العالم الخفي للميكروبات ودورها في الزراعة المستدامة

عند الحديث عن البنوك الجينية، غالبًا ما يتبادر إلى الذهن تخزين البذور، لكن هل تعلم أن الكائنات الدقيقة تلعب دورًا لا يقل أهمية؟ في معمل الميكروبيولوجيا التابع للبنك القومي للجينات (NGB)، يعمل الباحثون على جمع ودراسة البكتيريا والفطريات والطحالب، والتي تعد أساسية لصحة التربة ومكافحة الأمراض وزيادة إنتاجية المحاصيل.

As a part of the National Gene Bank (NGB) that follows the Agricultural Research Center of Egypt (ARC), the Microbial Genetic Resources Laboratory is interested in collection, characterization, identification, authentication and conservation the microbial genetic recourses on the national level.
The Microbial Genetic Resources lab has adequate facilities and equipment for establishing microbial culture collection (MCC), in addition to conduct some research programs in biofertilizers, biological control of plant diseases and long-term preservation of microorganisms.
So far, the Microbial Genetic Resources Laboratory team were managed to collect more than 400 isolates of Rhizobia From different cultivated areas with legumes. Furthermore, there is a vital concern in collecting some bacterial species such as Serratia Sp and Bacillus thuringiensis which proved lately their significant ability as powerful biological control agents.

Objectives and Strategy

• Establishment of microbial culture collection (MCC) for all microorganism (bacteria, yeasts, fungi and algae).
• Collection, Isolation, Phenotypic and Genotypic characterization and Identification of microorganism.
• Maintenance and preservation of purified cultures using either the short-term conservation at 4°C or the long-term conservation which can be under a freeze-dried condition, frozen in glycerol at –80 °C and Cryopreservation.
• Serving as a center for the national and international exchange information and microbial culture collections.
• Providing public and private sectors with the required cultures for manufacturing microbial inoculants.

Action plans and the future work

• Propose research plans to overcome any constraints that may encounter the microbial culture collections.
• Build up database of microbial culture collections comparing all the required information concerning non-pathogenic and pathogenic microorganisms used in agriculture.
• Collection, isolation, cultivation, identification, evaluation, authentication and maintenance of microorganism under adverse soil conditions in Egypt.
• Improving methods of characterization, preservation and distribution of microbial germplasm collection.
• Collecting and evaluating microbial strains to increase the use of microbial inoculants in agriculture.

Staff

Dr. Fayrouz Hassan Abd Elmeged
+20 102 838 9552
fayrouz_1983@hotmail.com

Dr. Akram Hassan Mohamed
+20 100 412 0434
akramhassan8787@gmail.com

PLANT TISSUE CULTURE

Plant tissue culture is a collection of techniques used to maintain or grow plant cells, tissues or organs under sterile conditions on a nutrient culture medium of known composition. Plant tissue culture is widely used to produce clones of a plant in a method known as Micropropagation.
Tissue culture of plants refers to the growing and multiplication of plant cells tissues and organs on defined solid or liquid media for the production of high-quality uniform and disease-free plants. Moreover, tissue culture techniques are used for medium-term and long-term preservations including cryopreservation.

Objectives

1. Micropropagation of rare and endangered species.
2. Micropropagation of vegetative propagated species.
3. Micropropagation of recalcitrant seed-producing species.
4. in vitro medium-term preservation.
5. Long-term preservation (cryopreservation).

STAGES OF PLANT TISSUE CULTURE

1. Establishment stage
2. Multiplication stage
3. Rooting stage
4. Acclimatization stage

Staff

Prof. Dr. Neveen Abd El-Fattah Hassan
+20 114 348 5555
niveen2020@hotmail.com

Dr. Ahmed Abd El-Wahab Mohamed El-Homosany
+20 100 828 8309
a-homos2007@hotmail.com

Dr. Ahmed Mahmoud Haggag Abdelazim
+20 114 071 4907
Ahmedhagag56@yahoo.com

About the department

The department is concerned with the genetic resources of horticultural crops presented in Egypt to preserve them from deterioration and extinction. This department includes:

1. Fruit crops
2. Vegetable crops
3. Medicinal and aromatic plants
4. Timber trees and ornamental plants

Strategy

Developing an action plan for integrated management of horticultural genetic resources targeted and cooperating with all the farms, gardens, orchards of local and regional to collect and exchange different samples of these plants.

Objectives

• Survey, collection, propagation, evaluation and conservation of horticultural crops’ genetic resources, prioritizing the endemic and endangered ones.
• Identification and description of the horticultural crops’ genetic resources.
• Follow up and maintenance of the endangered and rare species in their natural habitat (in-situ).
• Mapping, maintenance, and documentation of the endemic and near-endemic horticultural species, to preserve the national intellectual properties.
• Evaluating the collected horticultural germplasms against different stresses and maximizing its nutritional, medicinal and environmental values.

Plan of Action

• Carry out missions and scientific expeditions to explore the collection of plant genetic resources.
• Determine the distribution and the whereabouts of plants in cooperation with the relevant authorities.
• The collection of seeds and seedlings of the mind and the existing plants during trips combined with relevant.
• Exchanging horticultural crop samples with other entities in Egypt and abroad.
  Studying the environmental conditions of different regions in the Arab Republic of Egypt to identify the optimum factors affecting plant genetic resources.
• Determining the current status of the state of biodiversity in Egypt.
• Training and capacity building and the establishment of specialized workshops and scientific conferences in cooperation with the competent authorities

Greenhouses

Greenhouse is a building designed with specific properties for the protection of tender or out-of-season plants against climatic variations in the open environment. On the other hand, it could be considered a perfect tool for preserving different plant genetic resources in Gene banks, especially for those species that couldn’t produce viable seeds under local conditions. So, it should be preserved as intact plants.
In the Egyptian National Gene Bank (NGB), well designed and equipped greenhouse was allocated for conserving a huge number of timber trees, ornamental, medicinal and aromatic plants. Such species have been collected from all around Egypt.
This germplasm collection of NGB greenhouse comprised about 83 plant families, 177 genera, and 226 species.
Some of these species (wild or cultivated) are rare and endangered with high economical, medicinal and aesthetic values.
The collected species including propagating materials (seeds, cuttings, bulbs,), seedlings and transplants are legally acquired with healthy condition to ensure high quality growth.
After collecting and transferring to the NGB greenhouse, the collected materials are scientifically identified, documented, cultivated and supplied with different growth factors.
Daily agricultural processes inside NGB are done including irrigation, controlling pests and diseases, fertilizing, etc., this is vital to ensure perfect growth of the collected plant materials.
Propagation of these species is a very important process that is periodically done in the NGB greenhouse.
These germplasms deposited inside NGB are available for students, researchers, gardeners, breeders, and other academic affiliations for scientific purposes as well as for exchange with new species.
To ensure high performance of NGB greenhouse, growing factors (light, humidity and temperature) are completely controlled.

Botanical Garden

A small botanical garden is attached to the ENGB greenhouse, allocated for growing mature plants which become large in size and not suitable for the growth inside ENGB greenhouse.
About 52 families, 134 genera and 155 species are located in the garden attached to this greenhouse.

Staff

Dr. Hossam Abd El-Maksoud Sayed Ahmed
+20 112 158 5000
hosam722000yahoo.com

Dr. Tarek Mohamed Noor El-Deen Ahmed
+20 100 115 1682
tarek.noor@arc.sci.eg