International Board of Plant Genetic Resources

Genetic Conservation

In the last 30 years’ legal developments at national and international levels have completely reshaped the ways in which plant genetic resources are used in global agriculture. Several plant collecting missions collected indigenous germplasm from diverse ecologies of the world. Similarly, plant genetic resources were acquired from all over the world. International Gene bank holds more than 30,000 accessions of 400 plant species. Clonally propagated crop species that cannot be conserved in the form of seed are preserved at in vitro conservation lab using the tissue culture technique and as plants in the field Gene bank. Applying intellectual property rights to plant material has been highly controversial in many countries. Many cultural and moral objections have been raised against the idea of owning life. In addition, many people fear that the expansion of intellectual property rights could restrict traditional uses of plants and other substances found in nature. When it became possible to protect germplasm with intellectual property rights, a perception arose that there were significant profits to be made in the development of new plant varieties. The conflicting expectations of industrialized and developing countries, the increasingly restrictive terms on which germplasm could be accessed by agricultural researchers, and the evident depletion of much of the world's biological diversity were serious problems in need of a global solution, by time it was realized that preserving plant genetic resources is a necessity for our own future, saving diversity for ecosystem, agriculture for food and endogenous specie for further variations. Many of the organizations have been working on the preservation and conservation of plant species. one of the well-known firm the 

International board for plant genetic resources (IBPGR) the only international response to the problems of genetic erosion and genetic uniformity are using plant genetic resources for the benefit of present and future generations. It is an autonomous, international scientific organization under instructions of Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and established by them in 1974. It is comprised of forty-seven governments, international organizations, and foundation. CGIAR contains 16members its execute secretariat is provided by food and agriculture of  the united nations; the basic function is to promote and coordinate an international network of genetic resources centres for further collections ,conservation, documentation, evaluation   and use of plant germplasm and thereby contributing in raising the standard of and living and welfare of  people throughout the world, the concentrative group mobilizes financial support from its members to meet the budgetary requirements of the board.  It has raised general awareness of the issues related to genetic resources, which in turn has stimulated the demand for training and research, for technical publications, and for scientific assistance to national plant genetic resources programmes.

 

Milestones in development of IBPGR

—  1974 - Started a major effort to collect genetic resources as the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR)

—  1987 - Initiated a research program on the conservation and study of plant diversity

—  1991 - Became the International Plant genetic Resources institute (IPGRI)

—  1994 - Merged with the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP)

—  2002 - Founded the Global Crop Diversity Trust together with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

—  2004 - Served as technical support in negotiations for the International Treaty of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture(ITPGRFR)

—  2005 - Started work with partners and smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa to conserve and use the African Cherry Tree in a sustainable way

—  2006 - INIBAP and IPGRI begin working under the name Bioversity International

—  2006 - 'Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition' initiative launched at the Convention on Biological Diversity Conference

—  2009 - Developed 'Seeds for Needs' to help farmers adapt to climate change

—  2012 - Became a co-organizer of the international collaboration 'Landscapes for People, Food and Nature' led by Eco-agriculture Partners

—  2012 - Launched a new research agenda and strategic priorities

Functions of IPGRI

—  To advance the conservation and use of plant genetic resources for the benefit of present and future generations

—  The establishment of genetic resources programs where none previously existed.

—  Funding for training of scientists and technicians throughout the world in all aspects of genetic resources work, from collecting and seed physiology to database management.

—  Collection, conservation, evaluation, documentation and utilization of crop germplasm.

—  Development of a computerized database

Work done by IPGRI

Since 1974, IPGRI has funded the training of 1700 scientists and technicians throughout the world in all aspects of genetic resources work, from collecting and seed physiology to database management. Good documentation as a means of fostering germplasm management, exchange and utilization has been a priority of the institute. Retention of diversity in collections, conservation technology and plant health are major topics, as is work on wild relatives of crops and on forest genetic resources which involves research on in situ conservation. 

IPGRI Office

The IPGRI elects an outsider to chair the Board. Finally, the Executive Secretary of the IPGRI is an ex officio member. The elected members serve in an individual capacity and not as government representatives. 

Collection of Data

The IPGRI promotes the collection of data on four categories 1. Accession 2. collection 3. characterization 4. Preliminary evaluation This sequence represents an international format and produces a universally understood ‘language’ for all plant genetic resources. Information must be in proper ordering and valid description, and recommending the descriptor statement. IPGRI follows the following definitions in genetic resources:

I.                    Passport data: accession and identifiers and information recorded by collectors.

II.                 Characterization: consist of recording those characters which are highly heritable, and easily seen by eye and expressed in all environments.

III.              Preliminary evaluation: consist of recording a limited number of additional traits thought desirable by users of a particular crop.

Characterization and preliminary evaluation will be responsibility of the curators’ Further characterization and evaluation should be carried out by plant breeder. The data from further evaluation will be passed on to the curators who will maintain a data file.

Scoring norms for the description:

·         Measurements are made in metric units.

·         Presence and absence of a trait is represented by 1+ (present) and 0 (absent).

·         When descriptor is inapplicable,0 is used as a descriptor value for e.g. if an accession doesn’t form a flower, so a descriptor will score a zero.

·         Blanks are used for information, yet not available.

 

Objectives

A major future task is to build up a network of gene banks with medium term collection in order to supplement the network of base collections. Over one hundred such collections are significant enough to warrant tighter coordination. This complementary network of medium term collections is needed to improve and streamline the multiplication, regeneration, characterization and evaluation, documentation and exchange of germplasm accessions. IPGRI accelerate its efforts in this direction over coming years. 

IPGRI's Performance

Since 1974, the IPGRI has completed a number of important projects on an annual budget of only $3.8 million. 37 The programs include sponsoring 250 germplasm collecting missions in more than seventy countries. A mission entails gathering samples of exotic germplasm, either in the form of seeds or seedlings, for the purpose of placing them in a storage facility. Missions usually focus on collecting varieties that are near extinction and have potential economic value. Computerized databases covering a wide range of topics have been developed by IPGRI and are used extensively in programme planning. These databases include information on national genetic resources programmes, ex situ germplasm collections worldwide, and germplasm collecting carried out with IPGRI support. The IPGRI has also designated thirty-eight centers in twenty-nine countries for the long-term storage of thirty crops, sponsored advisory committees on major crop preservation subjects, and sponsored training courses and publications on conservation and use of plant genetic resources. The developed countries overwhelmingly support the IPGRI because of the effectiveness of these programs in combating genetic erosion.