16 July 2015: The Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR) has launched the Global Survey on descriptors required to identify plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA).

An essential element of the Global Information System (GLIS) called for by ITPGR Article 17 (Global Information System on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture) is a method to uniquely identify samples of PGRFA transferred under the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit Sharing. Following the advice provided by relevant experts, it has been recommended to use the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for this purpose, and the survey will help in determining the minimal set of mandatory descriptors that must accompany each identifier.

The GLIS must be able to include samples of all types of PGRFA, including not only genebank accessions, but also breeding lines, released varieties, and samples held by farmers, in community seed banks, in informal working collections or research collections, as well as all other research materials, such as certified seeds and purified genetic stocks. By focusing on a manageable and mandatory set of descriptors, the GLIS will assist researchers in the identification of PGRFA samples for further research and evaluation.

The results of the survey are expected to facilitate the design of the GLIS. The survey will be online until 16 August 2015. [ITPGR Global Survey Launch Announcement] [ITPGR Notification of Global Survey on Descriptors Required to Identify Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture] [Global Survey on Descriptors Required to Identify Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture]