Status of medicinal and aromatic plants in - Inia

PRESENTED PAPERS 135
Ex situ conservation
It is foreseen that in the near future emphasis will be put on preservation and conservation of
various MAP genetic resources. Several state institutions, together with non-governmental
organizations and the private sector, have already been included in attempts to maintain
MAP diversity, such as the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Federal Institute for Plant and
Animal Genetic Resources which does the collecting, Federal Department for Nature
Protection, Institute for Medicinal Plants Research "Josif Pančić" (Belgrade), Institute of Field
and Vegetable Crops (Novi Sad) – Department for Medicinal Plants (Bački Petrovac),
Faculties of Biology, Faculties of Agriculture (Universities of Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš),
etc.
Ex situ conservation of MAPs is a very important activity. It includes field collections,
herbaria, seeds and in vitro cultures in various institutes and faculties and especially in the
Bank of Plant Genes of Yugoslavia. So far, 459 different genotypes (cultivars and
populations) of 190 MAPs have been collected (Kisgeči and Sekulović 2000).
Besides the MAP field collection already established at the Institute for Medicinal Plants
Research in Pančevo, near Belgrade, some attempts are currently being undertaken in order
to establish a new collection in the hilly-mountainous region of Serbia where the majority of
the indigenous medicinal flora grows.
Additional activities for ex situ conservation of MAP genetic resources are conducted by
the Biological Institute in Belgrade in terms of in vitro propagation of many MAP species
such as Gentiana sp., Centaurim umbellatum, Iris sp., Digitalis sp., Blackstonia perfoliata, Frangula
alnus, Satureja sp. and many others. It is expected that endangered and vulnerable medicinal
plants will be more intensively included in programmes of in vitro propagation both by this
and other scientific institutions.
During the period 2001-2002, the team of scientists at the Institute for Medicinal Plants
Research "Dr Josif Pančić" has exploited a number of types of terrain in Serbia and
Montenegro in order to fulfil the needs of the Bank of Plant Genes of F.R.Y. and preserve
existing plant germplasm. Additional activities were focused on collecting herbarium
specimens and plant samples for further reintroduction, chemical screening and creation of
pharmacognostic maps.
Activities required for MAP protection and conservation
Besides the official legislative, multidisciplinary MAP research and the establishment and
development of the MAP collection by the Bank of Plant Genes, other activities should be
pursued to improve the current situation on MAP protection and conservation, such as:
- Investigations on possibilities for reintroduction and breeding of the most endangered
wild medicinal and aromatic plants;
- Reproduction and multiplication of vulnerable and endangered species directly in
natural habitats either by sowing or by vegetative propagation;
- Protection of MAP habitats where the most endangered medicinal plants are present;
- Limited and controlled collecting;
- Substitution of MAP collecting with production on plantations and in vitro
propagation;
- Education programmes for collectors, breeders and other interested parties;
- Supervision and inspection at all levels.