Search strategies and the value of a large collection

While the agricultural productivity benefits of utilizing new germplasm have been widely documented (Evenson 2001; Alston, Norton, and Pardey 1998), some controversy remains about the economic justification for expanding existing collections of crop genetic resources. Concerns persist that germplasm...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Gollin, Douglas, Smale, Melinda, Skovmand, Bent
Formato: Brief
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2003
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/155620
Descripción
Sumario:While the agricultural productivity benefits of utilizing new germplasm have been widely documented (Evenson 2001; Alston, Norton, and Pardey 1998), some controversy remains about the economic justification for expanding existing collections of crop genetic resources. Concerns persist that germplasm collections are underutilized (Wright 1997) and there-fore of questionable economic value. Does infrequent “use” of genebanks in crop breeding programs imply that accessions in genebanks have little economic value? Are seed banks really “seed morgues”?