Rice genetic resources conservation and use: a partnership towards a sustainable rice research and food security

The value of genetic resources has been recognized for centuries as sources of special traits in the improvement of crops and animal breeds. Preserving genetic resources assures the future generation of available raw materials needed to meet challenges presented by new and evolving diseases, pest and environmental changes. The International Rice Genebank (IRG) of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) operates in partnership with national programs, regional and international organizations worldwide in maintaining a collection of over 112,000, most of which are held in trust under the auspices of the FAO for the benefit of the international community. Early germplasm collections originated from joint expedition between national program personnel and IRG staff. At present, more than 130 countries have donated rice germplasm to the genebank. These genetic resources are being conserved and multiplied to ensure availability for rice improvement and research purposes. IRG delivers germplasm and related information to users, including public and private sector organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), scientists, farmers and students. About 200-300 seeds and information requests per year are being received and granted with around 25,000 to 50,000 seed packets distributed worldwide free of charge. Serving as a security back up for national collections, IRG has repatriated around 36,460 traditional varieties to 17 donor countries for the restoration of their germplasm. Various trainings on germplasm conservation were provided by IRG to enhance the capacity of National Agricultural Research System (NARS). Personnel from national genebanks were trained on field collection, characterization, genebank operations and data management to help preserve their own collections.