CONSERVATION OF SOME SELECTED RARE MEDICINAL ORCHID SPECIES THROUGH POST HARVEST HANDLING OF DIFFERENT SEEDS, PODS AND POLLINIAManuj Awasthi and Jaidev ChauhanAbstract The use of post harvest handling plays an essential role in conservation of orchids since they play an important role in our biodiversity with orchids having more than 25,000 species, which makes them largest family of plant on this planet. At the same time, many orchid species are endangered. In efforts to cryostore germplasm of Indian orchid species. The first step is to devise the handling methods for various explants of different orchid species so that materials can be safely transported from one place to another before long term storage in viable conditions. The experiment were conducted on pods of Coelogyne nitida, Cymbidium iridioides and Thunia alba. Pollinia of species Cymbidium erythraeum. Flowers species of Coelogyne ovalis and Cymbidium elegans were used. It is intended to develop cryoprotocols for seeds and pollinia of diverse orchid species for which viability retention is essential. In this procedure for pods, flowers and pollinia were transported from NRC Orchid center in North East India to cryolab at NBPGR in polybags. Materials received within 3 days of harvest showed healthy condition. Healthy undamaged immature and mature pods, fully opened flowers and pollinia extracted from flowers after receiving at cryolab were processed from cryostorage within one month of harvest seeds were found to retain high viability. Pollinia extracted from flowers on receiving did not show viability. However pollinia sent by speed post enclosed in polypropylene cryovials showed good viability on receipt at the processing laboratory. |