Project
Genebank for livestock and aquatic species
The Dutch genebank for livestock and aquatic species secures the genetic diversity from the past, the current and the future generations. All genetic material is divided over two locations, Wageningen and a mirror site elsewhere in the Netherlands.
The genebank collections are an insurance for 'calamities' in the (distant) future. On the other hand, the genetic diversity in the genebank can also be used in the short term to support breeding programmes of local Dutch livestock breeds which often have a rare risk status. In addition, the genetic diversity stored in the genebank can also be applied to the development of new breeds or breeding lines and is regularly requested for various research projects.
Development of and additions to the genebank collections take place in close collaboration with a large network of breeding organisations, individual breeders, stud- and herd books and commercial breeding companies in the livestock and aquaculture sectors.
The aim of the Dutch genebank is to regularly add genetic material to the gene bank collections for all relevant species and breeds, and to aim for a complete core collection for all Dutch livestock breeds and aquatic species. A core collection consists of sufficient genetic material to be able to restore a complete population after extinction, by genebank material alone. Periodically snapshots (limited number of doses) of commercial breeding populations are added to the genebank collections, or CGN takes the initiative to specifically collect genetic material for the genebank, for example of genetically or phenotypically unique breeds or donor animals.
Methods of cryoconservation for different types of genetic material (sperm, embryos, ova, ovarian tissue, primordial germ cells) are examined for each species and breed. Appropriate cryoconservation protocols are developed and optimised.
Publications
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The economics of gene banking
In: Innovations in cryoconservation of AnGR - FAO -
CRB-Anim - External Advisory Board meeting
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Quality management for improved organization and implementation
In: Innovations in cryoconservation of AnGR - FAO -
73rd Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (2022)
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Genebanks for Animal Genetic Resources in Europe: Quality Management System as a tool to improve their operation
In: Proceedings of 12th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production (WCGALP) - Wageningen: Wageningen Academic Publishers - ISBN: 9789086869404 - p. 1021-1024. -
Genebank collections in relation to risk status in livestock species
In: Proceedings of 12th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production (WCGALP) - Wageningen: Wageningen Academic Publishers - ISBN: 9789086869404 - p. 1057-1060. -
Building a gene banking strategy
In: Innovations in cryoconservation of AnGR - FAO -
Voortplantingstechnologie in de fokkerij beinvloedt epigenetica
In: Epigenetica - Den Haag: Stichting Biowetenschappen en Maatschappij - ISBN: 9789493232051 - p. 37-37. -
Opportunities of Genomics for the Use of Semen Cryo-Conserved in Gene Banks
Frontiers in Genetics (2022), Volume: 13 - ISSN 1664-8021 -
Diversiteit in landbouwhuisdieren