GENEBANK REPORT
Gene ic Resou ces (2024), SI (2), 13–28
DOI: 1046265/gen esj.FCUW9498
h ps://www.gen esj.o g
ISSN: 2708-3764
His o y and cu en s a us o plan gene ic esou ces
conse ed and main ained by he Hunga ian cen al
genebank
Zol ´
an ´
Ay *, A ila Simon, Ad ienn Gyu k´
o, E elin Feke e, Bal´
azs Ho ´
a h and Bo b´
ala
Bak ay
Na ional Cen e o Biodi e si y and Gene Conse a ion, H-2766 T´
api´
oszele, K¨
uls˝
omez˝
o 15, Hunga y
Abs ac : The p edecesso o he Na ional Cen e o Biodi e si y and Gene Conse a ion (NBGK) was es ablished in Hunga y
in 1959. The 1950s we e hec ic imes o Hunga ian plan b eede s, and many new gene ic ma e ials we e egis e ed in he
Na ional Lis o Va ie ies. In o de o sa e obsole e gene ic esou ces, in 1959 he go e nmen ounded he Ag obo anical
Ins i u e a T´api´oszele o p e en plan gene ic e osion in he Pannonian egion. The cen e s a ed i s ope a ion wi h 16,596
accessions. Thei quan i y con inuously inc eased hanks o collec ing missions and in e na ional connec ions. The NBGK
collec ion is composed o ce eals (37.3%), ege ables (18.7%), legumes (17.4%), indus ial c ops (5.29%), ui s and g apes
(3.85%) and o he s. NBGK has ope a ed unde i s cu en name since 2019 wi h he same mission as when i was i s
es ablished. Today, i is he se en h la ges genebank in Eu ope wi h 57,381 accessions o 1,745 plan species ac oss 605
gene a. Almos 95% o samples a e main ained in he o m o seeds in 15 cooled s o age ooms (a empe a u es o 5–8◦C
o -18◦C), while he o he s a e conse ed in i o, in he o m o ube s o ield collec ions. Sha ing gene ic ma e ials has
been a c ucial pa o he ins i u e’s ac i i ies since he beginning. Be ween 2019 and 2023, a o al o 92,100 samples we e
dis ibu ed o a a ie y o pa ne s, mainly ga dene s and a me s (83.85%) and NGOs (14.63%). Resea che s, b eede s and
uni e si ies accoun o only 1.52% o seed eques s, which is he opposi e o wha is obse ed in o he genebanks.
Keywo ds: plan gene ic esou ces, gene conse a ion, ex si u, seed bank, Pannonian egion
Ci a ion: ´Ay, Z., Simon, A., Gyu k´o, A., Feke e, E., Ho ´a h, B., Bak ay, B. (2024). His o y and cu en s a us o plan
gene ic esou ces conse ed and main ained by he Hunga ian cen al genebank. Gene ic Resou ces SI (2), 13–28. doi:
10.46265/gen esj.FCUW9498.
© Copy igh 2024 he Au ho s.
This is an open access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License (CC BY 4.0), which
pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal au ho and sou ce a e
c edi ed.
Founda ion o he Hunga ian genebank
The his o y o he Na ional Cen e o Biodi e si y and
Gene Conse a ion (Hunga ian abb e ia ion NBGK) and
i s legal p edecesso ins i u es s a ed in he 1880s. D
Lajos Szel´
enyi, a Hunga ian doc o bo n in Kisma on
( oday Eisens ad , Aus ia), mo ed o Budapes a e
inishing his uni e si y s udies in Vienna. Besides his
healing ac i i ies, he was amous o his cha i y wo k. He
dona ed la ge sums o money o Aus ian and Hunga ian
medical and ag icul u al science. D Szel´
enyi pu chased
400 ac es o land in T´
api´
oszele, in he Cen al Hunga ian
Region, which he dona ed o he Na ional Hunga ian
∗Co esponding au ho : Zol ´
an ´
Ay (*ay[email p o ec ed])
Economic Associa ion in his 1885 will, speci ying ha
he land was o be used by u u e gene a ions o
ag icul u al expe imen s and oca ional educa ion in
ag icul u e. The wo k o he i s ew decades was
des oyed se e al imes by he Wo ld Wa s, e olu ions
and poli ical ans o ma ions. The 1950s we e hec ic
imes o Hunga ian plan b eede s, and many new
gene ic ma e ials we e egis e ed in he Na ional Lis
o Va ie ies. In o de o sa e he old and obsole e
a ie ies, collec ion depa men s we e es ablished a he
b eeding ins i u ions. The Ag obo anical Ins i u e was
es ablished on he land in T´
api´
oszele le by D Szel´
enyi
unde he leade ship o D Ando J´
anossy (1908–1975)
based on a go e nmen ini ia i e in 1959, wi h he
aim o in eg a ing he gene ic esou ce collec ions o
he coun y and p e en ing gene ic e osion (J´
anossy,
Recei ed: 17.10.2024 Accep ed: 28.11.2024 Published online: 08.01.2025
14 ´
Ay e al Gene ic Resou ces (2024), SI (2), 13–28
1971). Despi e se e al ins i u ional eo ganiza ions and
changes o esponsible o ganiza ions, he Hunga ian
genebank ope a ed unde i s cu en name and o m
since 2019, and i s unc ion and scope o du ies ha e
changed li le o e he las 65 yea s. Cu en ly, he NBGK
ope a es as a cen al budge a y ins i u ion ul illing
public unc ions. I is main ained by he Hunga ian
Minis y o Ag icul u e, wi h 50% o i s annual budge
inanced by he go e nmen and he o he 50% co e ed
h ough g an s. The majo i y o hese g an s come om
na ional sou ces, bu some a e inanced by he Eu opean
Union.
