Abstract
The paper is a review of the main achievements of the NRDIBH in the field of applied
biotechnology. Over the last two decades, micropropagation and virus elimination techniques were
used with the final aim of establishing a virus-free plant collection for grapevine genotypes. Recently,
the molecular markers have been used to characterize Romanian grapevine cultivars, to establish
their taxonomical relatedness and geographical origin, or to verify genetic similarities or
dissimilarities in micropropagation systems. The plant material from core collection obtained by
thermotherapy and/or meristem culture is generally used as starting material for propagation and
planting, as control plant material in studies concerning genetic variation of characters, and also as
parental plants in breeding programmes. The methods used for establishing the core collection (in
vitro multiplication of mother plant material, virus elimination procedures applied to infected vines,
molecular techniques for testing the genetic stability and integrity of genetic resources) are presented.
The main achievements in exploitation of the regenerative potential of various somatic tissues, such as
those of the anthers, ovules, petioles, leaves, and zygotic embryos, are also discussed. Since to the
Laboratory of Molecular Biology within the NRDIBH has been given recently the responsibility for
the identification and detection of GMO products and foods, the paper presents also the main
achievements and results in detection, identification and quantification for RR soybean and MON810
maize events.