The potential of vitrification technique for conservation of genetic resources of tropical and temperate plant species

Cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen (-196 degrees C) is an important tool for long-term storage of plant germplasm using minimum space and maintenance. The development of a simple and reliable method for cryopreservation would allow much more widespread use of cryopreserved germplasm. Ln the vitrification protocol, explants are sufficiently dehydrated osmotically at non-freezing temperatures by a highly concentrated vitrification solution and then vitrified by direct plunge into LN while avoiding crystallisation. Thus, the keys for successful cryopreservation is the acquisition of dehydration tolerance and the mitigation of injurious effects during dehydration process. Our vitrification protocol with a little modification has been successfully applied to a wide range of plant species or cultivars of both temperate and tropical origins, totaling 100 or more. Thus, the vitrification protocol with or without encapsulation appears promising for cryopreservation of both tropical and temperate germplasms.