Composi ion and expansion o he
collec ion
The ins i u e s a ed i s ope a ion wi h 16,596 acces-
sions o 871 plan species. Acco ding o ou da abase,
he s a ing numbe o accessions included bo h Hun-
ga ian and o eign ma e ials. The numbe o accessions
has con inuously inc eased hanks o wide in e na ional
scien i ic connec ions and collec ing expedi ions in Hun-
ga y and ac oss he Ca pa hian Basin. Since i s es ab-
lishmen , he ins i u e has exchanged gene ic ma e i-
als wi h a ound 400 o he ins i u es, bu de elopmen
h ough collec ing missions also has a long adi ion in
he genebank (Gue an e al,2014). Ou ounde and
i s di ec o , D Ando J´
anossy, ecognized al eady a
he beginning o he 1950s ha land aces we e going
o disappea om public p oduc ion due o he sp ead
o la ge-scale indus ialized ag icul u e. He was one o
he i s in he wo ld o collec ce eals, odde c ops,
maize and ege able land aces and local a ie ies in
coope a ion wi h his colleagues be o e hey became los
om p oduc ion, eplaced by high-yielding, in ensi ely
a med imp o ed a ie ies. This ac i i y has always been
ega ded as an impo an du y o he ins i u e, and i is
s ill ca ied ou oday, o example in he case o ig geno-
ypes. In 2023, we collec ed 22 ig (Ficus ca ica L.) geno-
ypes om he no he n sho e o Lake Bala on, one om
Budapes and ano he one om Wes Hunga y. Du -
ing he collec ing ips, we measu ed and cha ac e ized
ui s, lea es and b anches. The collec ed wigs a e p op-
aga ed in ou nu se y. As pa o he Pannon Seed Bank
P ojec (a LIFE+ p og amme, LIFE08 NAT/H/000288),
2,064 accessions we e collec ed be ween 2010 and
2014. These a e ascula wild plan s o he Pannonian
biogeog aphical egion and wild ela i es o cul i a ed
plan species (Hay and P obe ,2013;Wal e s e al,
2018). In he las 70 yea s, plan gene ic esou ces ha e
been collec ed om a o al o 1,504 loca ions (Figu e 1),
adding 13,785 accessions o Hunga ian o igin o he
collec ion o NBGK (Table 1). Today, collec ion wo k is
also ca ied ou ab oad, hanks o collec ing ips join ly
o ganized wi h he genebanks o neighbou ing coun ies
(Slo akia and Romania). This has esul ed in 2,477 lan-
d aces, local a ie ies, popula ions and eco ypes being
collec ed om 340 loca ions. In addi ion, a u he 237
accessions collec ed by o eign genebanks ha e been
shipped o ou ins i u e h ough seed exchange.
Wi h ega d o he amoun o conse ed gene ic
ma e ial, NBGK is he se en h la ges genebank in
Eu ope oday, p ese ing 57,381 accessions o 1,745
species om 605 gene a. Ou oldes accessions da e
back o he ea ly 1950s. Bo h he numbe o accessions
and axa was con inuously inc eased un il he 2010s,
wi h a le elling o in he 2020s (Figu e 2).
Rega ding he composi ion o he di e en plan
g oups (Table 2), ou collec ion is domina ed by
ce eals wi h 21,376 accessions, making up 37.3% o
he collec ion. Besides he majo spiked ce eals like
whea (T i icum spp.) and ba ley (Ho deum spp.), maize
(Zea spp.) and so ghum (So ghum spp.), pseudoce eals
like ama an hs (Ama an hus spp.), ce ain buckwhea
species (Fagopy um spp.), inge mile (Eleusine co acana
(L.) Gae n.) and e (E ag os is e (Zucc.) T o e )
also belong o his g oup. Vege ables and g ain
legumes cons i u e 18.7% and 17.4% o he collec ion,
espec i ely. The o me g oup consis s o he collec ions
o oma o (Lycope sicon spp.), pap ika (Capsicum spp.),
Cucu bi aceae, onions (Allium spp.), oo and lea y
ege ables and o he ege ables (e.g. Physalis spp.).
