Documentation

DOI registration

• Batch registration documentation 1.7 This zipped archive contains a document explaining how to fill-in the included Excel template.
• GLIS XML Integration Protocol 3.9 The document explains in detail the XML messages to be sent to GLIS to register a new DOI or update DOIs that have been already registered. If you prefer not to implement the XML protocol directly, The Integration Toolkit described below could be of interest for you.
• Integration Toolkit 2.04 installation and operation manual The Integration Toolkit is a lightweight Java application with an embedded database that you can easily deploy in your IT environment to facilitate DOI registration and update using the GLIS XML Integration Protocol. The document describes the architecture of the Toolkit, the structure of the database that it uses, its installation and configuration and how to operate it.
• Vademecum for DOI registrants This document describes what you can do with the GLIS DOIs you have just obtained to make the most out of them.
• International DOI Foundation It is a not-for-profit membership organization that is the governance and management body for the federation of Registration Agencies providing Digital Object Identifier (DOI) services and registration, and is the registration authority for the ISO standard (ISO 26324) for the DOI system. The DOI system provides a technical and social infrastructure for the registration and use of persistent interoperable identifiers, called DOIs, for use on digital networks.
• GRIN-Global Wizard for assigning DOIs with GLIS This plug-in wizard allows GRIN-Global users to assign Digital Object Identifiers from the Global Information system, free of charge. It is a component of the "Curator Tool" and it requires to be configured as explained in the accompanying documentation. Among other parameters, the configuration includes the Permanent Unique Identifier (PID) provided by the International Treaty. The source files and the documentation for “GLIS-DOI Manager Wizard" are available online.

GLIS technical notes

• Referencing GLIS DOIs in publications and datasets This note describes the connection between GLIS DOIs publications and datasets and how data citation can be done through the Global Information System on PGRFA.
• Links to websites in GLIS This note explains how links to external websites and resources are included in and managed in the DOI metadata and how keywords are assigned to them.
• PGRFA-DOI relationships This technical note describes the relationship between two or more PGRFA through the assignation of DOIs and explores some potential uses, such as the identification of ancestors and other information associated with them.
• Standard codes This document describes in detail the codes adopted in the GLIS System for a wide range of information (e.g. individuals or institutions conserving PGRFA, countries, dates, coordinates and other PGRFA attributes), and provides guidance about how to use them.
• Tips and tricks for batch registration of DOIS in GLIS This document provides suggestions on how to best access and fill in the templates for the batch registration of DOIS, which is recommended in GLIS for medium-size collections.
• XML protocol how-to This document describes the early experiences with adopting the XML protocol to assign DOIS to PGRFA material in GLIS. The XML protocol is especially suited for large collections, and the document explains the various implementing options available.
• Genesys integration This document explains the information exchange between Genesys and GLIS, particularly the addition to the GLIS DOI page of the link to the Genesys page on the same accession and the GLIS update from Genesys.

DOI registration

• DataCite It is a Registration Agency authorized by the International DOI Foundation to provide DOI registration services. DOIs assigned by GLIS are registered by DataCite.
• Digital Object Identifiers for food crops This booklet incorporates the two reference documents for adopting DOIs in your organization: "Guidelines for the optimal use of Digital object Identifiers as permanent unique identifiers for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture - v.2" describing concrete use cases for DOI adoption and their impacts on existing processes and procedures and "Data required for the assignation of Digital Object Identifiers in the Global Information System v.2.1" which includes the descriptors associated to GLIS DOIs, especially in relation to the Multi-Crop Passport Descriptors Standard (see below).

