CRB VASC and CRB Coffea become members of RARe

To join the infrastructure, a biological resource center must meet several conditions:

• Be responsible for the collection/packaging/characterization/security/distribution of biological material.
• It must have clear rules for sample distribution.

The field of activity must concern species not yet represented in RARe and be of proven interest to research. Collections of biological material may include any type of material, but the presence of material containing a functional unit of heredity (DNA, RNA, cell, tissue, etc.) is required. 

Applicants must have been awarded the CRB label by a recognized institution, or have been certified to CRB standard NF S96 900.

The VASC and Coffea CRBs were awarded the CRB IBiSA label during the CRB IBiSA 2023 call for projects, and meet all the criteria for membership of RARe.

VASC CRB 

Collection : Arabette (Arabidopsis thaliana)
Accessions : 56 000 (plants, seeds)

The CRB has created extensive collections of mutants, enabling us to explore gene function. It also offers a large number of natural variants collected from all over the world, as well as plants derived from crosses between these variants, enabling us to analyze the impact of natural diversity on complex plant traits such as growth, development, reproduction, stress tolerance, etc. The abundance of genetic resources available makes Arabidopsis thaliana an excellent model for exploring these mechanisms.

Services : Introduction ; Cold storage (-18°C, 4°C) ; Greenhouse storage ; Distribution ; Creation of genetic material.

• Website : https://publiclines.versailles.inrae.fr/

Coffea CRB 

Collection : Wild coffee trees (Coffea)
Accessions : 700 (plants, seeds)

The CRB Coffea maintains one of the richest collections of wild Coffea in the world, and is therefore of great heritage value. Given how long ago the first surveys were carried out, it is likely that the original habitats of some of these species have been severely degraded.
representatives of the diversity of these species. Dissemination activities are carried out for conservation and research purposes for botanical gardens, national and international research centers, and players in the coffee-growing sector. Characterizing this variability, on genetic, molecular and physiological bases, and transferring the knowledge acquired in understanding the adaptive potential of tropical trees, are major challenges for the development of sustainable agriculture in the South, and for better anticipating the response of ecosystems to climate change. The CRB also contains species characterized by a high level of secondary metabolites, making it a potential source of high-value biochemical compounds. It is also of considerable interest for the study of host-parasite interactions and, more generally, ecosystems involving coffee trees.

Services : Introduction ; Cold storage (-196°C) ; Field preservation ; Distribution.

Website : https://florilege.arcad-project.org/fr/crb/coffea/crb-coffea