Collection and method of developing core collection in genetic resource - A Review

Agriculture today is characterized by a sharp reduction in the diversity of cultivated plant due to human and natural event. Plant breeding contributes to decrease of crop diversity through expansion of genetically homogeneous cultivars and promotion of few widely adapted varieties. The size of germplasm collections frequently restricts access to them and consequently, their use in plant breeding and research. Therefore management and use of germplasm collections could be enhanced if a limited number of genetically diverse accessions within the collection were selected as the core collection. The paper, therefore, aims to reviewing the way for core collection establishment and its implication in breeding program for crop improvement. A core collection is a subset of a large germplasm collection that involves of accessions selected to represent the genetic diversity of the collection. The core collection’s objective is to improve the use and management of a germplasm collection. Creating a core collection is challenging and time taking process and can be done for any germplasm collection. Typically, accessions are grouped and selections are made from/within these groupings to create core collection. A basic process for creating a core collection can be divided into four steps, which include definition of domain, division in group, allocation of entries and choice of accession. A core collection provides a manageable sample size of the collection that is structured and smaller than the entire collection. Generally core collection is essential in crop improvement by simplifying the use of germplasm in gene bank operation, basic research and education.