IPK’s collections of potato germplasm are based at the Groß Lüsewitz site, which until 1992 was administered by the Institute for Potato Research (IfK), founded in 1949. After the reunification of Germany, the GLKS became a part of the IPK Federal Ex situ Gene Bank. The collections currently number more than 6,300 accessions, of which >2,800 are named cultivars (the KKS), 500 are short-day adapted materials, spanning seven species, collected from the Andean region or around the Equator (the AKS), and >2,950 are accessions from >130 wild and cultivated Solanum species collected in South and Central America.

Most of the AKS and KKS accessions are propagated in vitro, although some accessions are also grown in the field for the purpose of phenotypic evaluation, to control genetic purity and to generate tubers. In addition, clonal accessions are subjected to cryopreservation, conducted by the Cryo and Stress Biology Research Group based at IPK Gatersleben. The WKS accessions are seed-propagated from greenhouse-grown plants, and the resulting seed is divided between IPK Gene Bank’s 4°C storage facility or the Malchow/Poel site and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Spitzbergen.

In cooperation with the Julius Kühn Institute in Groß Lüsewitz and Kleinmachnow and BTL Bio-Test Labor GmbH, screens for resistance are conducted against the pathogens Phytophthora infestans and Synchytrium endobioticum, and the nematode Globodera pallida. These data are available on the internet or by request.

With the help of the responsible Plant Protection Office, the entire potato germplasm is tested systematically and on a regular basis for the presence of quarantine diseases. Special measures are applied to in vitro grown plantlets in order to eradicate viral infections. At field cultivation, the occurrence of latent potato viruses (PVS, partly PVX) is tolerated, which should be considered when requesting tubers from the field.

Private requests for cultivated germplasm will be accommodated exclusively with tubers (neither in vitro grown plantlets nor cryo cultures can be supplied). A list of all of the available tuber samples is provided in our "Tuber List". Every material request must be accompanied by a standard material transfer agreement, which can be completed online, but a hard copy version is also accepted. Please note that since July 2016, all germplasm requests from the IPK Gene Bank attract a handling fee.

Detailed passport and evaluation data are recorded and can be partially accessed on the internet through the GBIS homepage.

The IPK Malchow site on the island of Poel specialises in oilseed and fodder crop species, reflecting nearly a century of breeding and research in these crops.

The collections comprise more than 15,000 accessions, originating from 90 countries and spanning 150 species and 16 genera. Of these, 11,000 belong to the Gramineae, 2,700 to the Cruciferae and 1,300 to the Leguminosae. Following European regeneration standards, materials are multiplied in isolation plots or small greenhouses in the field or in greenhouse cabins.

The germplasm is preserved as seed stored at -5°C for the active collection and at -20°C for the base collection. Safety duplicates have been deposited at IPK Gatersleben since 2000, and at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault since 2008. Germination is monitored periodically.

For the purpose of characterisation or evaluation, a subset of the collections is cultivated annually, either as individual plants or in rows, with priority being given to newly acquired materials, particularly of the Gramineae species. A particular emphasis is placed on the characterisation of key morphological and breeding traits in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne).

The assessment of disease resistance, drought tolerance and relevant quality traits of e.g. oilseed rape (Brassica napus) is carried out in collaboration with various universities and the Julius Kuehn Institute. Much of these data, along with passport data, are available over the internet at GBIS and EURISCO or by request, and are being used by various researchers as the basis for targeted material selections.