The Extent of Use of Plant Genetic Resources in Research—A Literature Survey

Abstract

Our aim was to assess the level of use of conserved plant genetic resources (PGR) in crop genetic research. To do this, we analyzed in detail the reports from four internationally recognized journals published in 1996. These journals were Crop Science, Euphytica, Plant Breeding, and Theoretical and Applied Genetics Our results indicate that about 23% of the articles published in these journals reported work conducted with material that originated in an ex situ PGR collection or was collected directly in the field. We also analyzed our results to determine the range of species and research topics involved, the sources of materials used, and the users of PGR for research. Of the material used, 80% was accessed from ex situ germplasm collections housed in genebanks in 27 countries and seven centers of the CGIAR. The rest of the studies utilized material gathered directly in the field. Almost all work was produced at national research centers and universities; very little work from private industry was published in the journals covered. Just under 20% of the institutions represented by authors were located in developing countries. Work published involved 112 species and included assessments of genetic diversity among accessions (42% of the studies), studies of the inheritance of biotic stress resistance (29%), taxonomic and phylogenetic analyses (16%), as well as cytologic, molecular and conservation research. Our research demonstrates a significant use of conserved material in research.