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Beyond passport data

You have your passport data live on Genesys. That is a solid foundation. But passport information alone, while essential, only tells part of the story of each accession in your collection. Genesys supports a range of additional data types that let you paint a richer picture for the researchers and breeders who use your data.

Beyond-passport data helps users find exactly what they are looking for and gives them more confidence in the material they request. The more context you provide, the more useful your collection becomes.

This page covers the types of data you can publish beyond passport records, and how to go about uploading each one.

Data types supported by Genesys​

Here is a quick overview of what you can enrich your collection with:

  • Images and documents -- photographs of accessions, field images, or supporting documents such as original collecting forms.
  • Trait data -- characterization and evaluation data describing observable traits and measured performance of accessions.
  • Subsets -- curated groupings of accessions that share a particular characteristic or purpose.
  • Genotypes -- genetic marker data that describes the genomic profile of an accession.
  • Bibliography -- citations, publications, and references related to the accessions in your collection.

Each of these is optional, but together they transform a simple accession list into a resource that researchers can use to make informed decisions. You can add them gradually, one data type at a time, as your data management capacity allows.

Uploading images and documents​

Images bring accessions to life on the portal. A photograph of a plant in the field or in the genebank helps users visualise the material before requesting it. Documents such as MTA templates or field trial reports give important practical context.

There are two ways to get images into Genesys.

Upload via FTP​

The primary method for uploading images and documents is through the Genesys FTP server. See the FTP upload guide for full instructions, including folder structure, connection settings, and troubleshooting.

GGCE image sync​

If your genebank uses GRIN-Global Community Edition (GGCE), images stored within GGCE can be synchronised directly with Genesys through the GGCE configuration. This keeps your portal images in step with your GGCE records automatically, without needing to manually upload via FTP.

See the GGCE documentation for configuration details.

Subsets​

A subset is a curated grouping of accessions that share a particular characteristic or purpose. Subsets let you highlight parts of your collection that might be especially relevant for specific users or use cases.

For example, you might create a subset of:

  • Drought-tolerant accessions of a particular crop
  • Wild relatives collected from a specific geographic region
  • Accessions that have been characterised for a particular trait
  • Material included in a specific breeding programme

Subsets are published as separate browseable lists on your genebank page on Genesys. When a researcher lands on your genebank page, they can explore your full collection or dive straight into a subset that matches their needs.

To create and publish a subset, you will need to prepare a list of accession identifiers (INSTCODE and ACCENUMB pairs) for the accessions you want to include, along with a name and description for the subset. Contact helpdesk@genesys-pgr.org to discuss how to submit your subset data.

Trait data​

Trait data covers both characterisation data and evaluation data.

Characterisation data describes traits that are observable and heritable, such as plant height, seed colour, or days to flowering. These traits are typically recorded under uniform field conditions and are useful for general identification and classification.

Evaluation data records performance under specific conditions, such as yield in drought conditions, disease resistance scores, or nutritional content. This type of data is particularly valuable for breeders looking for material with specific adaptive or productive qualities.

Together, characterisation and evaluation data give researchers a much clearer picture of what an accession can do and how it might perform in their context.

Here's a step-by-step guide for uploading trait data: How to upload trait data to Genesys

Genotypes​

Genotype data describes the genetic makeup of an accession through molecular markers such as SSR, SNP, or DArT profiles. This data is used by researchers studying genetic diversity, population structure, or conducting genomic selection.

Genesys handles genotype data in two ways.

Genotype IDs are identifiers that link an accession in Genesys to a genotype record in an external genotyping system or database. If your genebank or a partner institution has generated genotype data and assigned it an identifier, you can publish that identifier on Genesys to help users find and access the full genetic profile.

Genolink is the Genesys integration for linking accession records to genotype datasets managed in external systems. Through Genolink, researchers can discover that genotype data exists for an accession and follow the link to the source system for analysis.

Publishing genotype IDs or setting up Genolink connections makes your genebank more attractive to researchers working on genomics-assisted breeding or genetic diversity studies. Contact helpdesk@genesys-pgr.org to explore the options that best suit your data and systems.

Bibliography​

Your genebank may hold or track publications, reports, and other references related to the accessions in your collection. Bibliography support in Genesys lets you attach citations to individual accessions or to your collection as a whole.

This might include:

  • Published papers describing the collection or reporting results from trials involving your accessions
  • Technical reports and theses
  • Pre-breeding or evaluation studies
  • DUS (Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability) test reports

Adding bibliography data helps researchers discover relevant literature and trace the evidence base behind the material they are interested in. It also gives credit to the researchers and institutions that have worked with your collection over the years.

To add bibliography records to your genebank page, contact helpdesk@genesys-pgr.org with the relevant citation details and the accessions they relate to.

Where to go next​