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Taxonomic Information on Cultivated Plants in GRIN-Global




Special-Purpose Data Sets

A number of specialized data sets are incorporated into GRIN-Global Taxonomy, most of these arising from publications of National Germplasm Resources Laboratory (formerly Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory) botanists. One example is the family and generic data in USDA Technical Bulletin 1796, which has already been discussed. Also included are the scientific names endorsed by seed-testing associations such as Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) and International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) from the publications AOSA Rules for Testing Seeds Volume 3. Uniform classification of weed and crop seeds (Meyer and Wiersema, 2014) and ISTA List of Stabilized Plant Names (ed. 6, Wiersema et al., 2013), for which the nomenclature is being verified in GRIN-Global. The AOSA data set includes the federal noxious weeds controlled by the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the state noxious-weed seeds regulated by the Federal Seed Act. A separate query page is currently not available to search all federal and state noxious weeds, both aquatic and terrestrial, and state noxious-weed seeds in GRIN-Global with links to federal and state regulatory resources. We hope to have it restored in 2019.

Another publication linked to GRIN-Global Taxonomy is the latest revision of former USDA Agricultural Handbook 505, A checklist of names for 3,000 vascular plants of economic importance (Terrell, 1986b). This new revision, which treats over 12,200 economically important vascular plants, was published in 2013 by CRC Press as a second edition of a 1999 work under the title World Economic Plants: A Standard Reference. Data from this publication may be queried on the web.

Another data set incorporated into GRIN-Global relates to threatened and endangered plants. Among these are the plants listed in Appendices I, II, and III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Also included are the federal list of threatened and endangered plants maintained by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (US-FWS), Department of the Interior and the list of rare plants maintained by the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC).

A data set on crop wild relatives (CWR) was recently added to GRIN-Global Taxonomy in 2014. Currently, 0 CWR have been classified according to their hybridization potential with 0 major and minor crops. A query page exists to search these data in various ways.

A final specialized data set in GRIN-Global provides information on published rhizobial nodulation reports for genera and species. These data, concerning mainly legumes, are expected to be available for query by Fall 2018 on the web. Researchers who need access to the data in the meantime should send a request directly to Melanie Schori.



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.


Software Disclaimer

This software was created by USDA/ARS, with Bioversity International coordinating testing and feedback from the international genebank community. Development was supported financially by USDA/ARS and by a major grant from the Global Crop Diversity Trust. This statement by USDA does not imply approval of these enterprises to the exclusion of others which might also be suitable.

USDA dedicates this software to the public, anyone may use, copy, modify, publish, distribute, perform publicly and display publicly this software. Notice of this access as well as the other paragraphs in this notice shall be included in all copies or modifications of this software.

This software application has not been tested or otherwise examined for suitability for implementation on, or compatibility with, any other computer systems. USDA does not warrant, either explicitly or implicitly, that this software program will not cause damage to the user’s computer or computer operating system, nor does USDA warrant, either explicitly or implicitly, the effectiveness of the software application.

The English text above shall take precedence in the event of any inconsistencies between the English text and any translation of this notice.

Last updated: 25 September, 2021