Why conserve germplasm?

What are Plant Genetic Resources?

According to the Convention on Biological Diversity, genetic resources are living material containing genes of immediate or potential value for humanity. Plant genetic resources thus comprise all our cultivated plants, together with a large number of their wild relatives, since the latter often have valuable characteristics that can be used in plant breeding. As a result of genetic engineering, more and more of our biological diversity can be considered a genetic resource.
Modern agriculture uses a narrow range of varieties. These are the result of a long process of plant breeding and have a narrow genetic base. Previous generations, on the other hand, made use of countless landraces with wide genetic variation. If action is not taken against this genetic depletion, the consequences could be serious.
http://www.ngb.se/Organization/Presentation/whatare.php

Genetic Variation is irreplaceable

Varieties with a narrow genetic base are occasionally wiped out by plant diseases, forcing plant breeders to use older material or closely-related wild species in order to find resistance genes to the disease in question. Even advanced genetic engineering cannot replace natural variation's countless genes and the interactions between them. It is irreplaceable, and without it, plant breeding would be impossible.
http://www.ngb.se/Organization/Presentation/genetic.php

Conservation is our duty

The organised conservation of plant genetic resources is a prerequisite if future generations are to be able to breed crops to meet new requirements. Today we do not know what will be required of plant varieties in the future, but they will have to be part of a sustainable agriculture and probably be of better quality and more resistant. In order not to make life more difficult for our children and grandchildren, it is therefore our duty to conserve our genetic resources, since they are invaluable and irreplaceable. These resources, unlike many others, can both be used today and conserved for future generations.
http://www.ngb.se/Organization/Presentation/conserve.php

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Wikipedia on Germplasm

Germplasm is a term used to describe the genetic resources, or more precisely the DNA of an organism and collections of that material. The term germ plasm was first used by August Weismann to describe a component of germ cells that he proposed were responsible for heredity, roughly equatable to our modern understanding of DNA.
Worldwide there are collections of plant, animal and bacterial germplasm for use in breeding new organisms and the conservation of existing species.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germplasm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seed_saving