Fetching passport data​

The passport data guide covers the two endpoints available for retrieving accession passport data: /acn/query and /acn/filter.

The guide emphasizes that /acn/query is the best choice for bulk exports. It can return up to 1,000,000 records per request as a CSV file, meaning you can download the entire Genesys dataset (over 4.5 million accessions) with just a handful of paginated requests. The /acn/filter endpoint, by contrast, is limited to 1,000 records per request.

Both endpoints accept the same filters, so you can refine your queries by crop, institute, or any of the standard MCPD fields.

When using data retrieved via the API, please remember to cite the data and review the terms and conditions.

Fetching trait data​

The trait data guide walks you through a 4-step workflow for retrieving phenotypic observations:

1. Find trait datasets associated with accessions matching your filters
2. List the available trait columns (descriptors) in those datasets
3. Fetch the actual trait observations for the columns you need
4. Look up descriptor metadata to understand what each column represents

This workflow reflects how trait data is structured in Genesys: datasets contain multiple trait columns, and each column is referenced by a UUID rather than a human-readable name.

Thanks!​

These guides were authored by Khadija to support their own work with the API and have generously shared them with the community.

You can find both guides in the API documentation section.

Rather than managing your own database, paying for hosting, and setting up a separate website, you can embed your data directly into your existing institutional site with Embedded Genesys.

What is Embedded Genesys?​

Embedded Genesys is a JavaScript library that connects your website to the Genesys servers and displays your genebank data to visitors. It gives you everything you need to share your collection online:

• Browse and search passport data - Let users explore your collection directly on your site
• Display accession details - Show comprehensive information for each accession
• Maps - Visualize where your accessions were collected
• Subsets - Curated lists of accessions grouped by shared criteria
• Trait data - Share phenotypic and other characterization data
• Request material - Let researchers request germplasm directly from your website

See It In Action​

Check out our live demo site to see Embedded Genesys in action.

Several CGIAR genebanks are already using Embedded Genesys on their institutional websites. Take a look at how it works at AfricaRice, CIP, IRRI and IITA.

Get Started​

Use the online installation wizard to generate the code for embedding your collection on your website.

For more information, visit the Embedded Genesys documentation.

If that sounds a bit vague, this post is here to clear things up. We will walk through what the Terms actually say in plain language, so you know exactly what you can and cannot do with the data you find on Genesys.

What license are you getting?​

When you download data from Genesys, you receive a license from the Crop Trust that is:

• Revocable: The Crop Trust can modify or withdraw the license at any time.
• Worldwide: It applies wherever you are in the world, no matter which country you are working in.
• Royalty-free: You do not pay anything for the use of the data.
• Non-exclusive: The same data is available to other users too. The Crop Trust can grant the same rights to anyone else.
• Non-transferable: You cannot pass this license on to someone else. If a colleague or partner wants to use the data, they must download it themselves directly from Genesys.

In plain terms, you get free access to use the data for your own research and applications, but the data is not yours to give away or resell.

What are you allowed to do?​

The license grants you broad freedom to use the data for any lawful purpose. That covers research, plant breeding, education, conservation projects, and much more. The portal exists precisely to make plant genetic resource data accessible to everyone who needs it, and the Terms are designed to support that goal rather than restrict it.

You are also welcome to link to Genesys from your own website, provided you do so fairly, in good faith, and in a way that does not damage the reputation of the Crop Trust or take advantage of it. Importantly, you cannot establish a link or publish statements that imply any form of association with, approval from, or endorsement by the Crop Trust unless you have written confirmation from the Crop Trust that such a relationship exists.

What are the restrictions?​

The Terms include a few important restrictions that protect the interests of the genebanks who share their data and the portal that makes it accessible:

No redistribution. You cannot redistribute the data to other users. This means you cannot share downloaded data files with people outside your immediate team, upload them to another platform, or pass them on in any form. Instead, direct any interested potential users to Genesys so they can access the data themselves directly from the portal. This keeps the portal as the single, authoritative source and ensures proper attribution flows back to the original data providers.

