Crioconservación: herramienta para la conservación ex situ de material vegetal

Abstract

Nowadays different in vitro techniques are employed in order to preserve plant species. Among these, cryopreservation (the conservation of plant material at ultralow temperature, usually at -196 ºC, which is the temperature of liquid nitrogen) is widely employed for long-term storage of plant germplasm. These techniques could complement other ex situ strategies like seed banks or field collections, and are the unique reliable way for long-term preservation of species that are vegetatively propagated or have recalcitrant seeds. Recently, cryopreservation protocols in Tetraclinis articulata and Thymus moroderi explants have been developed.