La collection de base des espèces sauvages de Phaseolus et Vigna : historique, gestion et conservation
Abstract
The base collection of wild species of Phaseolus and Vigna: History, Management and conservation
The National Botanic Garden of Belgium ensures the management of a base collection of botanical and wild forms in the tribe Phaseoleae and the sub-tribe Phaseolinae. The main objective is to conserve on a long term basis the largest possible genetic diversity through seed samples stored at - 20°C. The collection provided the basic material for the investigations conducted at the University Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of Gembloux in fields as diverse as taxonomy, genome analysis, definition of genetic reservoirs, agronomic and chemical evaluations, interspecific hybridization and plant breeding. The results have allowed to better understand the organization of genetic diversity in the studied plant material and to highlight the wealthy genetic potential of the collection. The latter should be preserved and valorized for the genetic improvement of food legumes, in particular within the two genera Phaseolus and Vigna.