Conservation of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Croatia

The use of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP) in Croatia has a very long tradition. Commercial gathering was economically important source of income in many Croatian regions. However, gathering in the wildness has a negative impact on biodiversity, collected plant material is not uniform and its price is significantly lower. Current production of medicinal and aromatic crops in Croatia is very limited. The MAP cultivation on family farms is usually marginal activity. MAP producers and processors generally agree that marketing opportunities do exist in case of a number of species. Natural MAP populations in Croatia show great biodiversity in morphological, biochemical and genetic level. The assessment of biodiversity is a starting point for efficient conservation of plant genetic resources and its use in plant breeding programmes. The main aim of the management of plant genetic resources is conservation, characterization, evaluation and documentation of the existing genetic biodiversity. For the purpose of conservation of these valuable genetic resources, The Collection of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants has been established at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Croatia. Characterization and evaluation of accessions in plant genebanks is traditionally based on morphological traits. Currently, the analysis of target species including Dalmatian sage (Salvia officinalis L.), Dalmatian pyrethrum (Tanacetum cinerariifolium/Trevir./Sch. Bip.) and basils (Ocimum spp.) has been carried out on morphological, biochemical and genetic level.