In vitro Genebank of India for safe conservation of horticultural plant diversity: four decades of milestones.

India is a treasure trove of biological diversity with its plant genetic resources playing a crucial role in the crop improvement serving as the foundation for the country's sustainable food and nutritional security. India's in vitro genebank (IVG) is part of the National Genebank at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBPGR). The IVG houses distinctive multi-crop repository that utilizes several tissue culture techniques for short- to medium-term storage in in vitro active genebank (IVAG) and cryoconservation approaches for long-term storage in in vitro base genebank (IVBG). In IVAG, germplasm is conserved under normal and slow growth conditions with a subculture period of 1-36 months depending on the species/genotype and conservation approach. Currently, the IVAG holds 2,038 germplasm accessions (69 genera and 171 species) from six crop groups, viz. (a) tropical fruit crops (449), (b) temperate and minor tropical fruit crops (408), (c) tuber crops (530), (d) bulbous and ornamental crops (187), (e) medicinal and aromatic plants (232), and (f) spices and industrial crops (232). For long-term conservation, in vitro produced explants of various species are cryopreserved at the IVBG in liquid nitrogen. Utilizing various cryoconservation procedures, 347 accessions from several crop groups have been successfully conserved in the IVBG. Over the past four decades, in vitro conservation has been accomplished by the above mentioned cutting-edge techniques. This report highlights the efforts and achievements of the National Genebank in conserving horticultural genetic resources through in vitro and cryoconservation.