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Conservation of genetic resources of medicinal and aromatic plants in Croatia

Natural aromatic and medicinal plant populations in Croatia show great biodiversity in morphological, biochemical and genetic level. The main aim of the management of plant genetic resources is conservation, analyzing and documentation of the existing genetic biodiversity. For the purpose of conservation of these valuable genetic resources, The Collection of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAP) has been established at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb. Currently, the MAP Collection covers 1740 accessions of 266 MAP species. The collected accessions are held at classical ex situ maintenance facilities (+4°C) (Grdiša et al., 2007). Most accessions (80%) represent wild material from Croatia. The most represented species are basils (Ocimum sp. mainly O. basilicum L.), St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.), Dalmatian pyrethrum (Tanacetum cinerariifolium /Trev./ Schultz Bip.), Dalmatian sage (Salvia officinalis L.), marshmallow (Althea officinalis L.) and oregano (Origanum vulgare L.). Standardized MAP multicrop form was used during the collecting mission to obtain data on accession identification, collecting site information and assessment of genetic erosion. In 2006, the first phase of The Croatian Plant Genetic Resources Database (CPGRD) project has been successfully carried out for the purpose of establishment of national documentation system. The passport data, based on EURISCO descriptors and collecting data based on MAP multicrop collecting form are currently available. In the future the database structure will also include characterization and management data. All collected plant material is freely available for future use in scientific research and breeding programs (Šatović et al., 2007).

Medicinal and aromatic plants; plant genetic resources; accessions; characterization and evaluation; Croatia

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