Hyderabad, India — 27 September 2024: The Asia-Pacific Regional Training cum Workshop on Improving Genebank Operations and Data Curation held at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad, concluded on 27 September 2024.
The five-day event brought together directors, managers, officers, and research assistants from national genebanks, ministries, and research institutes across 15 countries — Cambodia, Fiji, LAO PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Bhutan, Indonesia, and India.
Dr Sean Mayes, Global Research Program Director, Accelerated Crop Improvement, ICRISAT, inaugurated the workshop with a welcome address on 23 September 2024.
In her opening remarks, Dr Jacqueline Hughes, Director General of ICRISAT, emphasized the critical role of genebanks in global food security, stating, “The nutritional content of food is vital for global health, and the rich genetic diversity preserved in genebanks is key to securing this for future generations. As farmers face the harsh realities of climate change, these genetic resources stand as their pillar of support, empowering them to grow resilient crops and sustain livelihoods.”
Dr Nicolas Roux, leader of Genebank Partnership (WP4) at CGIAR, introduced the Global Biodiversity Initiative (GBI) and discussed the importance of strengthening the global genebank system under WP4.
“We’re here to organize the first regional workshop for Asia and the Pacific to raise awareness of the importance of genetic diversity. This diversity is crucial for research, breeding, nutrition, and addressing climate change. While CGIAR maintains 10-15% of genetic diversity, national programs manage 85-90%, and it’s vital they have the tools to preserve it effectively,” said Dr Roux.
Throughout the workshop, participants delved into several key topics, including Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for collecting acquisitions, seed conservation, characterization and use of modern technologies, multiplication/regeneration, field characterization, cryo conservation of recalcitrant seed species, data management, seed health and plant quarantine operations, safety duplication, and clonal conservation.
Representatives from national genebanks also presented their ongoing work, highlighting innovations and challenges in genebank management across the region.
Closing Ceremony and Special Sessions
Speaking at the valedictory program, Dr Stanford Blade, Deputy Director General—Research, ICRISAT, gave an overview of ICRISAT’s central genebank in Hyderabad, India, and two regional genebanks in Africa. The genebank in India is one of the largest in the world, conserving 130,057 germplasm accessions from 144 countries for 11 dryland cereals and legumes.
ICRISAT’s genebanks conserve landraces that have vanished from their natural habitats in Africa and Asia, providing insurance against genetic erosion and conserving valuable traits for disease resistance, stress tolerance, nutrition, and yield improvement,” said Dr Blade.
The final day featured a session on the applications of germplasm, showcasing case studies in breeding, genebanks, and private sector insights. A special hybrid session with country focal points also took place, focusing on the policy framework of the Multilateral System (MLS) under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
Event Organizers: Drs Kuldeep Singh, Head of Genebank and Principal Scientist, ICRISAT, India; Nicolas Roux, Principal Scientist, Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT, France; Alessandra Fa, Programme Assistant, Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT, Italy; Venuprasad Ramaiah, Senior Scientist, IRRI, Philippines; Maarten Van Zonneveld, Head of Genebank, WorldVeg Center, Taiwan; Padmaja Ravula, Dryland Academy, ICRISAT, India
External Resource Partners included Drs Pradheep K, Principal Scientist and OIC, ICAR-NBPGR RS, Thrissur, India; and Surendra Kumar Malik, Principal Scientist (Retd.), ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Pusa Campus, India.