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| Israel Gene Bank | |
|---|---|
| Name | Israel Gene Bank |
| Established | 1950s |
| Location | Rehovot, Israel |
| Type | Genetic resource repository |
| Director | Unknown |
Israel Gene Bank is a national repository for plant and crop genetic resources located in Rehovot, Israel, associated with agricultural research and biodiversity conservation. It preserves seeds, vegetative material, and related data to support crop improvement, food security, and scientific research across Israeli and international institutions. The Gene Bank interfaces with universities, research institutes, international organizations, and breeding programs to maintain and distribute germplasm.
The Gene Bank traces origins to early 20th century agricultural experiments at Ottoman Palestine transitioning through mandates and statehood, with formative influences from the Weizmann Institute of Science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Volcani Center. Early activities paralleled global initiatives such as the FAO and the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources and were shaped by regional events including the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and the establishment of the State of Israel. Over decades the repository expanded alongside programs at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and collaborations with the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. The Gene Bank’s development reflected advances in seed storage pioneered at institutions like Kew Gardens and methodological exchange with genebanks at CGIAR centers.
Governance structures draw on models from the Convention on Biological Diversity and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture frameworks, with oversight involving ministries, research councils, and academic partners such as Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University. Management includes curatorial, legal, and technical units comparable to those at Svalbard Global Seed Vault partners and national genebanks such as the US National Plant Germplasm System and National Institute of Agricultural Research (France). Advisory panels have included scientists affiliated with institutions like the Weizmann Institute of Science, University of California, Davis, and CIMMYT. Funding mechanisms have involved public budgets, donor contributions from foundations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and project grants from the European Union.
Holdings encompass seed accessions, vegetative clones, and wild relative samples covering cereals, legumes, vegetables, fruit trees, and forages. Taxa represented include Triticum aestivum-related lines, Hordeum vulgare landraces, Lens culinaris accessions, and local landraces of Cucumis melo and Solanum lycopersicum, as well as germplasm of Vitis vinifera and Citrus × sinensis relatives. Collections document provenance linked to regions such as the Levant, Negev, Galilee, and introduced material from Mediterranean Basin, Ethiopia, and Central Asia. Ex situ conservation standards align with protocols from IPGRI and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, incorporating seed viability records, passport data, and duplication strategies like safety backups at facilities akin to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
Programs integrate pre-breeding, cryopreservation, and molecular characterization using tools from genome sequencing initiatives and collaborations with centers like ICARDA, CIMMYT, and Bioversity International. Research emphasizes stress tolerance to drought and salinity relevant to Negev Desert agriculture, drawing on studies of Arabidopsis thaliana and crop wild relatives. Conservation includes in situ-ex situ linkages with protected areas such as Mount Carmel reserves and agrobiodiversity surveys coordinated with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and academic labs at Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Projects have leveraged technologies from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and bioinformatics pipelines used by Ensembl Plants and GenBank-linked databases.
Facilities comprise cold storage (seed bank cold rooms), regeneration fields, quarantine units, tissue culture and cryopreservation labs, and data management centers. Infrastructure parallels that of major repositories like the NordGen and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Millennium Seed Bank, including controlled-environment chambers, seed drying rooms, and molecular labs equipped for high-throughput genotyping in cooperation with laboratories at Weizmann Institute of Science and Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. Backup strategies reference off-site duplication practices exemplified by the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
The Gene Bank collaborates with national actors such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, academic partners including Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, and international entities like CIMMYT, ICARDA, Bioversity International, CGIAR, and the Food and Agriculture Organization. Partnerships extend to botanical gardens including the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and seed networks such as the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR). Collaborative research has involved the Weizmann Institute of Science, University of California, Davis, and private breeding firms.
Access and distribution policies align with the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and national legislation administered by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Israel Plant Protection and Inspection Services. Material transfer agreements reflect standards similar to those used by CGIAR centers and incorporate benefit-sharing provisions associated with the Nagoya Protocol. User communities include plant breeders, universities like Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University, NGOs, and international research programs. Intellectual property considerations intersect with national statutes and international systems such as the UPOV Convention.
Category:Seed banks Category:Research institutes in Israel