New version of Multi-Crop Passport Descriptors released
Published by FAO and Bioversity International, the Multi-Crop Passport Descriptors are an international standard globally adopted for passport data of ex situ genebank accessions.
A new version of the list of Multi-Crop Passport Descriptors has been released. Published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and Bioversity International, the Multi-Crop Passport Descriptors are an international standard globally adopted for passport data of ex situ genebank accessions.
Descriptors provide an international language for exchanging data on plant genetic resources, allowing researchers across the globe to describe, store, manage and share information about their plant resources.
Compared with the 2012 version, the 2015 one addresses the open question of global unique identifiers, adding a new descriptor – the Persistent Unique Identifier. The need for Permanent Unique Identifiers emerged as critical to permanently identify plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (usually accessions) being exchanged at the global level and to contribute to the implementation of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and its Multilateral System.
The Multi-Crop Passport Descriptors are compatible with Bioversity International’s crop descriptor lists, with the descriptors used by the FAO World Information and Early Warning System on plant genetic resources, and the Genesys global portal.
Download the Multi-Crop Passport Descriptors (MCPD V.2.1)
Photo: Rice close-up. Credit: Bioversity International/S. Landersz