Ch. 7— Maintaining Plant Diversity Offsite • 195 



In vitro plants can be used for a range of spe- 

 cies with recalcitrant seeds or for those that 

 must be maintained as clones. However, the 

 techniques are not now used extensively for 

 germplasm storage, and uncertainties about 

 genetic stability in the in vitro environment 

 have been noted. Cryogenic technologies could 

 be particularly important, but they require fur- 

 ther development. 



Funds to develop technologies for maintain- 

 ing plants in offsite collections are already pro- 

 vided through the Agricultural Research Serv- 

 ice (ARS) to NPGS researchers. These efforts 

 could be enhanced by making funds available 

 to researchers outside USDA on a competitive 

 basis. As an alternative, the USDA/Competitive 

 Research Grants Office could develop a pro- 

 gram that would focus on germplasm mainte- 

 nance and the application of technology. 



Characterisation and Evaluation off 

 Offffsito Coiioctions 



Characterization and evaluation data are not 

 available for most plants held by NPGS, but the 

 development of descriptors by crop advisory 

 committees (CACs) (see ch. 9) will provide guide- 

 Hnes for preliminary characterizations of many 

 crops. Technologies for biochemical characteri- 

 zation exist, and consideration should be given 

 to ones that are appropriate for particular crops. 

 Further, careful consideration of the agronomic 

 traits to be evaluated will be necessary. 



Improving characterization and evaluation 

 data will require additional funding and per- 

 sonnel. A 10-year NPGS program to provide 

 detailed evaluations of the genetic diversity and 

 potentially useful agronomic characters in cul- 

 tivated species and their relatives might cost 

 $5 million annually. Such a program would 

 probably require increased collaboration be- 

 tween NPGS facilities and scientists to expand 

 the available expertise, develop a computerized 

 file for each accession, and increase involve- 

 ment of CACs and breeders in determining 

 which agronomic traits to evaluate. 



By examining analyses of the roles of GAG, 

 NPGS facilities, and users of NPGS in record- 

 ing evaluation data, different ways to improve 



present efforts might be revealed. Such an ex- 

 amination could be performed by an expert 

 committee appointed by USDA. Recommenda- 

 tions could include specific roles for compo- 

 nents of NPGS and mechanisms for accom- 

 plishing those goals. 



Grant funds could be made available through 

 ARS to researchers and breeders screening for 

 particular traits. Such funds could encourage 

 greater use of germplasm collections as well 

 as increase the information about accessions. 

 Data from evaluations could then become part 

 of the permanent GRIN record. 



Maintenance off Endangered 

 Wild Species 



The efforts of botanic gardens and arbore- 

 tums to obtain and store seeds or plants of en- 

 dangered wild species have only recently been 

 coordinated. Additional funding for facilities 

 and personnel to develop and maintain such 

 collections will be needed. Further, each spe- 

 cies presents a potentially unique set of require- 

 ments for maintenance and regeneration that 

 must be taken into account. 



Funds have come in part from the Institute 

 for Museum Services (34). They have been used 

 for daily operations as well as to establish stor- 

 age facilities. Continued funding could provide 

 for the maintenance of many endangered wild 

 plants. However, it has been estimated that 

 maintaining the 3,000 or so rare and endan- 

 gered plant taxa will cost at least $1.2 million 

 annually (71). 



One possibility is to expand the scope of 

 NPGS activities to include endangered wild 

 species. NPGS personnel have considerable ex- 

 pertise in offsite maintenance of plants, and 

 including endangered wild plants as a respon- 

 sibility would take advantage of this expertise. 

 However, an enlargement of NPGS's scope 

 would require additional funding for person- 

 nel and facilities. And because responsibilities 

 are currently divided among various parts of 

 NPGS on a crop-by-crop basis, an administra- 

 tive mechanism for assigning responsibility for 

 a particular species would be needed. 



