INTRODUCTION

The Universidade Federal de Viçosa, with Rockefeller Foundation support, has created in 1966 year the Vegetable Germplasm Bank (BGH - UFV), in order to rescue native or introduced species, preserve, document and maintain the exchange of germplasm between regions of Brazil. For this, the resources stored upon collection or donation are characterized, evaluated and made available to the national scientific community.
Currently the BGH - UFV has in its collection more than 8000 vegetables accessions that were collected in different parts of the country and also received as donations from more than 100 countries. Priority is stored in BGH - UFV: ancient varieties, selections made by farmers, variant forms of cultivated species and wild species of the interest genera to the national horticulture.
The samples from propagated plants material acquired by donation or collection are recorded by the BGH coding followed by a sequential number (eg.: BGH - 24). Once registered the propagated material receive the designation of accessions. The accessions are arranged in families whose main represented on BGH - UFV are Solanaceae (44.21%), Leguminosae (16.83%) and Curcubitaceae (15.70%). Within each family the collections are separated by species. They recorded 106 vegetable species; among these more than 30 species have considerable genetic collection.
When thinking in germplasm genetic contribution from a bank, you should consider the possibility of obtaining interest genes and not plant genotypes that by themselves offer comparative advantages in relation to currently grown varieties. These genes may be related to resistance to disease, pests, and adaptation to environmental constraints to the development of crops, such as areas with low soil phosphorus, high aluminum etc. For these reasons genetic resources stored in the Vegetable Germplasm Bank (BGH – UFV) are considered strategic for the country, because they represent part of vegetables genetic diversity in our country. Since the Brazil preserve, characterize, evaluate and pass these genes to the national scientific community and thus reduce genetic erosion and increase the capacity for sustainability of the national agriculture.
The Universidade Federal de Viçosa as maintainer of the BGH - UFV is protecting right to exchange genetic resources from your own collection with research institutions that are private or public. For this, interested should contact the BGH – UFV manager Prof.. Derly José Henriques da Silva, by e-mail derly@ufv.br

Support by FAPEMIG ; CNPq and Brazil – Ministry of Agriculture and Brazil
Implementation by UFV