Almos hal o he g ain legumes collec ion (4,322) is
composed o Phaseolus species accessions o igina ing
om he Ame ican cen e o o igin and di e si y, bu
pea (Pisum spp.), chickpea (Cice spp.), len il (Lens
spp.) and soybean (Glycine spp.) accessions a e also
p esen . The h ee abo e-men ioned g oups cons i u e
73.4% o he whole collec ion. The g oup o indus ial
c ops con aining 3,040 accessions includes gene a such
as sun lowe (Helian hus spp.), lax (Linum spp.), poppy
(Papa e spp.) and he neglec ed camelina (Camelina
spp.) used o oil p oduc ion. The g oup o o age
legumes includes he accessions o 113 species om
20 gene a, he mos impo an o which a e clo e s
(T i olium spp.), al al as (Medicago spp.) and e ches
(Vicia spp.) cons i u ing 80.7% o his g oup. In e ms o
he numbe o axa, Poaceae species a e he second mos
di e se g oup ( he i s being he bs like medical plan s
om Lamiaceae and As e aceae amilies) including 171
species o 51 gene a. Almos hal o he 2,298 accessions
o g asses ha e been collec ed. Accessions o he Pannon
Seed Bank a e lis ed as a sepa a e g oup.
The accessions o he abo e-men ioned u iliza ion
g oups a e s o ed gene a i ely as seeds in he genebank,
equa ing o 94.44% o he collec ion. Besides his
me hod, he ins i u e has o he ways o p ese ing plan
gene ic esou ces. Al hough such samples a e only a
small pa o he collec ion, hey a e e y aluable.
In ecen yea s, he a io o collec ions p ese ed in
he o m o ield collec ions has inc eased. Woody
ui c ops, g apes and o namen als a e in his g oup,
composing 3.85% o he collec ion. The collec ion o
po a o (Solanum ube osum L.) and i s wild ela i es
a e p ese ed in i o (Engelmann,2011), cons i u ing
1.24% o he genebank collec ions. F om he g oup o
ube c ops, Je usalem a ichoke (Helian hus ube osus
L.), swee po a o (Ipomoea ba a as L.) and onions
Gene ic Resou ces (2024), SI (2), 13–28 Hunga ian genebank – His o y, s a us and ou look 15
(Allium spp.) a e p ese ed ege a i ely, making up
0.47% o he collec ions.
Mul iplica ion and main enance o
genebank accessions
Geno ypes s o ed in he o m o seeds, ube s, bulbs
o in i o a e ep oduced in he ield i he minimal
numbe o seeds equi ed o genebank s o age has o
be eached, iabili y has declined, axonomic analyses
a e necessa y, he accession needs o be mul iplied
o dis ibu ion pu poses, o expe imen s a e equi ed
o be pe o med. Accessions conse ed in he o m o
ield collec ion a e kep always ou side in he ields.
Th ee p o essional eams ca y ou he wo k ela ed
o such du ies: he Depa men o A able C ops, he
Depa men o Ho icul u al C ops and he Depa men
o F ui C ops. The annual sowing plan is de ined by
he numbe o accessions equi ing egene a ion o he
abo e-men ioned easons and he numbe o spa ially
isola ed ield plo s a ailable o sowing. The numbe o
accessions egene a ed by g owing new indi iduals in
he ield in he las 10 yea s is shown in Table 3.
The numbe o accessions sown om he di e en
plan g oups luc ua es yea ly. This is no only because
he di e en collec ions con ain a di e en numbe
o accessions, bu also due o he di e si y o ac o s
ha need o be conside ed du ing mul iplica ion.
Be ween 2014 and 2023 plan g oups wi h la ge
collec ions – such as g ain legumes, ce eals, he bs
and onions – domina ed he mul iplica ion p ocess
e e y yea . Consequen ly, membe s o he Phaseolus,
T i icum,Allium,Lycope sicon,O iganum and Capsicum
gene a eached he highes le els o mul iplica ion
in he las en yea s. In his pe iod, common bean
(Phaseolus ulga is L.) and win e whea (T i icum
aes i um L.) we e he mos equen ly mul iplied species.
