Lecture - 2.

PGR, Gene pool, Kinds of

RCSM College of Agriculture, Kolhapur

germplasm, gene pool concept,

Genetic erosion, Germplasm
collection and conservation,
Types and methods.

Presented By:
Prof. A. R. Aher
M. Sc. (Agri), Ph. D.
Assistant Professor (Agril. Botany)
RCSM College of Agriculture, Kolhapur. 1
[email protected]
 Gene pool / Genetic stock /
Germplasm / Genetic resources
RCSM College of Agriculture, Kolhapur

• Germplasm or gene pool is the basic material

with which a plant breeder has to initiate his
breeding programme.

• Germplasm may be defined as the sum total of

hereditary material i.e., all the alleles of various
genes present in a crop species and its wild
relatives or
• The sum total of genes in a crop species is
referred to as genetic resources.
• Gene pool refers to a whole library of different
alleles of a species.
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 Important features of plant
genetic resources
RCSM College of Agriculture, Kolhapur

1. Gene pool represents the entire genetic variability or

diversity available in a crop species.
2. Germplasm includes both cultivated and wild species or
relatives of crop plants.
3. Germplasm consists of land races, modern cultivars,
obsolete cultivars, breeding stocks, wild forms and wild
species of cultivated crops.
4. Germplasm is collected from the centres of diversity, gene
banks, gene sanctuaries, farmers fields, markets and seed
companies.
5. Germplasm is the basic material for launching a crop
improvement programme.
6. Germplasm may be indigenous (collected with in country)
or exotic (collected from foreign countries) 3
 Kinds of Germplasm
RCSM College of Agriculture, Kolhapur

1. Land races
2. Obsolete cultivars
3. Modern cultivars
4. Advanced (homozygous), breeding materials,
5. Wild forms of cultivated species
6. Wild relatives
7. Mutants

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 1. Land races
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• These are nothing but primitive cultivars which were

selected and cultivated by the farmers for many
generations without systematic plant breeding efforts.
• Land races were not deliberately breed like modern
cultivars. They evolved under subsistence agriculture.
• Land races have high level of genetic diversity which
provides them high degree of resistance to biotic and
abiotic stresses.
• Land races have broad genetic base which again provides
them wider adoptability.
• The main drawbacks of land races are that they are less
uniform and low yielders.
• Land races were first collected and studied by N.I. Vavilor
in rice.
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 2. Obsolete cultivars
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• Improved varieties of recent past are known as

obsolete cultivars.
• These are the varieties developed by systematic breeding
effort which were popular earlier and now have been
replaced by new varieties.
• Obsolete varieties have several desirable characters they
constitute an important part of gene pool.
• Example : Wheat varieties K65, K68, pb 591 were most
popular traditional tall varieties before introduction of
high yielding dwarf Mexican wheat varieties. Now these
varieties are no more cultivated. They are good genetic
resources and have been widely used in wheat breeding
programmes for improvement of grain quality. Now such
old varieties are found in the gene pool only.

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 3. Modern cultivars
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• The currently cultivated high yielding varieties are

referred to as modern cultivars.
• They are also known as improved cultivars or advanced
cultivars.
• These varieties have high yield potential and uniformity
as compared to obsolete varieties land races.
• They constitute a major part of working collections and
are extensively used as parents in the breeding
programmes.
• As these are good sources of genes for yield and quality,
can be introduced in a new area and directly released.
• However, these have narrow genetic base and low
adoptability as compared to land races

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 4. Advanced breeding lines
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• These lines which are not yet ready for release to farmers.
• These are pre-released plants which have been developed
by plant breeders in modern scientific breeding
programmes. These are known as advanced lines,
cultures and stocks.
• They often contain valuable gene combinations.
• This group includes, nearly homozygous lines, lines
derived from biotechnology programmes i.e. transgenic
plants and mutant lines etc.

