Germplasm Documentation

- Descriptors and Derived Standards


Descriptors lists are targeted at farmers, curators, breeders, scientists and users managing crop genetic resources collections.

For more information about descriptors lists and to access descriptors for specific crops, scroll down or click on the links below.

What are Descriptors Lists?

Descriptors lists and Derived Standards represent an important tool for a standardized characterization system and it is promoted by Bioversity throughout the world. It provides an international format and a universally understood 'language' for plant genetic resources data. The adoption of this scheme for data encoding, or at least the production of a transformation method to convert other schemes to the Bioversity format, will produce a rapid, reliable and efficient means for information exchange, storage, retrieval and communication, and will assist with the utilization of germplasm.

This is particularly important for crops that are covered under the International Treaty on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Countries that have signed the Treaty have agreed to make the germplasm of these crops and information about them available to the public. By using a common language in the Descriptors List, national genebank managers can better fulfill their obligations under the Treaty.

Click for a list of the crops covered under the Treaty (PDF 160 KB)
Click here to find out more about the Treaty

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What do Crop Descriptors Lists describe?

Bioversity encourages the collection of data for all five type of descriptors:

  • Passport,
  • Management,
  • Environment and Site,
  • Characterization and
  • Evaluation.

Data from the first four categories - Passport, Management, Environment and site and Characterization - should be available for any accession. The number of descriptors selected in each of the categories will depend on the crop and the importance of the crop's description. Descriptors listed under Evaluation allow for a more extensive description of accession, but generally require replicated trials over a period of time.

Descriptors should be used when they are useful to the curator for the management and maintenance of the collection and/or to the users of the plant genetic resources.

It is recommended, therefore, that information should be produced by closely following the descriptor list with regard to: ordering and numbering descriptors, using the descriptors specified, and using the descriptor states recommended.

The definition and use of the descriptors for the genetic resources documentation can be found in each list.

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Guidelines for developing crop descriptors

These guidelines have been developed to assist genebank curators, breeders, plant scientists, national programmes, networks and users of genetic resources working with specific crops and gene pools to develop their own descriptor lists in order to characterize their material and make information available to others in a systematic and unambiguous form.

In order to increase international exchange of material, a minimum element of uniformity is critical in data collection, recording, storage and retrieval. Developing standards for documentation and for exchanging information is essential for ensuring that the vast amount of data on crop species and varieties is available to countries to improve their capacity to store, manage and share information about biodiversity. The development of descriptor lists will assist in the systematic and objective recording and exchange of information such as passport, characterization and evaluation data, which in turn will increase utilization of germplasm so that people can make better use of biodiversity.

Click here to access the publication Developing crop descriptor lists, Guidelines for developers.

Multi-crop Passport Descriptors

The List of Multi-crop Passport Descriptors is a reference tool developed jointly by Bioversity and FAO to provide international standards to facilitate germplasm passport information exchange across crops. These descriptors aim to be compatible with the Bioversity crop descriptor lists and with the descriptors used for the FAO World Information and Early Warning System (WIEWS) on plant genetic resources.

Multicrop Passport Descriptors

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Descriptors for Genetic Marker Technologies

This List of Descriptors defines an initial minimum set of information that is needed to describe a genetic marker technology, and defines community standards for documenting information about genetic markers. This document is targeted to researchers using genetic marker technologies to generate and exchange genetic marker data that are standardized and replicable and provides descriptions of content and coding schemes that can assist in the computerized data exchange.

Descriptors for genetic markers technologies

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Crop descriptors

Here you will find links to specific crop descriptors divided by crop groups:

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Cereals

Avena spp.
Oat Descriptors

Chenopodium pallidicaule Aellen
Descriptores para Cañahua

Chenopodium quinoa Willd.
Descriptores de Quinua

Echinochloa
Echinochloa Millet Descriptors

Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn
Descriptors for Finger Millet 

Fagopyrum spp.  
Descriptors for Buckwheat

Hordeum vulgare L.
Descriptors for Barley

Oryza sativa L.
Descriptors for Rice

Paspalum scrobiculatum L.
Kodo Millet Descriptors

Pennisetum glaucum L.
Descriptors for Pearl Millet/Mil Penicillaire
(Bilingual publication: English/French)

