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:
- Fruit crops
- Vegetable crops
- Medicinal and aromatic plants
- 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
