In the United States, the critical task of preserving our plant genetic resources is the responsibility of the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS).

NPGS undergoes a thorough analysis in this book, which offers wide-ranging recommendations for equipping the agency to better meet U.S. needs--and lead international conservation efforts.

The book outlines the importance and status of plant genetic conservation and evaluates NPGS's multifaceted operations. Two options for revamping NPGS within the U.S. Department of Agriculture are included.

Contents

• Committee on Managing Global Genetic Resources: Agricultural Imperatives
• Subcommittee on Plant Genetic Resources
• Board on Agriculture
• [The National Academies]
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Executive Summary
• 1. Managing Crop Genetic Resources
  • GERMPLASM AND GERMPLASM COLLECTIONS
  • PRESERVING PLANT GERMPLASM
  • THE CHALLENGES OF CONSERVING AND MANAGING PLANT GERMPLASM
  • STRUCTURE OF A GERMPLASM MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
  • PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES IN THE UNITED STATES
  • ORIGINS OF THE NATIONAL SYSTEM
• 2. Elements of the National Plant Germplasm System
  • GENETIC RESOURCES IN THE UNITED STATES
  • ACQUISITION
  • CONSERVATION
  • MANAGEMENT
  • UTILIZATION
  • PLANT GERMPLASM ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE THE NATIONAL SYSTEM
• 3. Administration of the National System
  • THE NPGS IN THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
  • ADVISERS TO THE SYSTEM
• 4. Prescription for Effectiveness
  • ACHIEVING A NATIONALLY MANAGED SYSTEM
  • CHANGES IN THE ADVISORY STRUCTURE
  • GERMPLASM ACQUISITION AND COLLECTIONS
  • FACILITIES AND PERSONNEL
  • THE MISSION OF THE NATIONAL SYSTEM
  • INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
  • RESEARCH
  • CONCLUSION
• References
• Glossary
• Abbreviations
• Authors

This material is based on work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, under Agreement No. 59-32U4-6-75. Additional funding was provided by Calgene, Inc.; Educational Foundation of America; the Kellogg Endowment Fund of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine; Monsanto Company; Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.; Rockefeller Foundation; U.S. Agency for International Development; U.S. Forest Service; W. K. Kellogg Foundation; World Bank; and the Basic Science Fund of the National Academy of Sciences, the contributors to which include the Atlantic Richfield Foundation, AT&T Bell Laboratories, BP America, Inc., Dow Chemical Company, E.I. duPont de Nemours & Company, IBM Corporation, Merck & Co., Inc., Monsanto Company, and Shell Oil Company Foundation.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.