Descriptors

• Multi-Crop Passport Descriptors The MCPD, developed jointly by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and FAO, is a widely used international standard to facilitate germplasm passport information exchange. These descriptors are compatible with Bioversity's crop descriptor lists, with the descriptors used by the FAO World Information and Early Warning System (WIEWS) on plant genetic resources (PGR), and with the GENESYS global portal. GLIS descriptors are largely based on MCPD.
• Descriptors for specific crops The uniformity in data description, collection and documentation is instrumental for the conservation and use of the plant material. These descriptors are an essential tool to enable information sharing for crops covered under Annex 1 of the International Treaty.
• ICRAF/FAO descriptors In collaboration with national and international academic and research partners, the World Agroforestry (ICRAF) and the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, have developed various booklets containing sets of minimum descriptors for characterization and evaluation of multipurpose fruit trees native to Africa and Asia. These strategic sets of descriptors facilitate standard documentation, access to information, and use of the species.
• UPLB/FAO pili nut descriptors In collaboration with academic and research partners, the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, have developed this key set of descriptors for characterization and evaluation of Canarium ovatum. It is expected to support studies focusing on the genetic and morphological diversity of pili nut, conservation of its genetic resources, domestication, and increase production and use of its products.
• ILRI/FAO descriptors for forage legume species The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, in collaboration with academic and research partners, have developed the Key set of descriptors for characterization and evaluation of forage legumes species. While these descriptors have been developed for some herbaceous small tropical species, they may also be helpful for the characterization of other similar forage legumes.
• ILRI/FAO descriptors for fodder trees The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, in collaboration with academic and research partners, have developed the Key set of descriptors for characterization and evaluation of fodder trees. These descriptors have been developed for some fast-growing species that are already being adopted by smallholder farmers worldwide
• ILRI/FAO descriptors for forage grasses The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, in collaboration with academic and research partners, have developed the Key set of descriptors for characterization and evaluation of fodder trees. These descriptors have been developed for various tropical species of the family Poaceae that are already being adopted by smallholder farmers worldwide
• ICAR-IIMR/ICAR-NBPGR/ICRISAT and FAO descriptors for foxtail millet In collaboration with national and international academic and research partners, the ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, the ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources and the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture has developed a booklet containing a key strategic set of characterization and evaluation descriptors for Setaria italica and Setaria pumila. This minimum set aims to support studies focusing on genetic and morphological diversity of foxtail millet and its wild and weedy relatives, as well those on conservation, domestication and use.
• ICAR-IIMR, ICAR-NBPGR, ICRISAT and FAO descriptors for fonio millets The ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, the ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, and the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture has developed key descriptors of characterization and evaluation descriptors for Digitaria exilis Stapf and Digitaria iburua Stapf of the family Poaceae. This strategic set aims at facilitating access to and utilization of these species, and it does not exclude the addition of other descriptors later.

Resources for developing descriptors

• Developing crop descriptor lists: guidelines for developers To increase international exchange of material, a minimum element of uniformity is critical in data collection, recording, storage and retrieval. These guidelines assist genebank curators, breeders, networks and users of genetic resources to develop their own descriptor lists to characterize their material and make information available to others in a systematic and unambiguous form.
• Key characterization and evaluation descriptors: methodologies for the assessment of 22 crops The methodology describes the development process for each key set of descriptors and was designed to facilitate access to and utilization of plant genetic resources information. It includes strategic key sets of characterization and evaluation descriptors for 22 crops included in Annex I of the International Treaty.
• CWR Descriptor Tool v.1 This open data collection tool helps document Crop Wild Relatives conserved in situ conditions. The tool is based on the Descriptors for Crop Wild Relatives Conserved in situ (CWRI v.1.1), and it is composed of various spreadsheets with information and data-entry functions. It helps users to collect and structure CWR data in a standardized manner as a first step to developing national databases of populations conserved in situ.

Other descriptors

• Descriptors for genetic marker technologies This descriptor list is targeted to researchers using genetic marker technologies to generate and exchange genetic marker data that are standardized and replicable. This initial proposed set of descriptors was reviewed widely by international experts from national research institutions, universities and CGIAR centres.
• Descriptors for farmers’ knowledge This list of descriptors aims to capture key characteristics, uses and values of cultivated and wild plants as described by farmers and other people in farming communities.
• Descriptors for Crop Wild Relatives Conserved in situ It is an updated list of passport descriptors for crop wild relatives conserved in situ that provides an international standard to ensure consistency in the way data about CWRI is collected and exchanged. It is also available in Arabic, French and Spanish
• UPOV Technical Guidelines Technical Guidelines for the examination of Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) and the Development of Harmonized Descriptions of New Varieties of Plants.

