Indian plant germplasm on the global platter: an analysis

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Conservation Biology
• Genetics

Background:

• Global food security relies on international cooperation for plant genetic resources (PGR).
• Countries are interdependent for PGR, necessitating global conservation efforts.
• Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) centers play a crucial role in conserving and distributing PGR.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the conservation status of Indian-origin PGR accessions in global genebanks.
• To assess India's contribution to global germplasm collections.
• To correlate global data on Indian germplasm with national export profiles and discuss implications for access and benefit-sharing.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Genesys Global Portal, World Information and Early Warning System (WIEWS), and other databases.
• Analyzed conservation data for Indian-origin PGR accessions in CGIAR and national genebanks (e.g., USDA).
• Examined Indian-origin accessions deposited in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault (SGSV).

Main Results:

• Over 100,000 Indian-origin PGR accessions (3.78% of global total) are conserved worldwide.
• 62,920 Indian-origin accessions are conserved in CGIAR genebanks.
• India has contributed 66,339 accessions to SGSV, significantly exceeding the average genebank contribution, with 50% being traditional varieties/landraces.

Conclusions:

• India is a major contributor of plant genetic resources to global conservation efforts.
• Indian-origin germplasm, particularly landraces, is vital for global crop improvement.
• Findings have implications for access and benefit-sharing under international agreements like the Nagoya Protocol.