No republishing that competes with the portal. You cannot copy, reproduce, post, broadcast, or adapt the contents of Genesys in any way that would unreasonably harm the legitimate interests of the Crop Trust or compete with the portal. This means, for example, you cannot build a competing database that repackages and republishes Genesys data without adding substantial original value.

No intellectual property claims. The data you download does not give you any copyright, intellectual property rights, or proprietary interest in that data. You are a licensee, not an owner.

How do you give credit?​

When you use data from Genesys in your research, publications, or applications, you are required to acknowledge the original sources. The data comes from specific genebanks, and those institutions deserve recognition for sharing their collections.

Genesys provides guidance on how to format citations and attributions on the portal itself. Keeping intact any notices about the source of the data that accompany your downloads is part of your obligation under the Terms. You must also ensure that anyone you work with closely (for example, collaborators on a shared project) is aware of and complies with the same Terms when they use the data.

If you would like specific guidance on how to cite data from Genesys, see our Citation and attribution policy.

What about warranties and liability?​

The data on Genesys is provided as is from the original providers, without any warranty. This means the Crop Trust and the data providers do not guarantee that the data is accurate, complete, or fit for your particular purpose. Genebanks do their best to maintain high-quality records, but the nature of biological data means some uncertainty is inevitable.

For liability, the Crop Trust and the data providers are not liable for any loss or damage that arises from your use of the data, whether through your actions or someone else's. This includes indirect damages such as lost revenue, lost profits, or lost business opportunities. If negligence on the part of the Crop Trust or a data provider can be proved, liability is limited to direct financial loss only.

This is standard language in open data agreements. The goal is to make data freely available while protecting the institutions that share it from legal exposure that could discourage them from publishing in the first place.

What happens if the Terms change?​

The Crop Trust may update the portal or change these Terms at any time. Changes take effect immediately upon posting on the Genesys homepage, unless otherwise stated. If you continue to use the portal after a change, you are deemed to have accepted the new Terms. We recommend checking this page occasionally to stay informed about any updates.

What happens if you break the Terms?​

If you breach any of the Terms, your license is automatically terminated immediately, without notice. That means you lose your right to use the data right away. If the situation involves a legal dispute, the Crop Trust will resolve it through binding arbitration under UNCITRAL Rules, in Bonn, Germany, in English.

In summary​

The Genesys Terms and Conditions are designed to keep plant genetic resource data open and accessible while protecting the genebanks who contribute it. You get broad, free, permanent rights to use the data for your own purposes, with the main obligations being attribution, no redistribution, and no competing republishing. The data is provided as-is, without warranties, and the Crop Trust and data providers are not liable for how you use it.

If you have questions about how the Terms apply to your specific situation, feel free to reach out to the helpdesk at helpdesk@genesys-pgr.org. And if you would like to read the full legal text, you can find it in our Terms and Conditions documentation.

The DPA is a one-time, standard agreement between your institute and the Crop Trust. It authorizes us to publish your genebank's accession data on Genesys. Without it, your data cannot go live on the portal. But here is the good news: you can still register an account, browse Genesys, and test uploads in the Sandbox without a signed DPA. You only need it when you are ready to publish.

What the DPA does (and doesn't do)​

The DPA accomplishes three things. It authorizes the Crop Trust to publish your data by granting a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license to use your accession data to build and operate Genesys. In plain terms, this lets us make your data available to users of the portal under the Terms and Conditions of Use. It confirms in writing that you retain ownership. And it defines the responsibilities of both parties regarding data quality, attribution, and the broader operation of the portal.

Equally important is what the DPA does not do. It does not transfer ownership of your data to the Crop Trust. It does not give the Crop Trust permission to alter, modify, or redistribute your data outside Genesys. And it does not involve any financial transaction: there are no licensing fees, royalties, subscriptions, or service charges in either direction. The Crop Trust cannot republish your data in another medium without your written permission.