Taxonomy

• GRIN Taxonomy The National Plant Germplasm System of the Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture maintains a computer database, the Germplasm Resources Information Network, GRIN-Global, for the management of and as a source of information on its 599 842 germplasm accessions. The taxonomic portion of GRIN-Global provides the classification and nomenclature for these genetic resources and many other economic plants on a worldwide basis. Included in GRIN-Global Taxonomy are scientific names for 27 666 genera (14 514 accepted), 1 422 infragenera (1 360 accepted), and 122 164 species or infraspecies (66 755 accepted) with common names, geographical distributions, literature references, and economic importance. Generally recognized standards for abbreviating authors' names and botanical literature have been adopted in GRIN-Global. The scientific names are verified, in accordance with the international rules of botanical nomenclature, by taxonomists of the National Germplasm Resources Laboratory using available taxonomic literature and consultations with taxonomic specialists. Included in GRIN-Global Taxonomy are federal- and state-regulated noxious weeds and federally and internationally listed threatened and endangered plants. Since 1994, GRIN-Global taxonomic data have been searchable on the Internet.
• Taxonomic Name Resolution Service This website accepts batch submissions of names anche checks them against a variety of reference lists, including GRIN Taxonomy. The resulting score indicates whether each name is correct or not.
• GoFAIR In 2016, the FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management and stewardship were published in Scientific Data. The authors intended to provide guidelines to improve the Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reuse of digital assets. The principles emphasise machine-actionability (i.e., the capacity of computational systems to find, access, interoperate, and reuse data with none or minimal human intervention) because humans increasingly rely on computational support to deal with data as a result of the increase in volume, complexity, and creation speed of data.
• Crossref It makes research outputs easy to find, cite, link, assess, and reuse. Crossref is a not-for-profit membership organization that exists to make scholarly communications better. They rally the community; tag and share metadata; run an open infrastructure; play with technology; and make tools and services—all to help put scholarly content in context.
• Gardian The Global Agricultural Research Data Innovation and Acceleration Network is a data harvester that enables the discovery of publications and datasets from the thirty-odd institutional publications and data repositories across all CGIAR Centers to enable value addition and innovation via data reuse.
• Cambridge Plant Genetic Resources It is an international peer-reviewed journal devoted to the many diverse topics concerned with the conservation, characterization, evaluation, and utilization of plant genetic resources.
• Frontiers in Plant Science This editor publishes major discoveries contributing to the understanding and progress of modern plant breeding, providing a single platform for articles that address plant improvement through breeding and related subjects.
• International Journal of Plant Breeding and Crop Science It is a peer-reviewed journal. The journal is published monthly and covers sustainable use of plant protection products and agronomic and molecular evaluation, among other subjects.
• International Journal of Plant Breeding and Genetics - Esciencepress It is an open-access, peer-reviewed, international journal devoted to providing opportunities for original as well as extended versions of published researches.
• Journal of Plant biology and Agriculture Sciences It is an international circulating peer-reviewed Open Access journal, provides limitless access to our literature hub presenting original research contributions and scientific advances in the field of Agriculture and Plant Biology.
• Journal of Plant Genetics and Breeding It is an open-access Journal that features scientific works and cutting-edge knowledge on the use of molecular and genomic techniques for improving gain from selection.
• MDPI - Academic Open Access Publishing It is a publisher of peer-reviewed, open access journals since its establishment in 1996.
• Nature It is one of the world's leading multidisciplinary science journals. It publishes the finest peer-reviewed research that drives ground-breaking discovery.
• Springer Springer Nature is a German multinational publishing company of books, e-books and peer-reviewed journals in science, humanities, technical and medical publishing.
• BMC Plant Biology It is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal that considers articles on all aspects of plant biology, including molecular, cellular, tissue, organ and whole-organism research.
