INIBAP Transit Center (ITC)
Collection
The international collection hosted by INIBAP (International Network for the Improvement of Banana
and Plantain) at INIBAP Transit Centre (ITC) was established at K.U.Leuven
in 1984. The INIBAP Transit Centre obtained in October 2003 an international
status by the signing of an international agreement between Belgium and IPGRI (International
Plant Genetic Resources Institute). It is also part of the Biodiversity Resources in Belgium.
In 1994, the
collection was placed under the auspices of FAO and is held in trust by
INIBAP for the benefit of the international community. The aim of the gene
bank is to conserve all available banana and plantain genetic resources
and to supply plant materials to any bona fide users. The ITC
supplies daily 5 accessions. So far 28 % of the distributed accessions
were sent to Africa, 24 % to Latin America and the Caribbean, 21 % to Asia
and 27 % to others.
Currently, the international collection holds 1,168 accessions among which 15% are wild relatives and 75% landraces covering most of the genetic diversity within the genus Musa. Also included in the collection are advanced cultivars (10%) from banana improvement progammes worldwide.
Since 2005, ploidy levels of the majority of germplasm held at the International Musa Germplasm Collection have been determined through flow cytometry, carried out at the Laboratory of Molecular Cytogenetics and Cytometry at the Institute of Experimental Botany (IEB).
Contact persons: Dr. N. Roux, INIBAP H.Q. (France)
Slow growth storage
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Past research at the Laboratory of Tropical Crop
Improvement in in vitro culture and conservation of banana,
has provided the means to store cultures under minimal growth
conditions.
The in vitro collection is maintained as proliferating shoot cultures on semi solid, modified MS medium under slow growth conditions at 16°C and under continuous light (2000 lux). Subculturing of the clones is required approximately every 12 months. The first accessions are now being cryopreserved since 1996. Contact persons: Ir. I. Van den houwe |
Safety duplication
The collection is partially (51%) duplicated for reasons of safety at TBRI (Taiwan Banana Research Insititute) in Taiwan and CATIE (Centro Agronomico Tropical de Investigacion y Ensenanza) in Costa Rica.
Contact persons: Dr. N. Roux, INIBAP H.Q. (France)
Supply
 |
Accessions in the international collection are
tested for banana viruses in three INIBAP virus indexing centres
i.e. QDPI (Australia), CIRAD-FLHOR (France) and PPRI (South Africa).
Virus indexed clones from the ITC gene bank are accessible to all
bona fide users. They are disseminated according to the FAO/ IPGRI
Technical Guidelines for the Safe Movement of Musa
Germplasm.
INIBAP germplasm is supplied to users only under the terms and conditions of a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA), which ensures that the material, and information related to it, stays in the public domain. Two different MTAs are in use by INIBAP:
INIBAP germplasm is supplied free of charge either as:
Per accession 5 samples are usually provided. Ordering: Cultures can be ordered by contacting:
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Expo 2000
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Participation into Expo 2000 Hannover with the project: "Conservation and Distribution of Banana and Plantain Genetic Resources" |
Training courses
United Nations University Biodiversity Training Course
Last updated: 30/06/2005