The genebank es ablished i s ui c op collec ion in
2013. Due o i s con inuous expansion, oday i con ains
1,212 accessions. Besides he membe s o he Maloideae
sub amily (apple (Malus domes ica Bo kh.), pea (Py us
communis L.), medla (Mespilus ge manica J.B. Phipps),
quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.)), s one ui s (plum
(P unus domes ica L.), sou che y (P unus ce asus L.),
che y (P unus a ium L.), peach (P unus pe sica L.),
ap ico (P unus a meniaca L.)) and o he ui species
– such as Co nelian che y (Co nus mas L.) and se ice
ee (So bus spp.) – a e also ound in he almos 9ha
plan a ion. Fu he mo e, he collec ion is complemen ed
by a 1ha walnu (Juglans egia L.) plan a ion and a
0.3ha g ape (Vi is ini e a L.) plan a ion. Usually, h ee
indi idual plan s a e conse ed o each geno ype. The
i s plan s s a ed o p oduce ui in 2020. Ou ins i u e
has conse ed a ege a i e collec ion o o namen al
plan a ie ies (I is, Heme ocallis, Hibiscus, Hos a spp.)
o 976 accessions in he nu se ies o he genebank
since 2017. The e is also a a e and old woody
plan s and in he cen al si e o he genebank, which
unc ions as a locally p o ec ed a bo e um. Some o
he oak ees o he ga den ha e been plan ed a ound
he mansion (cu en ly he main building) al eady
in he ime o D Lajos Szel´
enyi. Un o una ely, he
majo i y o he o iginal English pa k died. The cu en
ga den was plan ed by he employees o he ins i u e
in he 1960s and 1970s. Abou 350 ee and bush
species li e he e, including se e al a e ones like he
Cali o nian whi e oak (Que cus loba a N´
ee), he O egon
cyp ess (Hespe ocypa is bake i Ba el), he Alge ian
i (Abies numidica de Lannoy), he T ojan i (Abies
no dmanniana subsp. equi- ojani Spach), he Cilician i
(Abies cilicica Ca i`
e e), he Spanish i (Abies pinsapo
Boiss.), he Tu kish i (Abies bo nmuelle iana Coode &
Cullen), he Lebanon ceda (Ced us libani subsp. libani
A. Rich.) and he moun ain pine (Pinus uncina a Tu a).
The ag obo anical analysis and he assessmen o he
mo phological biodi e si y o plan s sown in he ields
a e ca ied ou by axonomis s acco ding o Hunga ian
and in e na ional guidelines (Table 4). The desc ip o s
used o cha ac e iza ion a e based on he desc ip o s
lis s o he In e na ional Union o he P o ec ion o
New Va ie ies o Plan s (UPOV,2005), he In e na ional
Boa d o Plan Gene ic Resou ces (IBPGR) (Tho mann
e al,2018), he Eu opean Coope a i e P og amme
o Plan Gene ic Resou ces (ECPGR) and in he case
o g apes he In e na ional O ganisa ion o Vine and
Wine (OIV) (Hannin e al,2006). Fo some plan
species, we ha e e ined o complemen ed he c i e ia
sys em o ag obo anical analysis. Fo example, in
he case o ca o , he UPOV guidelines ha e been
in eg a ed wi h he IBPGR desc ip o s and as a esul ,
he ollowing ea u es a e also eco ded: colou o
co e, colou o co ex, oo diame e o co e ela i e
o o al diame e , and homogenei y o lesh colou ing
h oughou oo leng h. Today hese cha ac e iza ion
da a a e almos always con i med by pho os as well.
Da a a e documen ed elec onically and hen assessed
and s o ed in he da abase o he ins i u e. The
digi aliza ion o he o me pape -based ag obo anical
analyses is a g ea challenge o us.
Human esou ces, in as uc u al
de elopmen s
The Hunga ian genebank s a ed i s ope a ion wi h 81
pe manen wo ke s in 1959. The numbe o employees
exceeded 200 wi hin en yea s. Ou i s di ec o , D
Ando J´
anossy, pu g ea emphasis on scien i ic esea ch,
so he hi ed many esea che s. Being a membe o
he genebank’s s a was p es igious in he 1970s.
Poli ical ans o ma ions ha occu ed in Hunga y in
1990 led o he decline o he ins i u e. Due o inancial
easons, he numbe o employees was educed o only
40 people wi hin a ew yea s, and he su i al o
he ins i u e was a isk. Fo una ely, since 2010 he
Hunga ian go e nmen has conside ed conse a ion o
plan gene ic di e si y as an impo an issue once again,
wi h a public unc ion o s a egic impo ance. Today
he ins i u e has 130 employees (Figu e 3), six o which
a e scien is s (dealing wi h esea ch and de elopmen ).
Mo e han 35% o wo ke s ha e a uni e si y deg ee.
16 ´
Ay e al Gene ic Resou ces (2024), SI (2), 13–28
Figu e 1. Collec ion ac i i y o he Na ional Cen e o Biodi e si y and Gene Conse a ion (NBGK) in Hunga y (1950–2023).
