Travel the world and enrich your germplasm collections with Index Seminum

Whether it is for plant breeding, conservation, public gardens, or any combination thereof, acquiring germplasm is a key part of what we do as ornamental horticulturists.
Options to obtain new plant material include purchasing what is available in commerce, plant exploration trips to collect from the wild, or collecting from public gardens.
However, cultivars may present complex issues related to intellectual property or may not meet goals of diversity and exploration trips or traveling to far flung gardens can be cost prohibitive or present other issues related to export/import of material.
An alternative method to develop germplasm collections is Index Seminum.
This centuries-old program is an international seed exchange in which arboreta, botanical gardens, and research institutions distribute seeds from both wild and cultivated sources.
While it may not be perfect for every mission, it provides an opportunity to collect, evaluate, and use material that would otherwise be out of reach.

IV International Symposium on Germplasm of Ornamentals

R.N. Contreras

conservation, germplasm diversity, plant breeding, seed exchange

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2026.1467.1