Research Center of Genetic Resources, NARO

The Germplasm Preservation Unit plays a central role in promoting the Animal Genetic Resources Division of the NARO Genebank Project. It also conducts research on optimal methods for the conservation of genetic resources, focusing on ultra-low temperature conservation, as well as on the management and effective use of information. For the animal genetic resources, in cooperation with shared and cooperative laboratories and organizations, we collect and receive livestock, poultry, insects, and other animal genetic resources, evaluate their characteristics, preserve and distribute them. For the preservation, we handle animal genetic resources and vegetative plants, preserve them in vivo by breeding, and freeze them under liquid nitrogen. The silkworm preservation program has been implemented at 2 sites in Hokuto (Yamanashi Prefecture) and Tsukuba, and more than 700 varieties and lines have been preserved in total. Since vegetative propagation plants are basically preserved in the field, and silkworms can only be preserved in the living body, maintaining a variety is expensive. As a result, there is a need for a dual retention system with a method that is both cost-effective and efficient. We are also conducting research on conservation methods that have not yet been established, such as the development of ultra-low temperature conservation methods for genetic resources that are difficult to preserve using conventional technologies.