The Director General, International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Robert Zeigler, has urged every gene bank in
the world to re-design their databases to match some international standard,
saying that what is needed is inter-operability, to create portals where
everyone's databases can talk to another, NaijaAgroNet reports.
Genome sequences of more than 3,000
rice varieties have been placed with the International Treaty on Plant Genetic
Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) by the world's leading rice
research institute in a move boosting plans to set up a global data exchange
system for crop genetic resources.
The Philippines-based International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Treaty (ITPGRFA) NaijaAgroNet informs, made the announcement at the 6th
session of the Governing Body of the FAO-based 136-member nation plant treaty
that is being held in Rome this week.
Around the world governments and
organizations are storing genetic material in seed banks, but without one
single gateway to genetic resource data, it is very difficult for researchers
and plant breeders to know what is held where and what genetic resources are
contained in the seeds.
The Secretary of the International
Treaty, Shakeel Bhatti, said, "The genetic information that IRRI is making
available to us, and the public at large, is a hugely generous and significant
show of support to our endeavours to make all relevant information on genetic
resources on plant crops available for future food security."
"To have so much information on
rice, which after all is the basic food for half the world's population, placed
at the fingertips of everyone is a major step in securing food security for
future generations," he added.
The Rome meeting will discuss how to
enhance the current multi-lateral system through the creation of one Global
Information System on Plant Genetic Resources. This system containing
information including on how to access genetic material and seed samples from
existing gene banks would be developed and overseen by the Treaty's host, Food
and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), NaijaAgroNet learnt
Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE
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