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Taxonomic Information on Cultivated Plants in GRIN-Global




Introduction

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service's (ARS) National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) currently maintains over 35 178 accessions of mostly economically important vascular plants. It also coordinates the activities of more than 25 USDA and other seed and clonal germplasm sites and interacts with the international germplasm community and scientific public through the Germplasm Resources Information Network, GRIN-Global. The GRIN-Global database contains information on all genetic resources preserved by NPGS, including accessions of both domestic and foreign origin. Though the emphasis is on major, minor, or potential crops and their wild and weedy relatives, many other categories of plants are represented including ornamentals and some rare and endangered plants. A range of data--including passport, taxonomic, descriptor, observation, evaluation, and inventory data--for each germplasm accession is available in GRIN-Global. The taxonomic data providing the overall organization for germplasm accessions in GRIN-Global are the focus of these pages. For information on other aspects of GRIN-Global or NPGS see Janick (1989) or consult the NPGS home page.



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.