A global information portal to facilitate and promote accessibility and rational utilization of ex situ plant genetic resources for food and agriculture

The plant genetic resources for food and agriculture conserved in 1,500 ex situ genebanks are critical sources of biodiversity. They are not only important for conservation and agricultural production, but also for identifying genetic variation that can help to achieve food security and adapt to climate change. Ensuring access to and use of these genebanks depends upon making information about them available to users, including plant scientists and breeders. There are numerous systems with information on genebank accessions; however not all are electronic or available online. Some systems are specific to a single genebank while others cover networks of genebanks based on regions, organizations or crops. Virtually all existing online systems provide only primary identification information – known as passport data – and do not include information for all the data fields of the international standard, the Multi-Crop Passport Descriptors. A global portal is now being developed to address the limitations in existing systems, and to offer integrated and structured solutions. This portal will provide opportunities to: enhance and link existing systems; facilitate the connection of new systems; augment the limited information available in current systems; expand data types to include phenotypic (characterization and evaluation), environmental and spatial information (with the possibility of also including genetic information); and provide realistic access with query functions. Most importantly, the global portal will provide free utilities for genebanks that are not presently available to upload and exercise full control of their data within the portal. This will contribute to the Global Information System mandated by the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) to ensure that unique diversity is effectively and efficiently conserved and made available for use.