Germplasm Access from ICAR-NBPGR and Use within India

Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture support the livelihoods of every person and encompass the diversity of genetic material. Rapid progress in the field of agriculture was witnessed in the last three decades of this century with respect to collection, conservation, exchange and sustainable utilization of PGR (http:// www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/thematic-sitemap/theme/seeds-pgr/conservation/en/). At the national level, the ICAR-NBPGR is the nodal institution for the management of PGR under the umbrella of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi. The ICAR-NBPGR has developed a very strong Indian Plant Germplasm Management System which operates in a collaborative and partnership mode with other organizations. The system has contributed immensely towards safeguarding and exchanging the PGR from other countries for enhancing the agricultural production and productivity in the country. ICAR-NBPGR is also serving the needs of researchers for various crop improvement program through supply of the desired germplasm from National Genebank and from active collections maintained at regional stations in different agro-climatic zones of the country. National Active Germplasm Sites (NAGS) are effective partners in collaborating with ICAR- NBPGR for meeting the requirements of researchers in the country. The present study was undertaken to learn more about the use and distribution of germplasm accessions, which may help to assess the areas of constraint and hence, to encourage policies to enhance germplasm use/utilization.