144 Bulletin UASVM Agriculture, 66 (2)/2009 Print ISSN 1843-5246; Electronic ISSN 1843-5386 Research Concerning the Conservation of Genetic Diversity of Parsley (Petroselinum Crispum MILL.) Aurel MAXIM 1 , Mignon ANDOR 1 , Mihai JIDAVU 2 , Rodica SIMA 1 , Cristina LUCIAN 1 , Adriana OPINCARIU 1 , Ovidiu MAXIM 1 , Alin LUCACI 1 , Veronica BOLBOACA 1 1 University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Mănătur Street, nr. 3-5, Cluj-Napoca, 400372, Romania, email: maxim0067@yahoo.com 2. Fruit Research Station Cluj-Napoca Abstract. The preservation of the genetic variability at the crop plants is an important premise for a long durable agriculture. Romania still has an important genetic diversity at the crop plants. Unfortunately in Romania the risk of this diversity disappearance is very big due to the age of the seeds producers and the big surface of unused land. During 2007-2009, at University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (USAMV) from Cluj-Napoca a series of actions for collecting vegetable seeds, for description from agronomical, biological and biochemical point of view of authentic local varieties, for producing and preserving seeds in the Gene Bank of Suceava have been undertaken. Investigations were made in 26 counties of the country but the experimental fields were placed at USAMV Cluj-Napoca. In this work paper are briefly presented the main characteristics of the local varieties of parsley (Petroselinum crispum, subsp. crispum). Among the 64 studied cultivars, 54 (85.7%) proved to be local varieties and among these 5.5% are used for leaves, 20.4% for roots and 74.1% have mixt destinations. Keywords: agrobiodiversity, bioconservation, vegetables, parsley, seeds, bank of genes INTRODUCTION Agro biodiversity is an important component of biodiversity. The long lasting of modern agriculture depends on the preservation of genetic variability represented by local varieties [Chable, 2005]. These varieties frequently have unique genes that give them resistance to pests, diseases, nutrition deficiencies, drought and other environment’s variations. They keep on developing new genetically combinations, among some can be efficient in stopping of eventual global threats, as global climate change, parasite migration towards the north etc. [Moldovan, 2003]. In the same time these varieties can be successfully used in systems of ecological crop culture given their capacity for adaptation. Agricultural conservation “in situ” is, without doubt, the most efficient – in their place of origin, in the field, the varieties continue to evolve, meanwhile in the gene’s banks (ex situ conservation) the seeds can suffer damaging mutations [Hammer and all 2003]. At European and International level there are some directives and conventions having the purpose to protect the agricultural diversity. The most important of them are: Convention on Biodiversity adopted in ONU Conference of Rio de Janeiro (1992), 98/95 EEC Directive, The International Convention regarding Genetic Resources of Plants for Alimentation and Agriculture (2001) [Zaharia and Kastler, 2003; Maxim, 2008]. Romanian legislation corresponds to the international and European legislation [Maxim and all 2007].