Black, cul i a ed plan s; ed, wild plan s (Pannon Seed Bank). End o da a collec ion: 31 Decembe 2023 (Google Maps).
Table 1. Di ision o collec ed accessions by place o o igin
Places o collec ion NBGK Pannon Seed Bank To al
Accessions Loca ions Accessions Loca ions Accessions Loca ions
Hunga y 11,802 1,322 1,983 416 13,785 1,504
Neighbou ing coun y 2,396 319 81 21 2,477 340
O he coun y 237 166 0 0 237 166
To al 14,435 1,807 2,064 437 16,499 2,010
Figu e 2. The inc easing numbe o gene a, species and accessions main ained by he Na ional Cen e o Biodi e si y and Gene
Conse a ion (NBGK) om he da e o i s ounding un il now. End o da a collec ion: 31 Decembe 2023.
Gene ic Resou ces (2024), SI (2), 13–28 Hunga ian genebank – His o y, s a us and ou look 17
Table 2. Di ision o he Na ional Cen e o Biodi e si y and Gene Conse a ion (NBGK) collec ion by u iliza ion g oups. *, oo s
and ube s, o namen als and ui c ops.
Me hod o conse a ion Plan u iliza ion g oup Accessions Ra io o he whole collec ion (%)
Gene a i e (94.44%) Ce eals 21,376 37.3%
Vege ables 10,739 18.7%
G ain legumes 10,002 17.4%
Indus ial c ops 3,040 5.3%
Fodde legumes 2,823 4.9%
G asses 2,298 4.0%
He bs 1,163 2.0%
O he s * 687 1.2%
Wild species (Pannon Seed Bank) 2,064 3.6%
Vege a i e (0.47%) Tube c ops 63 0.1%
Onions 209 0.4%
In i o (1.24%) Po a o and i s wild ela i es 709 1.2%
Plan a ion (3.85%) Woody ui c ops 1,051 1.8%
O namen als 996 1.7%
G apes 161 0.3%
To al 57,381 100,0%
Table 3. Yea ly numbe o accessions egene a ed in he ield be ween 2014 and 2023 di ided by plan g oups. DAC, Depa men
o A able C ops; DHC, Depa men o Ho icul u al C ops.
Plan g oup 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
DAC G ain legumes 2,984 2,286 2,647 2,166 1,717 1,952 2,040 2,550 2,320 1,879
Ce eals 1,657 1,071 1,712 1,445 2,542 2,163 2,049 2,089 2,725 2,582
Fodde legumes 720 566 484 382 646 583 491 360 367 330
G asses 395 364 367 478 827 621 499 239 235 296
Indus ial c ops 296 207 214 231 314 384 418 274 229 289
Cucu bi aceae 370 155 218 126 120 261 238 140 98 130
Roo and ube
c ops
96 98 110 128 158 120 102 79 98 100
Pseudoce eals 34 69 78 51 16 18 52 27 20 48
To al 6,552 4,816 5,830 5,007 6,340 6,102 5,889 5,758 6,092 5,654
DHC Onions 235 294 286 321 288 441 403 346 327 345
Toma o 67 56 82 51 49 102 138 70 50 71
Pap ika 84 54 53 47 44 80 112 53 26 53
O he Solanaceae 66 26 56 7 11 17 30 4 8 6
Roo ege ables 123 81 85 99 90 181 184 132 114 128
Lea y ege ables 161 100 51 60 61 160 160 98 87 124
B assicaceae 50 27 56 45 29 52 67 30 41 30
Cucu bi aceae 149 42 19 5 14 51 47 72 39 39
He bs 53 69 234 221 207 270 708 561 602 467
O namen als 33 12 23 25 43 65 52 192 140 151
O he ege ables 9 3 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0
To al 1,030 764 945 881 836 1,419 1,909 1,558 1,434 1,414
18 ´
Ay e al Gene ic Resou ces (2024), SI (2), 13–28
Table 4. Desc ip o s o mo phological di e si y – an example using he ag obo anical desc ip ion o a pea land ace acco ding o
he UPOV guidelines (2023).
