Gene Bank Department

Name:	Gene Bank Department

Link:	http://www.vurv.cz/index.php?key=section&id=139

Description:	The main activity of the Gene Bank department (GB) is aimed at increasing, evaluation, documentation, maintenance and utilisation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA). The ‘National programme on Plant Genetic Resources Conservation and Utilisation’ funded by the Ministry of Agriculture is the most important project covering above-mentioned activities. In the framework of the programme, the Gene Bank is responsible for co-ordination and further development of plant genetic resources collections in the Czech Republic and for the long term conservation of generatively propagated species. The basic activities of GB have been extended by research projects aimed at mapping, collecting and conservation of threatened PGRFA, selection of species suitable for utilisation as catch crops, screening of minor crops, which could be used in healthy human nutrition, improvement of storage technologies and ‘core’ collections development. All plant genetic resources held in Czech crop collections are available at the following address: http://genbank.vurv.cz/genetic/resources/