• ResearchGate It is a European commercial social networking site for scientists and researchers to share papers, ask and answer questions, and find collaborators.
• NCBI Taxonomy Database It is a curated classification and nomenclature for all of the organisms in the public sequence databases. This currently represents about 10 percent of the described species of life on the planet.
• PlantRegMap The Plant Transcriptional Regulatory Map provides a comprehensive, high-quality resource of plant transcription factors (TFs), regulatory elements and interactions between them, advancing the understanding of plant transcriptional regulatory system.
• IBG-4 Plant biotechnology Information This website attempts to track sequenced plant genomes which have been published in peer-reviewed journals.
• Cichorieae Systematics Portal It provides access to the existing knowledge about cichorieae plants, based on authoritative phylogenetic and taxonomic information as far as available.
• Euro+Med PlantBase It covers all native and introduced vascular plants from Europe, the Mediterranean and the Caucasus.
• EDIT Platform for Cybertaxonomy It is a collection of open source tools and services which together cover all aspects of the workflow in biology for describing, classifying and naming groups of organisms.
• International Plant Names Index It provides nomenclatural data (spelling, author, types and first place/date of publication) for the scientific names of vascular plants from family to infraspecific ranks.
• NCBI Taxonomy Browser It is a curated classification and nomenclature for organisms that have molecular data in the databases of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
• Tropicos This database links over 1.38M scientific names with over 6.99M specimens and over 1.86M digital images.
• IATE - European Union Terminology It is the EU's terminology management system. It has been used in the EU institutions and agencies since summer 2004 for the collection, dissemination and management of EU-specific terminology.
• Pl@ntNet Pl@ntNet is an application that helps users identify plants by analyzing photos. It allows users to compare their images with a vast database of plant species and provides information about their characteristics and habitats.
• MaizeGDB MaizeGDB is a community-driven, long-term informatics service funded by federal support, aimed at assisting researchers who study the crop plant and model organism Zea mays. As a founding member of AgBioData, a consortium of agriculture-focused online resources, MaizeGDB is dedicated to ensuring that agriculture-related research data is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable).
• Sequence Read Archive (SRA) The Sequence Read Archive (SRA) is the largest public repository for high-throughput sequencing data, accessible via various cloud providers and NCBI servers. It accepts data from all forms of life, including metagenomic and environmental studies, and stores raw sequencing data along with alignment information to promote reproducibility and enable new discoveries through data analysis.
• Bioinformation and Data Bank of Japan Center (BI-DDBJ) The Bioinformation and DDBJ Center (BI-DDBJ) collects and provides free nucleotide sequence data to support life science research as part of the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration (INSDC), emphasizing the integration of computational and experimental methods in biological research. Operating under Japan's National Institute of Genetics, BI-DDBJ issues internationally recognized accession numbers and ensures the quality and accessibility of nucleotide sequence data, facilitating global collaboration among researchers.
• Alphafold Predicting protein 3D structures is a major challenge in biology that can enhance our understanding of health, disease, and the environment, particularly in drug design and sustainability. AlphaFold, an advanced AI developed by Google DeepMind in collaboration with EMBL-EBI, has made over 200 million protein structure predictions available to the scientific community, significantly expanding knowledge of biology.
• Uniprot UniProt is the premier global resource for high-quality, comprehensive, and freely accessible protein sequence and functional information.
• China National GeneBank DataBase (CNGBdb) The China National GeneBank DataBase (CNGBdb) is a centralized platform designed for sharing biological big data and offering application services to the research community. Leveraging big data and cloud computing technologies, it provides various data services, including archiving, analysis, knowledge search, management authorization, and visualization.
• CNGB Sequence Archive (CNSA) CNSA focuses on archiving, storing, and sharing omics data to promote data reuse and advance the life sciences. Adhering to the FAIR principles, CNSA is indexed in CoreTrustSeal, FAIRsharing, and re3data.org, and utilizes Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) to improve data visibility.
