Work of the repository

Agricultural Research, Jan, 2005 by David Elstein

The National Clonal Germplasm Repository at Corvallis is one of about 30 sites that make up the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System. These sites are managed by ARS and in many cases cooperate with land-grant universities.

The Corvallis repository preserves and stores genetic resources of thousands of varieties of crops such as pears, strawberries, blueberries, mint, and hops.

Not only does the repository try to collect every significant variety of the crops that they are responsible for, but they also distribute cuttings and seeds to researchers around the world.

Some of their crops are grown in orchards. Corvallis is home to the more than 1,000 varieties of pears from all over the world. While they're all the same genus and the fruit grows on trees, that's where their similarities end. The pears appear in all shapes and colors, and each has a unique taste.

To preserve this material, the repository has tissue cultures for backup and plant distributions, cryogenic preservation for very long-term storage, a genetics laboratory for identifying the fruit, and a plant pathology laboratory to test plants for viruses and to develop clean material.

They acquire varieties of fruits and nuts from around the world to keep the diversity of the various species alive. This treasure trove of genetic diversity is a valuable resource to researchers and breeders. It could be used to regenerate crops in case something disastrous harms the current supply. Over time, certain varieties are used more than others in commercial plantings. This results in less genetic diversity, which could leave large portions of crops vulnerable to newly emerging pests and diseases. Keeping diverse collections makes sure species will live on.