Impact of Seed Germination Data on Genebank Management.

Seed viability data on plant genetic resource accessions in cold storage is critical information that impacts many areas of genebank management. Prior to 2002, little germination testing was conducted at the Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit (PGRCU), Griffin, GA. Seed was distributed from the most recent regenerations. Regeneration priority was based on seed quantity and seed age. Separate inventories were maintained of accessions; however there was no information on viability differences between inventories. Most seed was stored at 4C with only original seed stored at -18C. This resulted in users sometimes receiving seed with poor viability and regenerations being conducted mainly on accessions with low seed numbers. Presently, 90% of PGRCU accessions have viability data with many accessions having germination data on multiple inventories. About 81% of seeded accessions have most seed stored at -18C to maximize seed longevity for distribution to users and future regeneration. These viability data allow curators to make informed decisions on management of these accessions. Curators are now able to: 1) select the most viable inventory for distribution to provide seed with the greatest viability to users; 2) prioritize accession regenerations by considering both seed quantity and seed viability; 3) identify accessions with low viability in immediate need of regeneration; and 4) better maintain genetic variability within an accession by reducing needless regenerations.