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Taxonomic Information on Cultivated Plants in GRIN-Global




Scope of GRIN-Global Taxonomy

Taxonomic and nomenclatural needs of National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) are now met through GRIN-Global by botanists of the National Germplasm Resources Laboratory (NGRL), which is responsible for the taxonomy area of the database. GRIN-Global Taxonomy is regularly updated to include accepted family and generic names. By necessity, all 653 specific and infraspecific taxa represented by germplasm in the NPGS are also included in this taxonomy, although that represents only about a quarter of all accepted names from these ranks in GRIN-Global. A broad range of economically important plants are treated by GRIN-Global nomenclature, including food or spice, timber, fiber, drug, forage, soil-building or erosion-control, genetic resource, poisonous, weedy, and ornamental plants. Most or all species of important agricultural crop genera are represented in GRIN-Global; for other less important economic genera, only a portion of the species may be represented. When all species of a genus are represented in GRIN-Global this is indicated by a comment in the GRIN-Global genus report. Reference to the literature cited in GRIN-Global may provide information relating to the treatment of other species.

The taxonomy area encompasses names governed by the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN; McNeill et al., 2012). Names treated under the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (Brickell et al., 2009), such as cultivars, may be linked to individual accessions in the accession area of GRIN-Global. These cultivar or other designations are provided only to the extent that they are represented by germplasm accessions. Their inclusion and verification is the responsibility of the site where the germplasm is maintained.



Banco Nacional de Germoplasma Vegetal Policy

The “Banco Português de Germoplasma Vegetal” (BPGV) conserves living seed and plant samples of mainly Portuguese crops and their wild relatives.

BPGV ensures that the genetic resources that support our food supply are both secure in the medium and long term for future generations and available for use by farmers, plant breeders, and researchers.

These collections are important to ensure that crop plants, which may contain genes to resist disease, provide enhanced nutrition, or survive in changing or harsh environments do not become endangered or extinct over time.

The BPGV located in Braga, Portugal maintains clonal and seed collections of the most important crops, such as cereals, grain legumes, vegetables, medicinal and aromatic plants, forage, pasture and fruit species.

The BPGV is maintained as a global public good under the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA).

BPGV is the custodian of one of the largest germplasm collections, with more than 10,000 accessions maintained as seeds and living plants, and recently started a cryopreservation programme.