Secale spp.
Descriptors for Rye and Triticale

Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench
Descriptors for Sorghum
(Bilingual publication: English/French, PDF available in French only)

Triticum spp. and Aegilops
Descriptors for Wheat and Aegilops
Descriptors for Wheat (Revised)

Zea mays L.
Descriptors for Maize/Descriptores para Maiz/Descripteurs pour le Maìs
Descritores para o Milho

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Forage

Forage Grass Descriptors

Forage Legume Descriptors

Medicago
Descriptors for Annual Medicago/Descripteurs pour Medicago Annuelles

Panicum miliaceum and P. sumatrense
Descriptors for Panicum miliaceum and P. sumatrense

Setaria italica and S. pumila
Descriptors for Setaria italica and S. pumila

Trifolium repens L.
Descriptors for White Clover

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Industrial Crops

Gossypium spp.
Cotton Descriptors (Revised)

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Legumes

Arachis hypogaea L.
Descriptors for Groundnut/Descriptores para Mani/Descripteurs pour l'Arachide

Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.
Descriptors for Pigeonpea

Cicer arietinum L.
Descriptors for Chickpea

Glysine max
Descriptors for Soyabean
(Bilingual publication: English/Chinese)

Lathyrus spp.
Descriptors for Lathyrus spp.

Lens culinaris Medik
Lentil Descriptors

Lupinus
Lupin Descriptors/Descriptores de Lupinos

Phaseolus acutifolius
Phaseolus acutifolius Descriptors

Phaseolus coccineus
Phaseolus coccineus Descriptors

Phaseolus lunatus
Descritores para Phaseolus lunatus (Spanish)
Lima Bean Descriptors

Phaseolus vulgaris
Phaseolus vulgaris Descriptors
Descritores para Phaseolus vulgaris (Portuguese)

Psophocarpus tetragonolobus
Winged Bean Descriptors (revised)

Vicia faba L.
Faba Bean Descriptors

Vigna aconitifolia and V. trilobata
Descriptors for Vigna aconitifolia and V. trilobata

Vigna mungo and V. radiata
Descriptors for Vigna mungo and V. radiata

Vigna radiata
Descriptors for Mung Bean

Vigna subterranea
Descriptors for Bambara groundnut
Descripteurs du pois bambara

Vigna unguiculata L.
Descriptors for Cowpea

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Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

Camellia sinensis
Descriptors for Tea
Descripteurs pour le théier
Descriptores para el té

Coffea spp. and Psilanthus spp.
Descriptors for Coffee
Descripteurs du caféier
Descriptores del café

Elettaria cardamomum Maton
Descriptors for Cardamom

Piper nigrum L.
Descriptors for Black pepper/Descriptores para pimienta negra

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Oil Crops

Carthamus tinctorius L.
Safflower Descriptors

Elaeis guineensis
Descriptors for Oil Palm

Helianthus annuus
Sunflower Descriptors

Sesamum spp.
Descriptors for Sesame

Vitellaria paradoxa
Descriptors for Shea tree

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Temperate Fruits and Nuts

Anacardium occidentale L.
Cashew Descriptors

Corylus avellana L.
Descriptors for Hazelnut

Cucumis melo L.
Descriptors for Melon

Ficus carica
Descriptors for Fig

Fragaria ananassa
Descriptors for Strawberry

Juglans spp.
Descriptors for Walnut

Malus spp.
Apple Descriptors

Persea spp.
Descriptors for Avocado/Aguacate

Phoenix dactylifera L.
Descripteurs du Palmier dattier

Pistacia spp. (excluding Pistacia vera L.)
Descriptors for Pistacia spp. (excluding Pistacia vera L.)

