Qatar Gene Bank stores five million seeds of food crops

Qatar has made significant progress in establishing a comprehensive Gene Bank to enhance its food security system, storing 5 million seeds from various food crops at minus 80 degrees Celsius to ensure their viability. The gene bank currently holds 1,038 seed accessions, with a focus on developing new varieties of tomatoes and other crops suitable for the local environment. The country has intensified its seed preservation initiatives since 2021, in alignment with the FAO and AOAD's objectives, and has conducted over 600 field visits covering more than 75 percent of the plant species found in Qatar. The gene bank consists of facilities for short, medium, and long-term storage of various types of seeds.

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Sanaullah Ataullah | The Peninsula Doha, Qatar: The State of Qatar has made significant progress in establishing a comprehensive Gene Bank, which houses 5 million seeds from various food crops, including tomatoes, beans, and sweet corn, to enhance the nation's food security system, according to a senior official. Hamad Saket Al Shammari, Director of the Agricultural Research Department, stated that the seeds of plant species intended for food and Agriculture are stored in the Qatar Gene bank at a temperature of minus 80 degrees Celsius, ensuring their viability over an extended period. In a recent interview with Qatar TV, he noted that the Qatar Gene Bank currently holds 1,038 seed accessions, with a substantial proportion representing plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, including numerous agricultural crops such as tomatoes. "Over the past five years, we have developed a new variety of tomatoes that have been preserved ...