GENETIC-RESOURCES OF TEMPERATE NATIVE AND LOW-INPUT GRASSES IN NEW-ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIAN COLLECTIONS

Genebank holdings of seed of the temperate native grasses of New Zeala nd and Australia are very small. For example, seed of only 10 of the 1 60 grass species native to New Zealand is held in the Margot Forde For age Germplasm Centre. The Australian situation is only slightly better . Introductions of temperate grasses other than Lolium perenne, Dactyl is glomerata, Festuca arundinacea, and Phalaris aquatica into Australi a and New Zealand have included over 400 species but, on average, fewe r than 10 samples per species. Very few introduced grass species have therefore been adequately sampled for the full range of genetic divers ity within the species. This paper lists the accessions of grasses int o genebanks in Australia and New Zealand and discusses the strengths a nd limitations of the collections.