Pistacia vera L.
Descriptors for Pistachio (Available in Arabic and Russia)
Descripteurs du pistachier

Prunus
Descriptors for Cherry

Prunus
Plum Descriptors

Prunus amygdalus
Almond Descriptors (revised)

Prunus armeniaca L.
Apricot Descriptors

Pyrus
Pear Descriptors

Vitis spp.
Descriptors for Grapevine
Descripteurs de la vigne
Descriptores para la vid

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Tropical Fruits

Ananas comosus
Descriptors for Pineapple

Artocarpus heterophyllus
Descriptors for Jackfruit

Carica papaya L.
Descriptors for Papaya

Citrus spp.
Descriptors for Citrus
Descripteurs des agrumes
Descriptores para los cítricos

Cocos nucifera L.
Descriptors for Coconut

Garcinia mangostana
Descriptors for Mangosteen

Litchi chinensis
Descriptors for Litchi

Mangifera indica L.
Descriptors for Mango

Musa spp.
Descriptors for Banana
Descripteurs pour le bananier
Descriptores para el banano

Nephelium lappaceum
Descriptors for Rambutan

Tropical Fruit
Tropical Fruit Descriptors (revised)

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Roots, Tubers and Aroids

Colocasia esculenta
Descriptors for Taro
Descripteurs pour le taro
Descriptores para el taró

Dioscorea spp.
Descriptors for Yam
Descripteurs de l'igname
Descriptores para el ñame

Ipomoea batatas
Descriptors for Sweet Potato/Descripteurs pour la Patate Douce/Descriptores de la Batata

Oxalis tuberosa Mol.
Descriptores de Oca

Solanum tuberosum L.
Descriptors for Potato-Variety
Descriptors for the Cultivated Potato

Ullucus tuberosus
Descriptores del Ulluco

Xanthosoma
Descriptors for Xanthosoma

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Vegetables

 Allium spp.
Descriptors for Allium
Descriptores del Allium

Beta spp.
Descriptors for Beta

Brassica and Raphanus spp
Descriptors for Brassica and Raphanus

Brassica campestris L.
Descriptors for Brassica campestris L.

Capsicum spp.
Descriptors for Capsicum (Bilingual publication: English/Spanish)

Daucus carota L.
Descriptors for wild and cultivated Carrots
Descripteurs des Carottes sauvages et cultivées
Descriptores de la zanahoria silvestre y cultivada

Eruca spp.
Descriptors for Rocket
Descrittori per la Rucola

Lycopersicon spp.
Descriptors for Tomato
Descripteurs de la tomate
Descriptores para el tomate

Solanum melongena L.
Descriptors for Eggplant/Descripteurs pour l'Aubergine

Solanum muricatum
Descriptors for Pepino

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Farmers' knowledge descriptors

The list of Descriptors for farmers' knowledge of plants is a first attempt to combine a documentation system traditionally used in controlled environments (genebanks, breeding institutes) with an approach that involves people and their knowledge ‘in the field’. We hope that this list, which is the result of many years of review of fieldwork by scientists and field practitioners, will become an important tool for integrating biology and traditional knowledge. Although the list is primarily targeted at the plant genetic resources community, to increase the range of knowledge recorded during plant collection, its widespread use by others, including communities and organizations, is encouraged. It is intended to be user-friendly and practical, whilst balancing inclusiveness and concision.

This list of descriptors has been developed by Bioversity International to provide a standard format for the gathering, storage, retrieval and exchange of farmers’ knowledge of plants. The list aims to capture key characteristics, uses and values of cultivated and wild plants as described by farmers and other people in farming communities. Many of these descriptors are not included in conventional descriptor lists. Wild and weedy plants are also covered by this list since they often play a significant role in farming communities, being useful from a socio-economic and ecological standpoint.

Click here to access the publication.

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Key sets of crop descriptors

The Key sets of descriptors for access and utilization of genetic resources consist of an initial set of characterization and evaluation descriptors for germplasm utilization.

The key sets of strategic descriptors, together with passport data, will become the basis for the global accession-level information system being developed by the Bioversity-led project, Global Information on Germplasm Accessions (GIGA). It will facilitate access to and utilization of accessions held in genebanks, and does not preclude the addition of further descriptors, should data subsequently become available.

Biotic and abiotic stresses included in the list were chosen because of their cosmopolitan nature, wide geographical occurrence and significant economic impact.

The Lists were developed in consultation with experts worldwide, and further refined by Core Advisory Groups.

Click on the links below to reach the Key Sets published in our Web Catalogue:

 

Any suggestions for improvement of these documents will be highly appreciated by Bioversity and should be addressed to Adriana Alercia.

 

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