Cryopreservation for the conservation of endangered Gossia species

Jingyin Bao, a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland, under the supervision of Dr. Alice Hayward, is focused on conserving endangered Australian flora. Armed with a Master of Biotechnology, her prior work has focused on optimizing cryopreservation protocols for the endangered Gossia fragrantissima. Expanding on this foundation, her current PhD project is dedicated to broadening the application of cryopreservation to other endangered Australian native plants, particularly Gossia and Decaspermum. These species currently face a severe threat from the invasive fungal disease myrtle rust, which entered Australia in 2010. As prior attempts to eradicate the disease were unsuccessful, the focus shifted to ex situ conservation efforts. Jingyin's research spans cryopreservation and ecological restoration. Her ongoing work involves developing tissue culture systems to ensure an ample supply of plant material for cryopreservation experiments and regenerating cryo-stored plants. Additionally, she is actively working on refining cryopreservation protocols, investigating physiological responses during cryopreservation, and studying the ecological restoration potential of in vitro generated plants. Preliminary results of cryopreserving G. fragrantissima shoot tips were presented at the IV International Symposium on Plant Cryopreservation. Having already successfully rooted and acclimatized in vitro plants and regenerated cryo-stored G. fragrantissima plantlets, Jingyin has demonstrated the feasibility of cryopreserving germplasm for subsequent revegetation efforts. Her next steps involve growing the generated plants in nursery settings and implementing revegetation initiatives in habitat-like fields with the collaborative support of Landcare groups. This research, poised at the intersection of cutting-edge cryopreservation techniques and ecological restoration, holds significant promise for the conservation of Australia's threatened native plant species. Once the protocol is developed, it will be used by the Australian Plant Bank to conserve these species.

Jingyin Bao won the ISHS Young Minds Award for the best poster presentation at the IV International Symposium on Plant Cryopreservation in Norway in June 2023.

Jingyin Bao, The Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, Elkhorn Building, 80 Meiers Road, Indooroopilly, QLD 4068, Australia, e-mail: j.bao@uq.edu.au

The article is available in Chronica Horticulturae