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Beyond passport data

Your passport data is live on Genesys. That is a solid foundation, but passport information alone only tells part of the story of each accession in your collection. Genesys supports images and documents, trait data, subsets, genotypes, and bibliography records so researchers and breeders can see more context before requesting material. The more data you provide, the more useful your collection becomes. The sections below explain each of these data types and how to upload them to Genesys.

Data types supported by Genesys​

Here is a quick overview of what you can add to the passport data on your collection:

  • Images and documents: photographs of accessions, field images, or supporting documents such as original collecting forms.
  • Trait data: characterization and evaluation data describing different descriptive and performance traits.
  • Subsets: curated groupings of accessions that share a particular characteristic or purpose.
  • Genotypes: data describing an accession’s genetic makeup, based on variations in its DNA.
  • Bibliography: citations, publications, and references related to the accessions in your collection.

You don't need to add any of these, but if you decide to do so, you can add one data type at a time, as your data management capacity allows.

Uploading images and documents​

Images bring accessions to life on Genesys. A photograph of the plant in the field or seeds in the genebank helps users visualize the material before requesting it. Documents such as collecting mission 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 file transfer protocol (FTP) server. See the FTP upload guide for full instructions, including folder structure, connection settings, and troubleshooting.

GRIN-Global Community Edition image sync​

If your genebank uses GGCE, images stored within GGCE can be synchronized 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 happens to match their needs.

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

Trait data​

Characterization and evaluation data give researchers a much clearer picture of what an accession looks like 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​

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. Genesys lets you attach citations to individual accessions or to your collection as a whole.

This might include:

  • Published papers and books
  • Technical reports
  • Theses
  • Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability test reports

Adding bibliographic 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 bibliographic 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​