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 5. Wild forms of cultivated
species
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• Wild forms of cultivated species are available in many

crop plants. Such plants have generally high degree of
resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses and are utilized
in breeding programmes.
• They can easily cross with cultivated species. Wild forms
of many crop species are extinct.
• Eg. Wild races

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 6. Wild Relatives
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• Those naturally occurring plant species which have

common ancestry with crops and can cross with crop
species are referred to as wild relatives or wild species.
• Wild relatives include all other species, which are related
to the crop species by descent during their evolution.
• Both these groups are sources of valuable genes for biotic
and abiotic stress and for quality traits and yield.

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 7. Mutants
RCSM College of Agriculture, Kolhapur

• Mutation breeding is used when the desired character is

not found in the genetic stocks of cultivated species and
their wild relatives.
• Mutations do occur in nature as well as can be induced
through the use of physical and chemical mutagens.
• The extra variability which is created through induced
mutations constitutes important components of gene
pool.
• Mutant for various characters sometimes may not be
released as a variety, but they are added in the gene pool.
• The germplasm includes those carrying gene mutations,
chromosomal aberrations and markers genes etc. are
considered special genetic stocks.

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 The gene pool system of
classification
RCSM College of Agriculture, Kolhapur

• Based on degree of relationship, the gene pool

of crops can be divided into three groups
(Harland and Dewet, 1971).
1. Primary gene pool
2. Secondary Gene pool
3. Tertiary gene pool

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 1. Primary gene pool (GP1) :
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• The gene pool in which intermating is easy

and leads to production of fertile hybrids is
known as primary gene pool.
• It includes plants of the same species or of
closely related species which produce
completely fertile offspring on intermating.
• In such gene pool, genes can be exchanged
between lines simply by making normal crosses.
• This is the material of prime breeding
importance.

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 2. Secondary gene pool (GP2):
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• The genetic material that leads to partial

fertility on crossing with GP1 is referred to as
secondary gene pool.
• It includes plants that belong to related species.
Such material can be crossed with primary gene
pool, but usually the hybrids are sterile and
some of the progeny to some extent are fertile.
• Transfer of gene from such material to primary
gene pool is possible but difficult.

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 3. Tertiary gene pool (GP3):
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• The genetic material which leads to production

of sterile hybrids on crossing with primary
gene pool is termed as tertiary gene pool.
• It includes material which can be crossed with
GP1, but the hybrids are sterile.
• Transfer of genes from such material to primary
gene pool is possible with the help of special
techniques.

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 Genetic Erosion & Extinction
RCSM College of Agriculture, Kolhapur

• Genetic erosion refers to loss of genetic

diversity between and within populations of
the same species over a period of time. or
• Gradual reduction in genetic diversity in the
populations of a species, due to elimination of
various genotypes, is called genetic erosion.
• Thus genetic erosion leads to reduction of the
genetic base of a species due to human
intervension and environmental changes.

• Extinction refers to permanent loss of a crop

species due to various reasons.

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 Reasons of Genetic Erosion
RCSM College of Agriculture, Kolhapur

1. Replacement of land races with improved

cultivars.
2. Modernization of agriculture.
3. Extension of farming into wild habitats.
4. Grazing into wild habitats.
5. Developmental activities like Hydroelectric
projects, growth of towns, cities, roads, air ports
and industrial areas also lead to genetic erosion
of crop plants, because vast areas are cleaned
for such activities.

