Gene bank of hop and medical and aromatic plants at the Slovenian Institute of hop research and brewing

Abstract

Gene bank of hop (Humulus lupulus L.) is a part of Slovenian Institute of Hop Research and Brewing for 60 years, while gene bank of medicinal and aromatic plants was established in 1976. The first one includes 16 hop varieties (14 Slovenian and 2 German, registered on the Slovenian variety list) and 59 wild female and 52 male accessions which were obtained in Slovenia, former Yugoslavia, on Altai and Caucasus. They are maintained as permanent crops while selected accessions are kept also under in vitro conditions. Their germplasm is succesfully included in our most important hop varieties.

Today, the gene bank consists of 237 native and obtained accessions of medicinal and aromatic plants from the areas of Slovenia, former Yugoslavia and Europe. The ongoing research is particularly oriented in autochtonous accessions of sweet flag (Acorus calamus L.), mountain arnica (Arnica montana L.), caraway (Carum carvi L.), valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.) and common sage (Salvia officinalis L.), as well as the others. Accessions are maintained in ex situ conditions, while selected species are kept in vitro as well.

All accessions from the gene bank are entered in the EURISCO database.