Institute of Plant Genetic Resources
The Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (IPGR), as a primary unit of Agricultural University of Tirana, is the national institution which coordinates the activities in the field of conservation and management of plant genetic resources (PGR). It is a relatively new institution which had been originally established as the Genetic Resources Centre to operate the National Gene Bank.
IPGR’s overall aim is to promote the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) in Albania. To do so, the institute attempts to coordinate all efforts on PGRFA undertaken by the Agricultural University of Tirana and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
IPGR’s activities include:
· planning and undertaking of germplasm exploration and collection at national level;
· proper handling of all collected germplasm samples;
· long-term conservation of germplasm in the institute’s ex situ facilities and its timely regeneration;
· research on characterization and evaluation on specific traits of germplasm;
· introduction and sustainable use of germplasm;
· exchange of germplasm and information at national and international levels;
· training, education and organization of technical meetings and workshops;
· coordination of PRFA research and development with central institutions and regional projects.
Genebank
The National Genebank maintains collections of plant genetic resources with the aim of conserving them, preserve their characteristics and make them available for actual and future use for the benefit of both mankind and the environment. The National Genebank conserves these extremely valuable resources, which are sources of genetic diversity and therefore of adaptability to changing conditions. The Genebank maintains many different samples of current and potential use for breeders, farmers, seed producers, researchers which have been collected throughout the country. The plants represented in these collections include a wide range of economically important food crops (modern and primitive cultivars and their wild relatives), horticultural plants, forages, medicinal plants and forestry fruit trees.
The Genebank conserves these plant germplasm under long-term storage conditions as seeds, in cold freezers and as vegetative living plants in the field. The Genebank is involved in a range of different activities which make the germplasm more useful to farmers and to other scientists.
These activities include:
Collecting and Acquisition of Germplasm.
Processing and Conservation of Germplasm.
Characterization and Evaluation.
Germplasm Regeneration.
Documentation and Information.
Germplasm Distribution
The Germplasm collection
The Germplasm collection conserved at the Genebank counts for more than 4 500 accessions of plant genetic resources of more than 160 different species. These samples are kept under:
- Long term conservation (ex situbase collections)
- Mid and short term conservation (ex situactive collection)
- Vegetative conservation (ex situfield collections)
Research Groups
Genetic Resource Centre developed its activities based on three Research Groups:
- Field Research Group
- Horticulture Research Group
- Documentation Research Group
Each group is composed by experts, researchers and academics with experience in various disciplines in the field of agriculture, especially for plant production and plant breeding. Experts and academics are engaged in genebank activities, scientific research as well as in teaching programs.