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 Types of seed collections
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1. Base collections
2. Active collections
3. Working collections

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 1. Base collections
(Principal collection)
RCSM College of Agriculture, Kolhapur

• The seed materials are stored at about -180C or

-200C with 5 ± 1% moisture content; they are
disturbed only for regeneration.
• When the germination of an accession falls
below, usually, 95% of its germination at the
start of storage, the accession is regenerated. For
reasons of safety, duplicates of base collections
should be conserved in other germplasm banks
as well.
• High quality orthodox seeds can maintain good
viability upto 100 years.
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 2. Active collections
• The accessions in an active collection are stored at
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temperatures below 150C (often near 00C), and the

seed moisture is kept at 5%.
• The storage is for medium duration, i.e., 10-15 years.
• These collections are actively utilized in breeding
programme.
• These collections are used for evaluation,
multiplication and distribution of the accessions.
They are usually maintained by multiplying the seeds
of their own accessions. But from time to time, base
collection material should be used for regeneration of
these collections.
• Germination test is carried out after every 5 -10 years
to assess the reduction in seed viability.
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 3. Working collections
• The accessions being actively used in crop
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improvement programmes constitute working

collection.
• Their seeds are stored for 3 - 5 years at less than
150C and they usually contain about 10% moisture.
• These collections are maintained by the breeders
using them.

Core collection:
• The concept of core collection was proposed by
Franked
• It refers to a subset of base collection which
represents the large collection. Or a limited set of
accessions derived from an existing germplasm
collections. 21
 Important activities related
to plant genetic resources
RCSM College of Agriculture, Kolhapur

1. Exploration and collection

2. Conservation
3. Evaluation
4. Documentation
5. Multiplication and Distribution
6. Utilization

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 1. Exploration and collection
• Exploration refers to collection trips and
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collection refer to tapping of genetic diversity

from various sources and assembling the same
at one place.
• These are highly scientific process.
• Important items, viz,
1. Sources of collection,
2. Priority of collection,
3. Agencies of collection,
4. Methods of collection,
5. Methods of sampling
6. Sample size.
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 1. Exploration and collection
Merits
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1. Collection helps in tapping crop genetic diversity and

assembling the same at one place.
2. It reduces the loss of genetic diversity due to genetic
erosion.
3. Sometimes, we get material of special interest during
exploration trips.
4. Collection also helps in saving certain genotypes from
extinction.
Demerits
1. Collection of germplasm especially from other countries,
sometimes leads to entry of new diseases, new insects and
new weeds.
2. Collection is a tedious job.
3. Collector, sometimes has encounter with wild animals like
elephants, tigers etc.
4. Transportation of huge collections also poses difficulties in
the exploration and collection. 24
 2. Germplasm conservation
• Conservation refers to protection of genetic
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diversity of crop plants from genetic erosion. or

• Germplasm conservation refers to maintain the
collected germplasm in such a state that there is
minimum risk for its loss and that either it can
be planted directly in the field or it can be
prepare for planting with relative ease when ever
necessary.

• There are two important methods of germplasm

conservation or preservation viz.,
1. In situ conservation
2. Ex situ conservation
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 In situ conservation
• Conservation of germplasm under natural
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habitat is referred to as in situ conservation.

• This is achieved by protecting this area from
human interference : such an area is often called
as natural park, biosphere reserve or gene
sanctuary.
• Merits / Advantages.
1. A gene sanctuary not only conserves the existing
genetic diversity present in the population, it also
allows evolution to continue. As a result, new alleles
and new gene combinations would appear with time.
2. The risks associated with ex situ conservation are not
operative.
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 In situ conservation
RCSM College of Agriculture, Kolhapur

• Demerits / Disadvantages.
1. Each protected area will cover only very small
portion of total diversity of a crop species, hence
several areas will have to be conserved for a single
species.
2. The management of such areas also poses several
problems.
3. This is a costly method of germplasm conservation

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 Ex situ conservation
• Conservation of germplasm away from its
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natural habitat is called ex situ germplasm

conservation
• The seed can be conserved under long term,
medium term and short term storage conditions.