Name o a ie y ‘Hidegk´
u i ny´
a i’ summe pea
Shoo shape S aigh , he in e nodes a e long
Shoo colou B own- ed on he sunny side wi h ew len icels
Vege a i e bud Rounded, ma kedly held ou om shoo
Bud suppo size Medium
A e age shoo leng h 62cm
A e age in e node leng h/ hickness 27.4mm/4.24mm
A e age lea leng h/wid h 61.2mm/32.9mm
A e age pe iole leng h/ hickness 36mm/0.56mm
Flowe bud Sho , mainly on spu s
Pe als Long, o e lap, small in size, o a e in shape
Posi ion o s igma Mos ly abo e he le el o he an he s
Time o ma u i y End o July – beginning o Augus
F ui size Sho in heigh , small in diame e , he heigh - o-diame e a io is app oxima ely 1:1
A e age ui heigh /diame e 51.9mm/55mm
A e age ui weigh 68.1g
F ui shape The maximum diame e is in he cen e o he ui , he ui is longi udinally
symme ical and he la e al shape is con ex
F ui g ound colou Yellow
F ui co e colou Absen
A ea o usse Small a ound he eye basin, none on he cheeks and a ound he s alk a achmen
S alk shape Mode a ely long and hick, sligh ly cu ed, s aigh in ela ion o he axis o he ui
A e age s alk leng h/ hickness 28.5mm/9.5mm
A e age s alk ca i y dep h/wid h 1.1mm/12.8mm
A e age eye basin dep /wid h 3.2mm/16.4mm
Flesh So , medium juicy, ine s uc u e
Suga con en 17.4Bx◦
Seed Ellip ic
Figu e 3. S a o he Na ional Cen e o Biodi e si y and Gene Conse a ion (NBGK) in summe 2022. Pho o by Ge gely G´
ocsa, w
ww.gocsa o o.hu
Gene ic Resou ces (2024), SI (2), 13–28 Hunga ian genebank – His o y, s a us and ou look 19
The in as uc u e o he genebank – including he
buildings and equipmen – has con inuously de eloped
o e ime. Du ing he i s decade, seed conse a ion
was ca ied ou by s o ing he seeds in pape bags
a oom empe a u e. The i s cold s o age oom –
ope a ing a 4◦C – was buil in 1971. A he ime, his
was one o he i s seed s o age ooms o i s kind in
Eu ope. In o de o make seed s o age mo e e ec i e,
pape bags we e eplaced by aluminium bags and glass
ja s. As a esul o la ge in es men in ecen yea s,
one o ou old buildings has been comple ely eno a ed
(Figu e 4). F om 2024, all he cold s o age ooms,
seed d ying ooms, and ge mina ion es ing labo a o y
a e loca ed in he same place. Cu en ly, 15 cold
s o age ooms a e ope a ing o di ec seed conse a ion
pu poses. The e a e nine ac i e s o age ooms unning
a a empe a u e o 5–8◦C ensu ing medium- e m
conse a ion, and we ha e six base s o age ooms
cooling seeds o -18◦C o long- e m s o age o genebank
accessions o o hodox species (Dickie e al,1990;Nagel
and B¨
o ne ,2010). F om he la e base s o age ooms,
h ee ooms ha e a special s a us: he Na ional Base
S o age Room, he Pannon Seed Bank and he Sa e y
Duplica e S o age Room.
The Na ional Base S o age Room has been used since
1996, wi h he aim o main aining sa e y duplica es
om he collec ions o he o he Hunga ian gene
conse a ion ins i u es a no cos . So a , 26 Hunga ian
gene conse a ion ins i u es ha e sen gene ic ma e ials
o alling 16,966 accessions o 219 plan species om
124 gene a. The Pannon Seed Bank p ojec was a LIFE+
p og amme unning be ween 2011 and 2015, aiming
a he long- e m conse a ion o na i e plan species o
he Pannonian Biogeog aphical Region whose seeds can
be s o ed wi h his echnology. A e a ansi ion pe iod,
we e hough he p ojec , and con inued he moni o ing
and collec ion o wild plan species om he egion in
2017. This cold s o age oom con ains 2,064 accessions
o 921 species om 430 gene a oday. In 2014 ou
genebank buil he Sa e y Duplica e S o age Room wi h
he suppo o he Hunga ian Minis y o Ag icul u e
and he Agg elek Na ional Pa k in he s ic ly gua ded
passage o a d ips one ca e. The ole o his s o age
oom is o duplica e he seeds o he mos impo an
plan gene ic esou ces o ood and ag icul u e (25%
o he whole collec ion), including land aces, local
popula ions and eco ypes collec ed om he Ca pa hian
Basin and also old a ie ies ha ha e disappea ed
om public p oduc ion. So a , 6,733 accessions o 289
species om 159 gene a ha e been pu in he Sa e y
Duplica e S o age Room.
Ou equipmen has been con inuously mode nized
o e he las 10 yea s, wi h he dec easing a ailabili y
o physical labou o ce, d i ing us o pu chase mode n
machines. Ou o me plo seede and ha es e ha e
been eplaced by new machine y in he las 1–2 yea s.