• PFAM The Pfam database by EMBL-EBI is a comprehensive collection of protein families represented by sequence alignments and hidden Markov models (HMMs), highlighting functional domains that reveal insights into protein functions. It also groups related entries into clans based on sequence or structural similarities, with data sourced from UniProt Reference Proteomes and accessible through various databases.
• PRoteomics IDEntifications Database (PRIDE) The PRIDE (PRoteomics IDEntifications) Archive by EMBL-EBI is a centralized, public repository for mass spectrometry proteomics data, including protein and peptide identifications, expression values, and post-translational modifications. As a core member of the ProteomeXchange consortium, PRIDE enables standardized submission of proteomics data, which can be accessed via its website or programmatically through a RESTful API, supporting reproducible research and data reuse.
• The Enterprise Breeding System (EBS) The Enterprise Breeding System (EBS) is an open-source informatics tool designed for crop breeding programs aimed at resource-poor farmers in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Developed by the CGIAR Excellence in Breeding Platform, EBS integrates existing breeding software and data solutions, allowing breeders to efficiently focus on creating improved varieties.
• ZEAMAP ZEAMAP is a database dedicated to Zea genomics and maize genetic enhancement, integrating multidimensional data such as genomics, transcriptomics, genetic variations, genetic mapping, and evolutionary selection sites.
• CassavaBase (NextGen Cassava) NextGen Cassava connects advanced crop science to cassava farmers, processors, and consumers, addressing their needs. The initiative has revolutionized cassava breeding practices across sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, offering a model for improving other crops with faster and smarter methods.
• Leibniz Institute Bridge Web Portal Leibniz Institute's Bridge Web Portal allows users to search over 22,000 barley germplasm samples by passport and phenotypic data, visually explore SNPs against Morex V1, V2, and V3, and analyze genetic diversity with PCA and t-SNE plots. Users can also inspect GWAS results with interactive Manhattan plots, export genotypic data in VCF format, phenotypic data in ISA-Tab format, and directly order barley accessions from the IPK Genebank.
• Musa Germplasm Information System (MGIS) The Musa Germplasm Information System (MGIS) provides essential information on the diversity of Musa germplasm, including passport data, botanical classification, morpho-taxonomic descriptors, molecular studies, plant images, and GIS data on collections worldwide, making it the most comprehensive resource for banana genetic resources.
• Rice Gene Index (RGI) The RGI enables users to explore gene relationships and detailed information using keyword-based, sequence-based, and relationship-based searches. Additionally, users can visualize these relationships on both local and global scales through the 'Microcollinearity' and 'Macrocollinearity' modules.
• T3/Wheat T3 is a public repository for wheat data from the Wheat Coordinated Agricultural Project and the US Uniform Regional Scab Nurseries, supported by the US Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative. Funding comes from the National Institute for Food and Agriculture and the USDA. The database was originally developed at triticeaetoolbox.org/wheat and moved here after its archiving in January 2020.
• Dataverse The Dataverse Project is an open-source web app for sharing, preserving, citing, exploring, and analyzing research data, enabling easier access and replication while granting academic credit and visibility to researchers and institutions through repositories that host collections of datasets with descriptive metadata and accompanying files.
• Figshare Figshare is a platform that allows researchers to store, share, and showcase their research outputs, including datasets, figures, and publications, in a way that is citable, discoverable, and accessible to others.
• Zenodo Zenodo is an open-access repository that enables researchers to share and preserve their research outputs, including publications, datasets, and software, in a way that ensures long-term accessibility and citation.
• Dryad Dryad is an open data publishing platform and community focused on making research data freely available and routinely reusable. Our vision is to accelerate discovery and translate research into societal benefits. We promote open data practices through collaboration with academic institutions, research funders, and publishers.
• Viewer Gap Analysis It is currently unknown how well the world's genebank collections represent the full genetic diversity of existing crop landraces. To address this, geographically-specific data on unique landrace diversity is needed to guide future collection efforts and fill gaps in ex situ conservation. To support this, the CGIAR Landrace Gap Analysis Team has developed a geospatial modeling framework to enhance the collection of crop landraces (Ramirez-Villegas et al., 2020). This method combines passport, characterization, and genetic data of conserved landraces with geospatial environmental and anthropogenic information. Advanced modeling techniques are used to predict potential geographic gaps in ex situ conservation collections, particularly concerning landrace genetic diversity.