• Merits / Advantages.
1. It is possible to preserve entire genetic diversity
of a crop species at one place.
2. Handling of germplasm is also easy
3. This is a cheap method of germplasm
conservation

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 Classification based on storability
• Roberts in 1973 classified seeds on the basis of
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their storability
1. Orthodox seeds 2. Recalcitrant seeds
1. Orthodox Seeds : Seeds of this type can be
dried to low moisture content of 5% and stored
at a low temperature without losing their
viability are known as orthodox seeds.
Most crop seeds belong to this category. Such
seeds can be easily stored for long periods; their
longevity increases in response to lower humidity
and storage temperature. Eg. Wheat, Rice, Corn,
Chickpea, Cotton, Sunflower

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 Classification based on storability
• Roberts in 1973 classified seeds on the basis of
RCSM College of Agriculture, Kolhapur

their storability
1. Orthodox seeds 2. Recalcitrant seeds
2. Recalcitrant seeds : The viability of this group
of seeds drops drastically if their moisture
content is reduced below 12-30%. Seeds of many
forest and fruit trees, and of several tropically
crops like Citrus, cocoa, coffee, rubber, oil palm,
mango, jackfruit, etc. belong to this group. Such
seeds present considerable difficulties in storage.
They require in situ conservation.

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 3. Evaluation
• Evaluation refers to screening of germplasm in
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respect of morphological, genetical, economic,

biochemical, physiological, pathological and
entomological attributes.
• Evaluation requires a team of specialists breeder,
physiologist, biochemist, pathologist, entomologist.
• First of all a list of descriptors (characters) for
which evaluation has to be done is prepared.
• This task is completed by a team of experts from
IPGRI, Rome, Italy.
• The descriptors are ready for various crops.
• Evaluation of germplasm is down in three different
places viz., (1) Field (2) Green house (3) Laboratory.
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 4. Documentation
• It refers to compilation, analysis, classification storage and
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dissemination of information.
• In plant genetic resources, documentation means
dissemination of information about various activities such as
collection, evaluation, conservation, storage and retrieval of
data.
• Now the term documentation is more appropriately known as
information system.
• Documentation is one of the important activities of genetic
resources.
• Large number of accessions are available in maize, rice,
wheat, sorghum, potato and other major crops.
• About 7.3 million germplasm accessions are available in 200
crops species.
• Handling of such huge germplasm information is only
possible through electronic computers. 32
 5. Distribution
• The specific germplasm lines are supplied to the users on
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demand for utilization in the crop improvement

programmes.
1. Distribution of germplasm is the responsibility of the gene
bank centres.
2. The germplasm is usually supplied to the workers who are
engaged in research work of a particular crop species.
3. Supplied free of cost to avoid cumbersome work of book
keeping.
4. The quantity of seed samples depends on the availability of
seed material and demands
5. Proper records are maintained about the distribution of
material.
6. It helps in acclimatization and purification of the material.

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 6. Utilization
• It refers to use of germplasm in crop improvement
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programmes. The germplasm can be utilized in

various ways.

a) Cultivated Germplasm
It can be used in three main ways: (1) as a variety
(2) as a parent in the hybridization (3) as a variant
in the gene pool.
b) Wild Germplasm
It is used to transfer resistance to biotic and
abiotic stresses, wider adaptability and sometimes
quality such as fibre strength in cotton.

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 Organizations associated with
germplasm
RCSM College of Agriculture, Kolhapur

• IPGRI – International Plant Genetic Resources

Institute , Rome (Italy).
• NBPGR – National Bureau of Plant Genetic
Resources . New Delhi

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 Assignment 2
1. Define: Gene pool, Germplasm, Genetic resources,
RCSM College of Agriculture, Kolhapur

Genetic erosion, Extinction, Core collection

2. Define PGR. Explain important features of plant genetic
resources.
3. Define germplasm. Explain the different kinds of
germplasm.
4. Classify the Gene Pool System.
5. Explain the Genetic Erosion. Why genetic erosion takes
place.
6. Describe the types of seed collections.
7. Explain the important activities carried out during plant
genetic resources.
8. Short note
1. In situ conservation
2. Ex situ conservation
3. Classification of seed based on storability

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