Germplasm Management in Commercial Plant Breeding Programs

Germplasm in any crop can be defined as the extent of species-specific variability that exists in nature at any given time, whether from the crop's center of origin, its center of domestication, or anywhere else. This variability can be expressed as phenotypic (what one can see visually) or genotypic (underlying genes control this diversity); it is the result of natural selection over time in various environments, as well as through selection and breeding. Germplasm collections are the foundation of a breeding program. Any successful research-based breeding program (whether in the public or private sector) first assembles a diverse collection, and then utilizes the available variability to create new material, which combines economically important traits and provides new high-yielding and disease-resistant varieties or hybrids for the market. Doing all this speedily and effectively is what defines a commercially successful breeding program. This chapter attempts to define and explain the various aspects of an effective germplasm development program in the private sector. The areas covered include collection, rules governing accessions, record keeping and database management, and how the collected germplasm is then utilized for the development of new varieties and hybrids. Case studies of successful germplasm development programs, which often require effective collaboration, are presented.