Role of Biotechnology in Plant Preservation for Food Security

Abstract

Overpopulation and the consequences of urbanization and reduction of agricultural lands represent the most important challenges that face scientists nowadays. In addition, extinction of specific species or reduction in their number occurs continuously in different places of the world at a rapid rate. These challenges urge scientists to use the biotechnological techniques to secure food and to alleviate the risk of loss of the genetic variability of cultivated plants as a result of environmental changes and human practices. These techniques are based on preservation of the genetic materials for long periods. Plants can be stored either in vivo or in vitro. The plant preservation includes in situ and ex situ. One form of the ex situ plant preservation is the in vitro plant preservation. There are different in vitro preservation techniques. However, the two main approaches of in vitro preservation of plants germplasm are slowing the growth and crysoperservation. The former technique could be achieved through either modifying the culture medium or reducing temperature and/or light intensity. The latter is taking place through storing the species between -79 and -196°C, the temperature of liquid nitrogen. Each approach includes several techniques that will be thoroughly discussed with examples in this chapter.