EX SITU COLLECTION OF MODEL RESURRECTION PLANT HABERLEA RHODOPENSIS AS A PREREQUISITE FOR BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION STUDIES

Resurrection plants are considered model species in studies that are focused on the improvement of the abiotic stress tolerance of crops. Belonging to different botanical families and living under various environments, these species possess one common feature- their vegetative tissues are able to withstand long periods of full desiccation and to recover rapidly upon re-watering. Haberlea rhodopensis is an endemic of the Balkan Peninsula with a well known desiccation tolerance and a subject of intensive studies in the recent years. Here, we present the establishment of an ex situ collection from the 12 main localities where the species could be found in Bulgaria. A successful, simple and uniform protocol for in vitro propagation for plants from all localities has been developed. Thus, we are able to perform intensive biodiversity studies, to propagate routinely large amounts of true-to-type plant material for various purposes and to reintroduce Haberlea in the nature if the respective localities are put under environmental and/or human challenges.