• System-wide Information Network for Genetic Resources (SINGER) The System-wide Information Network for Genetic Resources (SINGER) is a platform for information exchange among the Future Harvest Centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and its partner organizations.
• German Federation for Biological Data (GFBio) The German Federation for Biological Data (GFBio) is a national initiative that provides infrastructure and support for the storage, management, and sharing of biological data. It is designed to ensure the availability and accessibility of biological data for researchers, offering a platform for data integration and collaboration in the biological sciences.
• Cell Press Cell Press is a leading publisher of scientific journals, specializing in life sciences. It publishes a wide range of journals covering biomedical research, molecular biology, chemistry, and more. Cell Press is known for its high-impact publications, including Cell, Neuron, and Cancer Cell, contributing to the advancement of scientific knowledge and fostering collaboration in the scientific community.
• Collaborative Open Plant Omics (COPO) Collaborative Open Plant Omics (COPO) is an open-source platform designed to support the management, sharing, and integration of large-scale omics data related to plants. It facilitates collaboration among researchers, scientists, and institutions working on plant genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and other omics fields. COPO provides a framework for researchers to organize and analyze plant-related omics data efficiently, allowing for data sharing, reproducible research, and collaborative analysis across the global plant science community.
• European Infrastructure for Life Science Data (ELIXIR) The European Infrastructure for Life Science Data (ELIXIR) is a pan-European organization that provides a collaborative infrastructure for the management, integration, and analysis of life science data. Established in 2013, ELIXIR aims to facilitate access to high-quality data and computational resources for researchers, organizations, and institutions across Europe and beyond. It supports the life sciences community by enabling the sharing and effective use of biological data, ensuring that data is stored, organized, and made accessible in a way that supports research and innovation.
• Plants, People, Planet Plants, People, Planet is an interdisciplinary scientific journal that focuses on the connections between plant science, sustainability, and global challenges affecting people and the environment. It publishes research on topics such as agriculture, biodiversity, plant breeding, and ecosystem services, aiming to bridge the gap between plant science and its impact on society and the planet.
• Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) PNAS is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the National Academy of Sciences. It covers a broad range of scientific disciplines, including biology, chemistry, physics, and social sciences. PNAS publishes original research, reviews, and scientific reports, contributing to the advancement of scientific knowledge and the dissemination of findings to the global scientific community.
• Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) The Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) is a widely used bioinformatics tool that allows researchers to compare biological sequences, such as DNA, RNA, or protein sequences, to databases of known sequences. It identifies regions of local similarity between sequences, which helps in the understanding of functional and evolutionary relationships between species.
• Journal of Peasant Studies The Journal of Peasant Studies is an academic journal that focuses on the political economy, culture, and rural development in agrarian societies. It publishes articles on topics such as land rights, agriculture, rural labor, peasant movements, and social change in rural areas. The journal aims to provide critical insights into the experiences of peasants and the global struggles of rural communities. It serves as a platform for interdisciplinary research, exploring the relationship between global capitalism, local contexts, and rural livelihoods.
• GRIN Global Descriptors It provides the classification and nomenclature for genetic resources and for many other economic plants on a worldwide basis. Included in GRIN-Global Taxonomy are scientific names for 28,094 genera (14,723 accepted), 1,422 infragenera (1,350 accepted), and 129,994 species or infraspecies (71,326 accepted) with common names, geographical distributions, literature references, and economic importance.