You can read the full breakdown in our DPA introduction guide.

You keep ownership of your data​

This is the legal heart of the agreement, and we want to say it plainly: signing the DPA does not transfer ownership to the Crop Trust. The Crop Trust explicitly acknowledges that it will not claim any copyright, intellectual property rights, or proprietary interest in your data. When making your data available to third parties through Genesys, the Crop Trust must include that same condition downstream.

The license you grant is also revocable. You can withdraw your data at any time.

You can walk away at any time​

If you ever decide to remove your data from Genesys, the DPA makes that straightforward. You submit a formal written request to the Crop Trust, and your data is removed within three calendar months. The request needs to be formal (a special delivery letter to the Executive Secretary), not just an email, because the three-month window allows for an orderly removal including communications with end users who may rely on the data.

Either party can also terminate the entire DPA with six months' written notice. One important detail: existing end-user licenses for data that has already been downloaded are not affected. People who already downloaded your data keep their license to use it, but no new downloads happen after removal.

For the full details, see the key characteristics of the DPA.

It's one agreement in a framework of three​

Three legal documents together govern what happens on Genesys, but you only sign one of them. The DPA is between you and the Crop Trust. The Terms and Conditions of Use bind all end users, defining how they can use the data they access and explicitly prohibiting them from redistributing it. The Citation and attribution policy sets out how end users must acknowledge the source of any data they use.

Here is the key reassurance: by signing the DPA, you benefit from the protections built into the other two documents without having to manage them yourself. The Crop Trust takes on the responsibility of displaying those terms and enforcing citation requirements. You can review the Terms and Conditions of Use and the Citation and attribution policy at your convenience.

Who signs, and what you'll need​

The signatory must be someone with legal authority to bind your institute into agreements, typically the Director-General, Rector, or Chief Executive Officer, not the genebank curator. One DPA covers all genebanks operated by the same institute, so you only sign once even if your organization runs multiple collections.

To get started, you will need to provide six items to the Crop Trust:

1. Full legal name of your institute
2. Mailing address of the institute
3. Name of the genebank
4. FAO WIEWS institute code (INSTCODE), the globally unique identifier assigned by FAO's World Information and Early Warning System on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (WIEWS)
5. Name and email of the primary focal point (your day-to-day contact)
6. Name and position of the authorized signatory

You can find the full onboarding procedure in our guide to joining Genesys.

If your genebank is ready to share its data with the world, we would love to hear from you. Reach out to the helpdesk at helpdesk@genesys-pgr.org, or dive into the full DPA guide to learn more. We are here to help every step of the way!

That's where the Passport Data Completeness Index (PDCI) comes to the rescue.

What exactly is PDCI?​

Think of the PDCI as a friendly little score from 0 to 10. It gives you a quick snapshot of how complete an accession's passport data actually is, so you don't have to guess.

One thing to keep in mind: the PDCI measures presence, not correctness. For example, a record might hit a perfect 10 because every field is filled, even if there's a typo hidden in there. The PDCI doesn't tell you if the data is right, just that it's there.

Not All Fields Are Created Equal​

The best part about the PDCI is that it's context-aware.

It understands that a wild accession needs different information than a modern cultivar. For a wild sample, coordinates and collection dates are the stars of the show. For a cultivar, we care more about the breeder's name and the pedigree. Because the PDCI weights descriptors based on the accession's biological status (SAMPSTAT), every record can reach that perfect 10, whether it's a landrace or a breeding line.

