Practical guides for the application of the Genebank Standards for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
Well-managed genebanks both safeguard genetic diversity and make it available to breeders. The Genebank Standards for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture lay down procedures for conserving plant genetic resources. These voluntary standards set a benchmark for scientific and technical best practices, and support the key international policy instruments for the conservation and use of plant genetic resources.
FAO has developed the Practical guide for the application of the Genebank Standards for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture as a companion to the Genebank Standards.
The practical guide presents the action steps of the genebank workflow and provides guidance on the complex actions and decisions that need to be taken when operating a seed genebank. The summary charts that accompany the action steps underscore the intended use of the practical guide as a handbook for routine genebank operations in the conservation of orthodox seeds. While the practical guide is particularly useful for genebank technicians in their day-to-day activities, it may also be used as a basis for the development of standard operating procedures and quality management systems. Genebank managers will also find it useful for training exercises.