With increasing numbers of germplasms requiring conservation, the demands are on the development of long-term conservation of clonal materials. Cryopreservation is the only current method that could provide the ideal condition for base collection of vegetatively propagated plant germplasms. There are growing interests and needs for cryopreservation. In recent years, detailed conditions of cryogenic procedures such as vitrification, encapsulation-vitrification and encapsulation-dehydration were well investigated and successful protocols for wider range of plant species have been developed. Cryopreservation is recognized as a practical and efficient tool for long-term storage of vegetatively propagated not only for the cold-hardy and temperate but also for tropical plant germplasms.
