Status of medicinal and aromatic plants in - Inia

PRESENTED PAPERS 55
- MAP genebanks
In Hungary, the conservation of seed material of MAP species started at the beginning of the
1980s (Tóth and Németh 1996). The following two genebanks are specialized in MAPs:
- Genebank of the Research Institute of Medicinal Plants, Budakalász (address as above)
- Genebank of the Department of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Soroksár (address as
above)
Genetic conservation of MAPs is a difficult task compared to that of the agricultural crops
cultivated on a large scale throughout the world. Many difficulties arise from the large
number of species, varieties and chemotypes which are utilized in practice. The main factors
making gene conservation work difficult can be summarized as follows:
- The number of MAP species in Hungary is large (ca. 200), while the number of
chemotaxa with potential theoretical and practical importance is about ten times
greater.
- The majority of medicinal plants are found at a very low level of domestication.
Knowledge regarding their biological and chemical properties is lacking.
- There is no reliable information on MAP genetic conservation methods.
- The genetic conservation of medicinal plants needs to be accompanied by expensive
chemical analyses.
As a result of the efforts of the above-mentioned two institutions, 1500 accessions of MAP
seed are available in Hungary, including seeds of wild populations, chemotaxa, cultivated
populations and registered cultivars.
- Biotechnology
Advanced biotechnological methods are applied for the conservation of MAP species and
practised in both above-mentioned institutions. This is of great importance in the case of
MAPs which cannot be propagated from seed or in the case of species whose chemical
characteristics can be preserved only by clonal propagation. Microclonal propagation and
biotechnological conservation methods have been developed for the following species:
Artemisia dracunculus, Lavandula intermedia, Melissa officinalis, Mentha piperita, Salvia officinalis,
Sempervivum tectorum and Tanacetum parthenium.
- Introduction of protected and endangered MAPs into cultivation
From a practical point of view, this seems to be a most effective ex situ conservation method
(Bernáth 1992, 1993). It involves complex biological and chemical studies aimed at
determining the ecological requirements, biological and chemical diversity as well as
effective propagation methods of the given species. Achievements from Hungarian experts
in this field are summarized in Table 2.