Cryopreservation: a tool for conservation of grapevine genetic resources

Abstract

Abstract – Plant genetic resources conservation is essential for the development of agriculture. The development of efficient cryopreservation protocols has become an effective tool to conserve vegetatively propagated plant species. Traditionally, genetic resources have been maintained primarily in field collections. As field collections, Vitis accessions are vulnerable to abiotic stresses and biotic threats, such as pathogens and pests. Thus, the availability of robust cryopreservation methods is an opportunity to preserve collections for long periods, safely and with low maintenance costs. Several cryopreservation methods have been described for grapevines and, so far, droplet-vitrification has been the most effective for multiple Vitis species. This method seems to be promising to overcome species- and genotype-specific responses to a determined protocol, factors that have been bottlenecks for the widespread use of Vitis cryopreservation. This review article presents updated and relevant information on the use of cryopreservation as a complementary tool for the conservation of Vitis genetic resources.