Banca delle risorse genetiche animali lombarde: problematiche e prospettive.

There is worldwide consensus about the global decline in domestic animal diversity and the need to preserve genetic diversity. Economic, traditional, environmental and cultural values are important driving forces for conserving animal genetic resources. Conservation strategies can be categorized as in situ i.e. keeping animals within the production systems in which they were developed, or ex-situ, i.e. deep-freezing of semen, ova or embryos. In some European countries national cryobanks for farm animals have been created. In Italy in the past, in the framework of different conservation programs, breeders associations, universities and research institutes have stored genetic material of local breeds. Within the framework of the project "Risorse biologiche e tecnologie innovative per lo sviluppo sostenibile del sistema agro-alimentare" co-funded by Regione Lombardia and CNR, the "Banca delle Risorse Genetiche Animali Lombarde" (LABank) was established. According to international guidelines (ERFP, 2003; FAO Conservation Guidelines, 2010) and to regional and national sanitary regulations , LABank has been built up at IBBA CNR Unit located at Parco Tecnologico Padano (PTP) in Lodi, paying particular attention to cryopreserved material monitoring and to personnel safety. In the cryobank genetic material of two local endangered breeds is stored, Varzese cattle and Brianzola sheep. Donors are chosen to store the maximum genetic variation, and semen or epididymal sperm are cryopreserved. To overcome organizational difficulties, collection of epididymal sperm was used in rams, as AI and semen collection are not routinely used in this breed. After quality parameters assessment sperm was packed in 0.5 ml straws, frozen and stored in liquid nitrogen. A total of 1214 semen doses from 5 bulls of Varzese breed and 207 straws from 9 rams of Brianzola sheep are stored in LABank. Blood and hair samples were also collected for future screening. The registration of all information is carried out by the use of the Software Cryoweb, specifically developed for the management of cryobanks by FLI, Germany. LABank joined the Network of Cryobanks of Italian Animal Genetic Resources, (developed by a collaboration between IBBA-CNR and VSA Dpt. University of Milan), which aims to create a network of institutions involved in the cryopreservation of genetic material of local breeds. Future objectives will be to increase the number of donors, to broaden the number of species stored, collecting and cryopreserving genetic material from breeders of three local goat breeds, and possibly to collect new biological material, such as embryos and somatic cells.