Special Issue "Preserving Plant Genetic Resources in Gene Banks - Current Possibilities and Future Prospects"
A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Diversity".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2023) | Viewed by 1999
Special Issue Editor
Interests: seed storage and gene banking; factors affecting seed quality and deterioration; epigenetic modifications in seeds and seedlings; cryobiology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Plant species diversity and their intraspecific variability as well as differences between ecosystems are the source of biological diversity (biodiversity). In recent decades, due to human activity and climate change, there has been a significant decline in biodiversity compared to previous geological epochs.
One of the safeguards of the plant world against the effects of climate change is the collection and storage of genetic resources in local gene banks. Storage of genetic resources should ensure the conservation of the widest possible gene pool of species and represent a variety of provenances. In addition to to the protection of endangered species, the preservation of genetic resources of wild crop relatives is gaining more interest for modern agriculture.
Valuable genetic material of plants is stored in situ or ex situ with the use of long-term storage in gene banks. The most commonly used plant explants stored in gene bank include seeds, spores, and pollen. Another form is the storage of genetic resources using sterile in vitro cultures. In recent years, techniques of cryogenic storage of isolated plant fragments have also been increasingly used.
An important role is also finding out whether storage conditions have an actual effect on biological material; therefore, an increasing number of new research techniques in the field of proteomics, metabolomics, genetics, and epigenetics are used for this purpose.
Thus, in this Special Issue, articles on all aspects of plant conservation, including new methods of storing genetic resources as well as new markers for assessing viability or monitoring the stability of the stored material in gene banks, are welcome
Dr. Marcin Michalak
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- preservation of genetic resources
- gene banks
- ex situ conservation
- plant explants
- seeds
- in vitro
- conventional storage
- cryopreservation
