Islamic World’s Largest Plant Genetic Reserve Located in Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The largest genetic reserve of the Muslim world in the field of plants is located at the Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization of Iran, affiliated to the Ministry of Agriculture.
Known as the scientific and research arm of Iran’s Ministry of Agriculture, the organization pursues various topics in the relevant field.
The center includes different departments such as research institutes for breeding and providing seedlings and seeds, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute, and National Center for Managing Agricultural Genetics and Natural Resources.
The Plants Research Department --the pioneer of research on fungi and plants in Iran-- has a special place in the agricultural research by running various scientific centers, Majid Eskandari, an expert at the Ministry of Agriculture said.
He noted that Iran holds the Islamic world’s largest genetics reserve, which has a collection of over 300,000 species of plant genetics, adding that 80 percent of the items have been collected from among Iranian plants.
Iran has also the largest plant gene bank of the Middle East and North Africa, he added.
