INIAV logo Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, I.P.
Banco Português de Germoplasma Vegetal

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Banco Nacional de Germoplasma Vegetal Policy

The “Banco Português de Germoplasma Vegetal” (BPGV) conserves living seed and plant samples of mainly Portuguese crops and their wild relatives.

BPGV ensures that the genetic resources that support our food supply are both secure in the medium and long term for future generations and available for use by farmers, plant breeders, and researchers.

These collections are important to ensure that crop plants, which may contain genes to resist disease, provide enhanced nutrition, or survive in changing or harsh environments do not become endangered or extinct over time.

The BPGV located in Braga, Portugal maintains clonal and seed collections of the most important crops, such as cereals, grain legumes, vegetables, medicinal and aromatic plants, forage, pasture and fruit species.

The BPGV is maintained as a global public good under the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA).

BPGV is the custodian of one of the largest germplasm collections, with more than 10,000 accessions maintained as seeds and living plants, and recently started a cryopreservation programme.