PGR Informatics: Sustaining PGR Management and Supporting PGR Policy

Abstract

Researchers and policy makers recommend increased use of plant genetic resources (PGR) available as ex situ collections in genebanks as part of the strategy to fight food and nutritional insecurity as well as to mitigate the impact of climate change on crop husbandry. However, in the absence of a robust information management system, genebanks will have problems managing their collections and users face a daunting task of choosing appropriate accessions for research. Enhanced use of PGR can only be facilitated by enhanced access to information. An organized digital information system provides fair and just opportunity for all to access. PGR Informatics is the management (creation, storage, retrieval and presentation) and analyses (discovery, exploration and extraction) of diverse information (facts, figures, images, statistics, knowledge and news) related to plant genetic resources.