Vision and Mission of Genesys
Matija Obreza and Luigi Guarino, Crop Trust, May 2020
The scope of PGR management
In situ conservation of PGR is about protecting specific areas so plants can survive, thrive and evolve in their natural habitats. Some PGR contribute to food and agriculture (PGRFA) by being managed, selected, and exchanged by farmers. On farm conservation aims to maintain the social, economic and cultural conditions under which this can continue to happen. Neither on farm nor in situ conservation can provide a guarantee against the loss of genetic diversity, however. In addition, use of PGRFA maintained on farm by anyone but the farmers directly involved can be difficult.
This is where ex situ conservation in genebanks and other repositories of diversity, such as botanical gardens, comes in. Genebanks carry out long-term conservation of PGRFA, including viability monitoring, regeneration, and safety duplication, following established standards and practices. Genebanks distribute only small amounts of material, primarily to breeders and researchers. Breeders generate new PGRFA, breeding materials not ready for commercialization, often distributed as nurseries, but only a small fraction of these are eventually formally released as new varieties. Seed companies mass-produce, according to rigorous quality standards, planting material of officially released varieties that make it to farmers’ fields and eventually into the food chain.
The global information system
The Global Information System (GLIS) of the FAO's International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) "integrates and augments existing systems to create the global entry point to information and knowledge for strengthening the capacity for PGRFA conservation, management and utilization". These systems deal with ex situ, in situ, on-farm data and other types of PGRFA-associated information.
Genesys plays a key role in GLIS by specifically supporting genebanks in making information about their ex situ collections of PGRFA accessible to the world.
Our vision
All available accession-level information on the PGRFA maintained in the world’s genebank collections is easily and freely accessible and searchable online.
Our mission
Genesys helps people discover and access PGRFA conserved in genebanks around the world. It supports genebanks in documenting their collections and publishing data according to agreed standards, making it easier for researchers, breeders and others to find the material they need.
Why Genesys?
Collections of diverse, unique samples of landraces and crop wild relatives are managed in genebanks following agreed international standards to maintain viability, diversity and genetic integrity. Genebanks at least theoretically commit to making such material available forever, unlike materials in breeding programs, which need not always be conserved for the long-term. Well-managed passport, characterization and evaluation data on the material in genebanks is invaluable to users but must be easily and widely accessible to fulfill its potential. Genesys supports genebanks in sharing such data.
Genesys brings together information on accessions stored in genebanks around the world for access via a single, easy-to-use website. Rather than trawling through separate databases, users are able to search multiple genebank collections with a single search term or filter. Genesys makes the essential first task of the breeder and researcher -- obtaining the raw materials for their work -- easier and more efficient.
This does not mean that genebanks should not maintain their own databases and make them available on public websites. In fact, that’s a useful, though not a necessary, first step in sharing their data on an aggregator such as Genesys. Users can discover material of interest on Genesys and then continue to refine their search on the websites of individual genebanks (if available).
As needed, they can also then reach out to genebank curators for assistance in obtaining the material most relevant for their needs. This requires up-to-date contact information in the FAO WIEWS database, which Genesys uses and which is also recognized as an important component of GLIS.
The scope of Genesys
Genesys publishes passport, characterization and evaluation data, and images on accessions of PGRFA conserved in genebanks. Records for archived or historical accessions is included for reference purposes.
Genesys provides guidance and assistance to genebanks in documenting the data so it is suitable for publication following agreed standards. Genesys develops and makes available tools for data providers to improve the quality of the data they share.
Data provided by genebanks through Genesys is publicly accessible and remains the intellectual property of the Data Provider. The Genesys Terms and Conditions of Use specify how data may be used by others.
Genesys facilitates the submission of germplasm requests to genebanks for consideration in the context of their distribution policies.
Genesys does not host information on PGRFA maintained in situ or on-farm, breeding materials or released varieties, unless formally part of genebank collections. Genesys does not host DSI or other high-throughput -omics data. These types of data are better handled using specialized software, and Genesys enables linking to such resources, using accession DOIs where possible.
Target audiences
Genesys serves and informs two distinct but connected and occasionally overlapping groups of stakeholders: (1) users of PGRFA and associated data; and (2) ex situ PGRFA collection holders. The first group includes breeders, researchers, and policymakers, who use Genesys to inform their own work. Ex situ collection holders comprise genebanks and research institutes, and use Genesys to publish accession data on the web.
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PGRFA users use Genesys to, for example:
- explore the composition of collections
- request PGRFA
- carry out gap analyses
- obtain contact information
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Genebanks and research institutes use Genesys to
- carry out data validation and quality checks
- identify duplicates
- discover information about materials in other genebanks
- share information on their collection
Relationship with other global databases
Genesys provides its services in collaboration with other regional and international PGRFA databases and data services. Collaboration involves the mutual exchange of data and experiences to create synergies and avoid duplication of efforts. Partners include the European Search Catalogue for Plant Genetic Resources (EURISCO) of the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR), the FAO’s World Information and Early Warning System on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (WIEWS), and the Global Information System (GLIS) of the ITPGRFA.
Revision history
- March 2020: Submitted to the Genesys Advisory Committee
- May 2020: Revised and approved by the Genesys Advisory Committee
- Copyedited by Luigi Guarino 9 October 2026 DRAFT