintained at temperature 0°C till 4°C. From the safety reason the most important accessions are maintained like safety duplicate collection in the gene bank RIPP, v.v.i. Prague - Ruzyne Czech Republic. The Gene bank of the SR at the active collection storages 17 158 accessions, at base collection 3 684 accessions and at safety collection in Czech Republic 3 446 accessions of seed by December 31 2012.

The Gene bank of the SR cooperated with other gene banks on the world, mainly in the bilateral exchange of the seeds for research and breeding reason. The Slovak Republic as a member of the Bioversity International Rome participates in the activities of the European Cooperative Programme for Genetic Resources (ECPGR). The main field of our international activities is realized in the working groups and networks ECPGR. The SR is represented in the working groups: Avena, Barley, Forages, Grain Legumes, Malus/Pyrus, MAP, Potato, Prunus, Wheat, Vitis.

The results obtained on Plant Genetic Resources are published and given to the skilled public, other research institutes, universities, and workplaces of environmental branch.