Executive Summary : | India is home to rich genetic resources of various species of the genus Piper, containing some of the world's most economically important plants. Apart from the three cultivated species, Piper nigrum, P. betle and P. longum, most of the other species grow wild (crop wild relatives; CWR). Some species such as P. brachystachlym, P. mullescua, P. pedicellatum, P. wallichii and P. betleoides are utilized by local tribes of North-East India and Andaman and Nicobar Islands and many are used in the traditional medicine system of ayurveda. Several Piper species collected from different parts of the country are maintained at the Field Gene Bank (FGB) of ICAR-NBPGR Regional Station, Thrissur, Kerala and ICAR-IISR, Kerala. However, an ex situ base germplasm collection of Piper genetic resources has not yet been established anywhere in the country, attributed to the lack of knowledge on low temperature storability of Piper spp. Conservation of plant genetic resources is important not only for preventing species extinction, but also to provide a repertoire of genes for adaptation/ resistance to various biotic, abiotic and environmental stresses. The rapid destruction of habitats due to climatic and natural vagaries as well as human interventions is further highlighting the importance of germplasm conservation. Cryopreservation of germplasm at ultra-low temperatures is an economical method of long-term conservation of vegetatively propagated, recalcitrant seeded, rare/endangered species and CWR. However, research in cryopreservation of any of the Piper species is very limited, owing to the highly recalcitrant nature of these plants. The absence of cryopreservation protocols highlights the need for initiating research in this area. Robust cryopreservation protocols are a prerequisite for creating base germplasm collection, to serve as safety duplicate for the active germplasm sites and FGBs. Further, globally the field of genomics has found little application in understanding the behaviour of plant cells to low temperature storage. It is believed that a cascade of molecular responses govern the response of plant cells to storage conditions, treatments and regrowth, however, very little insight has yet been gained into these processes. Once these responses are mapped, they can be used to design better and well-suited conservation protocols. Moreover, information gathered in these species can also be implemented for developing cryopreservation protocols in other difficult to conserve species. Keeping in view the above, it is proposed to study the desiccation and freezing behaviour of Piper species and develop cryopreservation protocols for their safe long-term conservation, along with the analysis of gene expression pattern during low temperature storage. This study will not only provide novel insights into the molecular mechanism of cryo-stress responses, but will also present new avenues for developing cryo-base collections of Indian Piper germplasm. |