Development of a consolidated descriptor list to support in situ conservation of plant genetic resources.

There are increasing calls for greater availability of plant genetic resources (PGR) for use in plant breeding to help counter the adverse impacts of a changing climate and threats from pests and diseases, particularly in a context of reduced agricultural inputs, and the needs of the increasing human population. Managing and promoting and conservation of PGR requires an effective data and informatics foundation. However, data management is particularly undeveloped, especially when compared to documentation. The work presented here is a consolidated descriptor list to support conservation of PGR. The consolidated PGR descriptor list is based on numerous partial lists collated from historic PGR activities, biodiversity conservation and protected area networking activities. New descriptors for conservation activities were developed where gaps were identified. The draft consolidated PGR descriptor list was reviewed and revised through a process of consultation with experts in PGR documentation and conservation. In total, 171 descriptors were identified, of which seven are defined as mandatory, 47 are defined as core descriptors and 29 are newly developed descriptors for conservation of PGR. The descriptors cover all aspects of conservation, from gathering passport data (for which there are already well-established descriptors), to monitoring and managing crop wild relative and landrace populations. Recommendations are made for the most effective use and future development of descriptors and how they could be used to further develop and support PGR conservation implementation.