Fo decades, we used Russian ac o s and implemen s,
bu oday we wo k wi h hose p oduced in Wes e n
Eu ope and Hunga y. Ou ge mina ion es ing labo a o y
has been upg aded by pu chasing new incuba o s. The
analy ical, gene ic and issue cul u e labo a o y has been
equipped wi h s a e-o - he-a de ices (Figu e 5). In he
u u e, we plan o eno a e he g eenhouses buil in
1961 and also o ob ain pheno yping sys ems.
B eeding and main enance o a ie ies
Since i s es ablishmen , NBGK has ega ded plan
b eeding as an impo an seconda y ac i i y. Ou
ins i u e used o be one o he si es o he na ional
a ie y es ing ne wo k, whe e he pe o mance es ing
o candida e a ie ies (plan ma e ials unde a 3-
yea egis a ion p ocess) ook place. By applying
he me hods o posi i e indi idual selec ion and
c ossb eeding, he esea che s o he genebank ha e
de eloped 28 new a ie ies (Table 5). The quali ying
ce i ica es o ou lis ed a ie ies a e kep in ou
lib a y (Figu e 6). Many o hem ha e been on he
Na ional Lis o Va ie ies o decades. The main enance
and p opagule p oduc ion o hese a ie ies also ake
place in T´
api´
oszele. Today, h ee Je usalem a ichoke
(Helian hus ube osus) a ie ies (‘T´
api´
oi ko ai’, ‘T´
api´
oi
sima’, ‘T´
api´
oi pi os’) and one swee po a o (Ipomoea
ba a as) a ie y (‘T´
api´
oi 96’) a e included in his p ocess.
In 2023, ou genebank applied o he egis a ion o
17 candida e a ie ies on he Na ional Lis o Va ie ies
in he ollowing ca ego ies: a ie y, land ace and a ie y
de eloped o g owing unde pa icula condi ions.
Ou candida e a ie ies a e: one peanu (A achis
hypogaea L.), wo chickpea (Cice a ie inum L.),
wo cowpea (Vigna unguicula a (L.) Walp.), one e
(E ag os is e ), one co acan (Eleusine co acana).
Ou land ace candida es a e: one sun lowe
(Helian hus annuus L.), one so ghum (So ghum bicolo
(L.) Moench.), one mille (Panicum miliaceum L.), wo
lax (Linum usi a issimum L.), one ba ley (Ho deum
ulga e L.), one maize (Zea mays L.), one sa lowe
(Ca hamus inc o ius L.), one odde wa e melon (Ci -
ullus ama us Sch ad.), wo oma o (Lycope sicon escu-
len um Mill.), one pap ika (Capsicum annuum L.).
Ou candida e a ie y de eloped o g owing unde
pa icula condi ions is: one len il (Lens culina is
Medik.).
Ou oma o and pap ika land ace candida es we e
selec ed om genebank collec ions o 2,097 accessions
and 3,615 accessions, espec i ely. We also pe o m
p epa a o y and moni o ing ac i i ies o a ie y de el-
opmen o o he species, such as win e whea , ye,
common bean, kidney e ch (An hyllis ulne a ia L.),
c es ed whea g ass (Ag opy on c is a um (L.) Gae n.),
imo hy g ass (Phleum p a ense L.), smoo h b ome (B o-
mopsis ine mis (Leyss.) Holub), poppy, onion, bee -
oo (Be a ulga is L. subsp. ulga is), pa sley (Pe -
oselinum c ispum (Mill.) Fuss), ca o (Daucus ca o a
subsp. sa i us (Ho m.) A cang.), calendula (Calendula
o icinalis L.), summe sa o y (Sa u eja ho ensis L.), dill
(Ane hum g a eolens L.) and o egano (O iganum ulga e
L.). In he case o hese species, we cu en ly do no
ha e enough seeds o a ie y ce i ying analyses and o
20 ´
Ay e al Gene ic Resou ces (2024), SI (2), 13–28
Figu e 4. Ce emonial hando e o he new genebank building o he Na ional Cen e o Biodi e si y and Gene Conse a ion
(NBGK) on 10 July 2024. We plan o use his new building o a leas 50 yea s o p o essional conse a ion o plan gene ic
esou ces in Hunga y. Pho o by Anik´
o G´
al Sol ´
esz, NBGK
Figu e 5. (a) Oa (A ena sa i a L.) accessions in he ac i e s o age oom a a empe a u e o 5–8◦C in 2015; (b) Sowing o spiked
ce eals wi h a plo seede in au umn 2019; (c) Measu ing c ude p o ein con en in he biochemical labo a o y in 2022; (d) DNA
isola ion om e aploid whea accessions in 2022. Pho os by A ila Simon, Lajos Ho ´
a h and D´
o a B´
a dos.
