Abstract
Plant genebanks provide genetic resources for breeding and research programs worldwide. These programs benefit from having access to high-quality, standardized phenotypic and genotypic data. Technological advances have made it possible to collect phenomic and genomic data for genebank collections, which, with the appropriate analytical tools, can directly inform breeding programs. We discuss the importance of considering genebank accession homogeneity and heterogeneity in data collection and documentation. Citing specific examples, we describe how well-documented genomic and phenomic data have met or could meet the needs of plant genetic resource managers and users. We explore future opportunities that may emerge from improved documentation and data integration among plant genetic resource information systems.
Highlights
Genebanks offer a broad range of plant genetic diversity for use in research and breeding programs
Genomic Tools for Elucidating Germplasm Relationships. Genomic tools such as high-density single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping and whole-genome resequencing can describe the diversity in collections and reveal relationships among accessions
Pooled sequencing data that have been processed into genome-wide SNP or short haplotype frequencies describe accession diversity more practically for breeding programs and correlate logically with phenotypic characterization and evaluation data held in genebank databases, which are usually measured at the population, not individual, level [42]
Summary
Genebanks offer a broad range of plant genetic diversity for use in research and breeding programs. There is an overall need for a wide range of PGR, especially novel germplasm (i.e., materials with genetic variation that are not readily available in existing breeding populations or cultivars) that is viable, disease-free, and has acceptable legal conditions for use [5,6]. To access these resources, an navigated search and request system is Plants 2021, 10, 2260 necessary. Modern genomic and phenomic tools can be applied to collections to guide germplasm choice for target traits and environments
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