How to Use PDCI to Improve Your Collection​

When you're looking at your collection's PDCI distribution, you might be tempted to just chase the zeros. But here's a pro-tip for making your curation a bit more rewarding:

• Avoid the extremes: Records with very low scores might be missing information that's unfortunately gone for good. On the other hand, those with very high scores are already in great shape.
• Target the "Middle": This is where the magic happens! You'll often find the most "improvement potential" in intermediate scores. These are the records where a bit of digging through the archives can really boost the value of your data.
• Spot Patterns: If all your wild accessions have low PDCI but your landraces are high, you've just found your target; it's likely a gap in your collecting-site data.

Curation is a Journey​

At Genesys, we view the PDCI as a helpful diagnostic tool rather than a final destination. By tracking your average score over time, you can see your hard work paying off in real-time.

Is your collection as complete as it could be? We'd love for you to head over to Genesys, check your scores, and start your own journey toward a 10! And if you're one of our data providers, you can find a more detailed deep-dive in our curation and validation guide.

The series at a glance​

The four courses build on each other and together form a comprehensive introduction to PGRFA data management:

• Course 1: Introduction to documenting plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (40 minutes). A grounding in the essential concepts behind PGRFA documentation. No prior experience needed.
• Course 2: The Global Information System (1 hour 10 minutes). Explores GLIS, the digital infrastructure established under Article 17 of the International Treaty on PGRFA, including the role of digital object identifiers (DOIs) for accession-level data.
• Course 3: GRIN-Global Community Edition (GGCE) and Genesys (1 hour 35 minutes). The course you came here for. It introduces GGCE as a genebank management system and Genesys as the global portal where participating institutions publish their accession data. This course is particularly relevant if you are considering joining Genesys as a data provider, or if you want to learn how to explore the platform effectively.
• Course 4: Global crop conservation strategies (1 hour 40 minutes). Looks at how diversity coverage assessments and gap analyses inform conservation priorities and how global crop strategies guide collective efforts to safeguard crop diversity.

What you will learn in the Genesys course​

The course on GGCE and Genesys is divided into two lessons. The first covers GGCE, the open-source genebank management system that helps institutions capture, organize, and use PGRFA data to support consistent workflows. You will learn how accession and inventory records in GGCE support traceability of physical material, and how the system handles routine genebank activities such as viability testing, regeneration, multiplication, and distribution.

The second lesson shifts to Genesys. You will explore the main functions of the portal and the types of accession-level data available, learn how to query and interpret data using manual filters and Genesys AI, and understand the data quality principles and standards that make sharing through Genesys effective. The course is designed for a broad audience: genebank staff, data managers, researchers, breeders, and students alike.

Certification is available​

Each course in the series offers a digital badge upon passing a final exam with a score of at least 75%. You can take the exam after completing the course, and you do not need to be affiliated with any institution to earn the badge. Once earned, your certificate is available from your FAO elearning Academy profile.

The bigger picture​

This e-learning series sits within the broader ecosystem that Genesys helps to serve. By understanding how data is documented, quality-checked, and shared through systems like GGCE and platforms like Genesys, you become part of a much larger effort to make plant genetic resources visible and accessible to everyone who needs them.

If you manage a genebank or are considering sharing your data on Genesys, these courses will give you a solid foundation. And if you are a researcher, breeder, or student, they will help you understand exactly where the data on Genesys comes from and how to use it with confidence.

That's where the Multi-Crop Passport Descriptors (MCPD) 2.1 come to the rescue!

What exactly is MCPD?​

Developed through a partnership between Bioversity International and the FAO, MCPD 2.1 is essentially the gold standard for exchanging passport information. You can think of it as a universal "passport" for every plant genetic resource (PGR) in a genebank. It's here to make sure that no matter where a sample originates, its core identity (who collected it, where it was found, and what it is) is recorded in a way that everyone understands.

