Crop Registration: The Pathway to Public Access of Plant Genetic Materials to Build Crops for the Future

Starting in 1926 and continuing for 80+ yr, 11,241 crop genetic materials have been registered as of 31 Dec. 2008. The crop registration process is an important pathway to publically describe and document new and useful genetic materials and to incorporate these into the public domain via the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS). Crop Registration materials are now searchable via the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) and demand for registered materials remains strong with more than 9150 registered accessions distributed in the past 26 yr by the NPGS. Guidelines continue to evolve to accommodate global factors effecting germplasm exchange such as Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and international treaties (i.e., The International Treaty on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture). Together with (i) the advent of the new Journal of Plant Registrations; (ii) the facilitated search capabilities of GRIN; (iii) the development and defi nition of genetic materials needing registration (cultivars, germplasm, genetic stocks, parental lines, and mapping populations); and (iv) the recognition and allowance of IPR rights: the registration of crops is a healthy viable dynamic registration system to meet the needs of breeders over the next 80 yr. D.D. Ellis, J.A. Grotenhuis, and M.M. Jenderek, USDA, ARS, National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation, Fort Collins, CO, K.A. Garland–Campbell, USDA, ARS, Wheat Genetics, Quality Physiology and Disease Research, Pullman, WA, and J.F. Pedersen, USDA, ARS, Grain, Forage, and Bioenergy Research, Lincoln, NE. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for the purpose of providing specifi c information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Received 8 Oct. 2009. *Corresponding author ([email protected]). Abbreviations: GRIN, Germplasm Resources Information Network; IPR, intellectual property rights; IT, The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture; NCGRP, the National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation; NPGS, National Plant Germplasm System; PVP, Plant Variety Protection; SMTA, Standard Material Transfer Agreement Published in Crop Sci. 50:1151–1160 (2010). doi: 10.2135/cropsci2009.10.0585 Published online 21 May 2010. © Crop Science Society of America | 5585 Guilford Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USA All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Permission for printing and for reprinting the material contained herein has been obtained by the publisher.