Ontologies

• European Search Catalogue for Plant Genetic Resources (EURISCO) The European Search Catalogue for Plant Genetic Resources (EURISCO) provides access to data on over 2 million plant accessions, including both crop species and their wild relatives, preserved ex situ by approximately 400 institutes. EURISCO operates through a network of national inventories across 43 member countries, playing a vital role in conserving the world's agrobiological diversity by offering detailed information about the genetic resources held by partner institutions. From 2003 to 2014, EURISCO was hosted and managed by Bioversity International in Rome, Italy. Since 2014, it has been maintained by the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) in Gatersleben, Germany. The primary objective of EURISCO is to serve as a comprehensive information hub for the scientific community and plant breeders. It contains both passport and phenotypic data.
• Crop Wild Relatives at Bioversity International It was created within the framework of the UNEP-GEF supported project "In situ conservation of crop wild relatives through enhanced information management and field application" (2004-2010). The portal further expanded under the EU-ACP funded project "In situ conservation and use of crop wild relatives in three ACP countries of the SADC region" (2014-2016) and is now being maintained and updated under the Darwin Initiative funded project "Bridging agriculture and environment: Southern Africa crop wild relative regional network" (2019-2022).
• Mansfeld Database on Agricultural and Horticultural Crops It is an online database developed at IPK since 1998. It contains information on 6,100 crop plant species, excluding forestry and ornamental plants. Each species entry provides nomenclature and synonymy, common names in different languages, spontaneous distribution and regions of cultivation, uses, images, references, but also the ancestral species and notes on the phylogeny, variation and history.
• Crop ontology The Crop Ontology project is the creation of the Generation Challenge Programme (GCP), which understood from its inception the importance of controlled vocabularies and ontologies for the digital annotation of data. The project will continue the incremental validation and refinement of the Crop Ontology, which involves adding methods of trait measurement and experiments to enable the mapping of ontology terms onto measured, stored or published variables.The Crop Ontology is a key element of the Integrated Breeding Platform
• PLAZA It is a versatile and comprehensible resource for users wanting to explore genome information to study different aspects of plant biology, both in model and non-model organisms.
• AgBioData It is a consortium of agricultural biological databases with the mission of consolidating standards and best practices for acquiring, displaying, and reusing genomic, genetic, and breeding (GGB) data.
• Sol Genomics Network It is a database and website dedicated to the genomic information of the nightshade family, which includes species such as tomato, potato, pepper, petunia and eggplant.
• EUPVP - Common catalogue The common catalogues of varieties of agricultural plant and vegetable species list the varieties which can be marketed in the EU.
• WFO Plant List The WFO Plant List is one of the most comprehensive and authoritative lists of the world’s plants, maintained by the global community of taxonomic experts as a free and open-access resource.
• Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin It is a grammatical dictionary of botanical latin provided by the Missouri Botanical Garden.
• Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) KEGG is a database resource designed to interpret the high-level functions and utilities of biological systems, including cells, organisms, and ecosystems, using molecular-level data, particularly large-scale datasets produced by genome sequencing and other high-throughput technologies. For details on new and updated features, refer to the release notes dated October 1, 2024.
• OMA browser The OMA (Orthologous Matrix) project is a database and method for inferring orthologs across complete genomes, characterized by its broad scope, high-quality inferences, feature-rich web interface, and frequent updates (twice a year). It also allows users to run the OMA pipeline on custom genomic or transcriptomic data using stand-alone software, enabling the integration of precomputed and custom data.

Other descriptors

• FAOLEX FAOLEX is a comprehensive and up-to-date legislative and policy database, one of the world's largest online repositories of national laws, regulations and policies on food, agriculture and natural resources management.

• EPPO Global Database (GD) The EPPO Global Database (GD) is a freely accessible web-based database maintained by the Secretariat of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO). It provides EPPO member countries' National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs) with rapid and easy access to all pest-specific information produced or collected by EPPO.
• WheatIS WheatIS is a project to create an International Wheat Information System supporting the global wheat research community. Its main goal is to provide a unified web-based system for accessing data resources and bioinformatics tools. Key principles include collective development, incremental implementation, quality assurance, open-access data exchange, a distributed system, and the use of cloud technologies to enhance data sharing and platform visibility.