New approaches to registration and conservation of domestic cultivars of berry crops in the VIR Genebank on the example of red raspberry and black currant

A collection of nomenclatural standards is being created at VIR for domestic cultivars of various crops in accordance with the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP). A new complex strategy was proposed for vegetatively propagated crops for registering domestic cultivars received from their authors in the VIR genebank. In addition to the creation of nomenclature standards, the strategy includes the development of a genetic passport of a cultivar and the use of biotechnological methods to preserve explants (buds, meristems) isolated from plant material transferred by breeders to the VIR Herbarium. This approach can be used for any vegetatively propagated crop applying a protocol developed specifically for an individual crop. For raspberry and black currant varieties, the collecting of plant material, its preparation for the registration of nomenclature standards and the preservation of viable samples under controlled in vitro conditions have specific features. This article provides detailed protocols for performing the mentioned work for raspberry and black currant varieties. In addition, the article summarizes the first results of the implementation of our proposed strategy on the example of domestic raspberry and black currant varieties created in various breeding centers of Russia. Three years of joint work of VIR researchers and breeders from four breeding centers in five regions of the country have resulted in creation of nomenclature standards for 20 raspberry varieties, as well as for five black currant varieties bred at VIR. Samples of thirteen raspbery cultivars and samples of four black currant cultivars, genetically identical to nomenclature standards, were introduced into in vitro culture; four raspberry cultivars have been placed in the VIR cryobank for the long-term cryopreservation.