Colección de Germoplasma de Especies de la Familia Orchidaceae del Cantón Santiago de Méndez - Morona Santiago, Ecuador

The anthropogenic threats to various orchid habitats have promoted initiatives for their conservation; therefore, the storage of orchid seeds in a germplasm bank constitutes a useful biotechnological tool for the conservation of threatened species of this taxonomic group. The present study had two phases: one in the field and the other in the laboratory. The field collection was carried out in three areas of the canton of Santiago de Méndez: Copal, Tres Ranchos and La Delicia, in the province of Morona Santiago, Ecuador, in a total area of 600m2, where 50 orchids of 15 different genera were obtained, which were conserved ex situ in a greenhouse in the city of Macas, until their capsules matured. Subsequently, in the plant biotechnology laboratory of the Salesian Polytechnic University of Quito, the seeds were extracted and dried; the seeds of 12 orchid species were stored in vacutainers tubes, through two methods: (a) under refrigeration at 4◦C, plus darkness and (b) at room temperature 20 ±2◦C, plus light; It was determined that the first procedure is the most efficient to preserve seeds;this was evidenced by the tetrazolium 1 % viability test, by counting dyed seeds under the microscope. During in vitro asymbiotic germination, five treatments were evaluated: Murashige & Skoog M&S (T1), M&S+ vitamins (T2), M&S + auxins (T3), M&S + activated carbon 1 % (T4) and Knudson C (T5), it was determined that the optimal in vitro germination media for all species under study, were: (T4), followed by (T1). The orchids, regardless of the treatment, that presented the highest viability were: Sobralia rosea (90 %), Sievekingia marsupialis (90 %), Maxillaria rufescens and Epidendrum sp 1 (75 %).