The Key Pillars of the Standard​

If you're exploring an MCPD record, there are a few fields that really do the heavy lifting:

• PUID (Persistent Unique Identifier): In Genesys, we lean on DOIs. Think of a PUID as a digital fingerprint; it's what allows a researcher in Japan and a curator in Brazil to be absolutely sure they're talking about the exact same accession.
• SAMPSTAT (Biological Status): Is it a wild relative, a landrace, or a breeding line? Knowing the biological status helps us put all the other data into the right context.
• ORIGCTY (Country of Origin): To keep things crystal clear, we use ISO 3-letter codes. This avoids any mix-ups between "USA", "United States", and "U.S.A."

Why bother with standardization?​

We know that following strict formatting rules (like using YYYYMMDD for dates) can feel like a chore, but the benefits are truly worth it:

1. Better Searchability: You can search across hundreds of collections simultaneously because the data is predictable and consistent.
2. Seamless Interoperability: Your data can move effortlessly between Genesys, EURISCO, and the World Information and Early Warning System on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (FAO WIEWS).
3. Future-Proofing: Standards keep your data relevant and usable, even as the technology around us continues to evolve.

Ready to dive in?​

For genebanks looking to join the Genesys community, adopting MCPD 2.1 is a fantastic first step toward gaining global visibility. We're here to help you with the tools and guidance needed to map your existing data to these descriptors, helping you transform your internal archives into a valuable global resource.

Want to get started with standardization? Head over to our provider documentation to dive deeper into the descriptors.

That's where our wonderful Advisory Committee comes into play.

Our Strategic Compass​

Think of the Genesys Advisory Committee as more than just a formal board; it's really our strategic compass. Comprising a group of international experts, the committee gives us the high-level guidance we need to keep the platform sustainable, relevant, and truly driven by the community.

A Seat for Everyone​

We truly believe that the best decisions happen when a wide range of perspectives are at the table. That's why we've carefully designed our committee to represent the whole ecosystem:

• Data Providers: The curators and institutions who look after the collections.
• Users: The scientists and breeders who use the data for their research.
• Donors: The organizations that make our work possible.
• Global Partners: Ex-officio members from the ITPGRFA Secretariat and the Crop Trust help us stay aligned with global standards.

From Dialogue to Development​

When the committee gets together, it's about much more than just reviewing reports. They dive into the tough, real-world questions:

• Should we prioritize multilingual support or more advanced trait data?
• How can we better support curators in developing nations?
• What's the best way to handle the transition to new data standards?

This kind of collaboration ensures that Genesys never grows in a vacuum. Every update we bring to the platform is shaped by the actual needs of the people who use it every day.

We're so grateful to all the current and past committee members who volunteer their time and expertise to help us safeguard the world's plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA).

More Than Just a Database​

You can think of Genesys as a friendly bridge. While genebanks do the incredible work of ex situ conservation, keeping seeds safe and viable for the long haul, that knowledge only really comes to life when breeders, researchers, and policymakers know exactly where to find it.

We're so proud to be a key part of the Global Information System (GLIS) of the ITPGRFA. Our dream is a world where detailed information on every single accession in the world's genebanks is just a few clicks away and free for everyone to use.

Our Mission in Action​

To make this dream a reality, we've focused on two main things:

1. Helping you, the user: We've built a platform that lets you search through hundreds of collections all at once. We want to save you from those long hours of digging through dozens of different websites just to find one specific landrace or wild relative.
2. Supporting our genebanks: We're not just here to collect data; we're here to support the wonderful institutions that provide it. We love working side-by-side with genebanks to help them document and prepare their data according to international standards, ensuring their hard work is both recognized and truly useful.

Why This Matters​

Whether it's helping crops adapt to our changing climate or rediscovering a forgotten trait that could fight off pests, it all starts with a simple discovery. By bridging the gap between the seed vault and the researcher, we're together helping to build a more resilient food system for everyone.

If you're a breeder or researcher, we'd love for you to explore the collections. And if you manage a genebank, we'd be truly honored to help you share your treasures with the rest of the world.

If you'd like a more detailed look at our strategic framework, feel free to read our Vision and Mission and explore the Genesys Strategy.