Exacum atropurpureum is a threatened species represented only in the tissue biorepository at JNTBGRI. Credit: JNTBGRI
In 2020, Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI) became one of 14 botanic gardens and arboreta in the world to receive the GGI-Gardens award issued jointly by the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and the United States Botanic Garden (USBG). The institute used the award to create a collection of plants endemic to the Western Ghats, which are not well represented in conservatories.
The collection is now part of the Global Genome Biodiversity Network (GGBN), which makes DNA and tissue collections discoverable for research through 108 biobanks. The first of its kind in India, this biorepository has 58 taxa (57 species) new to the GGBN portal, belonging to 47 genera under 28 families.
“A biorepository in the country will help us better understand our biodiversity. It will also foster collaborations among repositories across the world,” says Deepu Sivadas, a scientist at Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) who was involved in the project. Sivadas says restrictions in some countries to share plant tissues limits the understanding of taxa. For example, if an expert from an institution in the UK is working on the genus Cinnamomum across the world, they can reach out to the repository where a genetic sample is available, for collaborative research.
A team of five, including Sivadas, prioritized plants endemic to the Western Ghats. JNTBGRI’s principal scientist K.K. Sabu says that one of the goals is to promote the protection of threatened species that cannot be conserved outside their very specific habitats.
Established in 1979, JNTBGRI is one of the largest conservatory botanic gardens in India for tropical plant resources and undertakes research programmes. Located in the foothills of the Western Ghats, one of the eight biodiversity hotspots worldwide, the botanical garden has the largest tropical collection of about 50,000 accessions, composed of the arboretum, ornamentals and several thematic collections, such as medicinal and aromatic plants, orchids, bamboos, palms, cacti and succulents.
Sabu says the repository will preserve the data for future and could provide valuable insights into the spread of invasive species as well as disappearance of certain species due to climate change. Other benefits include chemically screening plants for potential medicinal value, improving ornamental plants for the benefit of better nurseries and flower trade, and plant-based industrial ventures.
