Montpellier Scientific Community

Collections

The conservation and management of genetic resources is an important mission for all agricultural research institutes. Some of the research units belonging to the Foundation’s scientific network contribute to this mission by maintaining collections of biological resources of national and international repute, consisting of temperate and tropical species.

Collections of accessions, genetic resources and mutants

These collections make it possible to conserve a diversity of genotypes modeled by natural and anthropic pressures over the centuries together with germplasm created by recent artificial mutagenesis techniques. Recently, these collections have been registered within the framework of RIO platforms. Certification process has also been initiated in order to obtain the title 'Biological Resource Centre.' In addition to the actual analysis of the biodiversity within these collections and procedures for its long-term management, these facilities play an essential role in functional approaches to genes (quantitative genetics, associative genetics, identification of natural mutants, etc.).

Collections of biological resources are also maintained at the GAFL joint research unit (seeded vegetable species-Avignon genetic resources) in Avignon [ressources génétiques Avignon] and on the Manduel site (in situ conservation of genetic resources of Mediterranean fruit species).

The collection of rice insertion mutants, [développement adaptatif du riz] assembled by CIRAD and held by the DAP and GDP units is a unique resource. It is the result of French (Génoplante) and European (CerealGeneTag) initiatives and is widely used in international programs (Generation Challenge Program) and by numerous foreign colleagues through the use of MTA. It is an important tool and a further identification factor for IFR Daphne.