THE HERBACEOUS ORNAMENTAL PLANT GENEBANK: ITS ROLE IN THE FLORICULTURE INDUSTRY

Ornamental plants have thousands of years of domestication history, and new species are continuously introduced into our gardens. No specialized genebank exists to conserve this vast germplasm. Private collections of plant nurseries, seed companies and individuals, botanical gardens, and arboreta constitute the principal resources. The emphasis is frequently on specific groups of cultivars or clones, but representation of the entire range of crop and related species variation is weak.The Ornamental Plant Germplasm Center (OPGC) at The Ohio State University is a new germplasm repository of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/ National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS). The OPGC’s mission encompasses a priority list of 30 genera formulated by the USDA Herbaceous Ornamental Crop Germplasm Committee. Genebanking management procedures, networking, and cooperation models between the OPGC and other institutions or individuals are described. Collection and distribution of germplasm are discussed in relation to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

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