Genebank Resilience Tested as Pandemic Enters Second Year

CGIAR genebanks manage the largest and most widely used collections of crop diversity in the world. Together, these 11 genebanks conserve more than 700,000 different samples of cereals, grain legumes, forages, roots, tubers and even bananas and trees. The lockdown measures over the past year have had major impacts on genebank operations, varying both geographically and by crop. Staffing had to be reduced to maintain social distancing, or to protect vulnerable personnel. Genebanks in Latin America were most affected, with the tissue culture collections facing the greatest challenges. Managers estimate operations were running at 36 percent to 77 percent of normal levels. Furthermore, plants that are maintained only in the field were affected in several centers because staff were unable to travel to field sites. Although major losses were prevented in 2020, they may not be so easily preventable in 2021 as there is now reduced safety duplication. With some parts of the world now growing in optimism from the rollout of vaccines in 2021, the genebanks are also looking for brighter prospects on the horizon.