Agroscope Rediscovers Long-lost Plant Varieties

(admin.ch - The portal of the Swiss government, July 08, 2013)

Agroscope manages the Swiss cultured plant collection, thereby preserving the seed of thousands of ancient and modern varieties for the future of biodiversity. This library also serves as a resource for breeding future varieties. It has enabled ancient Swiss oat, rye, barley and flax varieties that were extinct in Switzerland but still existed in foreign collections, e.g. in St. Petersburg, to be rediscovered. Agroscope’s national gene bank collects, preserves and supplies more than 10,085 ancient and modern plants in the form of seeds. Sources constitute institutions committed to conserving biodiversity, including producers, private individuals and private breeders. Other libraries include the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway, which ensures international secure storage for genetic resources from other countries.