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Ludhiana: PAU sets up gene bank to conserve 900 crop lines
Move aims to safeguard varsity’s genetic resources for future breeding; new storage facility to maintain germplasm developed since 1960s
The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has set up a gene bank to preserve around 900-odd crop lines developed at the varsity over the past six decades.
According to PAU vice-chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal, a gene bank is a storage facility where seeds of all the lines and varieties developed by the university are kept under controlled temperatures for long durations without losing germinability.
The facility has been created in the basement of the Gurdev Singh Khush Institute of Genetics, Plant Breeding and Biotechnology.
Gosal said that the varsity has to continuously grow all the lines and varieties it has developed so far to ensure none are lost.
“A seed, if not sown within a year or so, loses its ability to germinate. It is of no use. So we have to regularly grow all these diverse varieties every season to ensure that they are not lost. In case of a natural calamity, the loss of crops in the field could lead to permanent disappearance of a variety or line,” the VC added.
Parveen Chhuneja, director, Gurdev Singh Khush Institute of Genetics, Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, said several varieties are no longer cultivated but their germplasm remains valuable as it may help address future crop challenges.
“Crops face different kinds of problems and diseases. Having access to old germplasm that was immune to such issues helps develop new varieties resistant to them. These varieties were developed by us and only we have them. If we were to lose them, they’d be gone forever,” she said, highlighting the importance of the storage facility.
VC Gosal said that with this facility, the plant breeders won’t have to grow these varieties every season, which will save labour and resources. The breeders can now regulate and grow different varieties over the years to ensure new seeds without expending the same resources.
The VC recalled that this was a long-held requirement for the varsity going back to his days as a student here in the initial years.
“Our professors back then would tell us about the importance of a gene bank. The idea has now been realised,” he added.
The project is among several initiatives funded through ₹40 crore granted to the university by the state government last year — the first such special funding since PAU’s establishment in 1962.
