Question
Question: In a gene bank, genetic material is stored in the form of the A. Seeds B. Vegetative materials ...
In a gene bank, genetic material is stored in the form of the
A. Seeds
B. Vegetative materials
C. Both A and B
D. None of the above
Solution
The common term given to an individual sample in a gene bank, such as a separate species or variety, is accession. Genetic material is stored in a 'gene bank' in a number of ways, such as freezing liquid nitrogen at −196° Celsius, putting it in artificial environments, and putting it in regulated nutrient media.
Complete answer:
A type of biorepository that preserves genetic material is gene banks. In vitro storage, freezing cuttings from the plant, or stocking the seeds are used to do this for plants. Gene banks are used to store and conserve the plant genetic resources of major crop plants and their wild crop relatives in an effort to conserve agricultural biodiversity. For farmers and scientists who work to preserve endangered plants and animals, genetic banks serve a similar role. To help restore populations of rare plant varieties and animal breeds or to help increase genetic diversity within species, researchers or farmers may remove samples from these 'gene' banks. Cells or species that host rare gene variants, genes with unique characteristics, are often maintained by gene banks.
They can be compared with what might be called "farm gene banks" where, in reality, the farmer retains crop germplasm in situ. Normally, field gene banks contain slightly more people per accession than is the case in botanical gardens. Their specific usage is to protect and use organisms with the following characteristics:
Have seeds that are non bankable.
Have long life cycles when it is impractical to grow material from a seed collection for daily research.
Are normally vegetatively propagated
Hence, the correct answer is (A) Seeds
Note: By stockpiling them at a very low temperature, a seed bank stores dried seeds. In seed banks, spores and pteridophytes are preserved, but other seedless plants can not be preserved in this way, such as tuber crops. Many different types of materials can be held by a gene bank. Seeds that will develop into whole plants may be present, or eggs and sperm that can be united to produce an animal. Or animal embryos, which can be inserted into surrogate mothers, may be present.