Collection Type
Living Organisms, Preserved Organisms, Images, Associated Data, Maps
Description
The Mediterranean Germplasm Genebank (MGG) is the agro-food plant seed collection maintained at the Institute of Biosciences and BioResources (IBBR) of the Italian National Research Council (CNR) in Bari, Italy. Overall, MGG preserves more than 59,000 accessions of 870 species from 203 genera and 39 families (mainly Poaceae, Fabaceae, Solanaceae, Brassicaceae, Asteraceae, etc.). Over 13,000 samples have been directly collected through time and georeferenced by IBBR exploration teams, while others have been acquired from other Institutions through exchange activities. The main objective of MGG is the preservation of genetic resources of herbaceous plants of interest for the Mediterranean agriculture. Particular attention is dedicated to specific segments of plant genetic resources, such as local varieties (including "typical products") or endangered agro-ecotypes, wild relatives of crops and plants potentially useful for the extraction of bioactive or biotechnological compounds. The main commitments of MGG since 1970 are: (i) the collection, conservation and distribution of PGR; (ii) the characterization and evaluation of PGRs and the analysis of their genetic structure; (ii) the selection and pre-breeding of PGR, and the recognition of useful genes.
Geographic Coverage
Italy, Mediterranean Basin, Southern Europe, Africa, South America, Asia.
Taxonomic Coverage
Crop species, crop wild relatives, other wild species. Families: Amaranthaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Apiaceae, Apocynaceae, Asparagaceae, Asteraceae, Bignoniaceae, Boraginaceae, Brassicaceae, Cannaceae, Capparaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Compositae, Convolvulaceae, Cruciferae, Cucurbitaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Labiateae, Lamiaceae, Liliaceae, Linaceae, Lythraceae, Malvaceae, Orobanchaceae, Papaveraceae, Pedaliaceae, Plantaginaceae, Poaceae, Polygonaceae, Ranunculaceae, Rutaceae, Solanaceae, Tropaeolaceae, Valerianaceae.
