DAFNE Seed Bank

Head: Prof. Andrea Mazzucato

E-mail: mazz@unitus.it

Opened in 2023, the DAFNE Seed Bank is the first structure devoted to the preservation of cultivated germplasm at the University of Tuscia. The bank rises from the collaboration of groups working in the genetic and agronomic research areas, that have singularly developed and preserved genetic resources of crop species.

The DAFNE SEED BANK, located at the -1 floor of the A block, is equipped with freezers for long term seed storage and of all the facilities necessary for seed treatments, including drying, packaging, labelling and entering in the database, all needed before the inclusion in the storage units.

The activities of the seed bank involve all the actions related to the ex situ conservation of plant species, comprehending the search, recover and cataloguing of genetic resources, with reference to landraces, modern varieties and breeding lines of interest for basic research and breeding.