Gene ic Resou ces (2024), SI (2), 13–28 Hunga ian genebank – His o y, s a us and ou look 21
Figu e 6. Quali ica ion ce i ica e o he soybean a ie y called ‘Pannonia 10’ om 1967. The b eede was Vik o Fe enczi. Digi alized
by NBGK Lib a y.
supe -eli e mul iplica ion, and he di e en a ie ies s ill
need o be ully desc ibed. We plan o apply o he eg-
is a ion o hese candida e a ie ies on he Na ional Lis
o Va ie ies wi hin he nex i e yea s.
The egis a ion o land aces on he Na ional Lis
o Va ie ies is di icul in Hunga y due o bu eauc a ic
easons, since hese a ie ies canno ul il he c i e ia
o uni o mi y du ing he DUS es s (Dis inc ness,
Uni o mi y and S abili y), o hey o en do no exceed
he yield le el o mode n imp o ed a ie ies used as
con ol a ie ies du ing pe o mance es s.
Hunga ian and in e na ional scien i ic and
social ela ions
The ins i u e has always wo ked o mee in e na ional
p o essional equi emen s (C oma y e al,1982;FAO,
2014). Di ec o D Ando J´
anossy o ganized he
EUCARPIA cong ess in Budapes in 1974 (J´
anossy
and Lup on,1974), du ing which he pa icipan s also
isi ed he genebank in T´
api´
oszele, which by ha ime
al eady had an in e na ional epu a ion (Figu e 7). In
addi ion, ou ins i u e published he scien i ic jou nal
Ag obo anika be ween 1959 and 1975, p esen ing he
esul s o esea ch colleagues and desc ibing collec ing
ips.
Hunga y signed he Con en ion on Biological Di e -
si y (CBD), a i ied he In e na ional T ea y on Plan
Gene ic Resou ces o Food and Ag icul u e (ITPGRFA),
and joined he quali y assu ance p og amme o A Eu o-
pean Genebank In eg a ed Sys em (AEGIS). Ou ins i-
u e is membe o he P omo ing a Plan Gene ic
Resou ces o Eu ope (PRO-GRACE) conso ium, c e-
a ed wi hin he Ho izon Eu ope p og amme in 2023.
We pa icipa e in ECPGR Wo king G oup ac i i ies, and
ou collec ion is a ailable in he ex si u da abase o he
Eu opean Sea ch Ca alogue o Plan Gene ic Resou ces
(EURISCO). NBGK p o ides he p esidency o he Hun-
ga ian Plan Genebank Council, a consul a i e pla o m
es ablished in 2011. I wo ks as an independen p o es-
sional ad iso y boa d besides he Minis e o Ag icul-
u e. I is esponsible o he p o essional ep esen a ion
o plan gene conse a ion, as well as ela ed esea ch
and de elopmen issues in Hunga y. Addi ionally, i p o-
ides expe opinions on legisla ion, applica ions and
na ional p og ammes ela ed o plan gene conse a-
ion, including o he Minis e o Ag icul u e. We ha e
con ac s wi h se e al uni e si ies and a ound 30 uni-
e si y s uden s spend hei p o essional p ac ices in he
genebank e e y yea , who may become u u e employ-
ees o he ins i u e. We pa icipa e in join esea ch
and de elopmen p ojec s oge he wi h uni e si ies and
inno a i e en e p ises om he comme cial sec o . We
pe o m ield expe imen s wi h d ough - esis an al e -
na i e species, edible g ain legumes, odde ce eals, oil
c ops and Je usalem a ichoke, win e and sp ing len il,
chickpea and poppy. We s udy he chemical composi-
ion o apple, pea , ap ico , pumpkin, bee oo , cele-
iac, ca o , oma o and he b accessions s o ed in he
genebank by analy ical me hods (Table 6). In ou gene ic
labo a o y, we analyze e aploid whea s (R¨
ode e al,
1998) and he gene ic ela ionship be ween in i o con-
se ed po a oes by using SSR (simple sequence epea s
o mic osa elli e) ma ke s.
28 ´
Ay e al Gene ic Resou ces (2024), SI (2), 13–28
h ough he Plan T ea y’s mul ila e al sys em o
access and bene i sha ing? A Re iew. Gene ic
Resou ces and C op E olu ion 66, 291–310. doi: h ps:
//doi.o g/10.1007/s10722-018-0715-5
UPOV (2005). Guidelines Fo The Conduc O
Tes s Fo Dis inc ness, Uni o mi y And S abili y
– TG/14/9Apple. u l: h ps://www.upo .in /en/
publica ions/ g- om/ g014/ g 14 9.pd .
Wal e s, C., Richa ds, C. M., and Volk, G. M. (2018).
Genebank conse a ion o ge mplasm collec ed om
wild species. In No h Ame ican C op Wild Rela i es,
ed. G eene, S. e al. olume 1, 245-280.
