Repository of Allium Genetic Resources at ICAR-NBPGR: Prospects and Challenges for Collection and Conservation

Allium genetic resources repository at the Indian National Genebank (INGB) located at ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), in India is one of its unique kind which holds germplasm of exotic and indigenous taxa. Under national programme on plant genetic resources, efforts have been made to enrich the repository of Allium genetic resources with three components viz. seed genebank, in vitro and cryogenebank, and field genebank. In this paper the details on the collecting and conservation efforts of Allium species are presented, with action points highlighted for the future conservation and crop improvement programmes in the context of the Indian gene centre.