CIMMYT 1988 Annual report: Delivering diversity

Abstract

To evoke the theme of this Annual Report, our front cover features the phrase "delivering diversity." In one sense this phrase denotes the conveyance of genetic diversity through germplasm dissemination. In a second sense it suggests the rescue of diversity, to which the CG system contributes through collection, storage, regeneration, and networking activities in various centers. The phrase thus captures both the conservation and utilization of genetic resources. By plant genetic resources we mean landraces, obsolete cultivars, and wild relatives-the earlier definition of the term-as well as modern materials emerging from current breeding efforts-a recent addition to the concept. As for the first part of our definition, we conserve and characterize, ensuring widespread access to the materials and to information describing them. Toward the future, especially if the promise of molecular biology and new science is realized, these genetic resources will become ever more valuable to the global community. As for the second aspect of our definition, the continually emerging products of plant breeding, we focus on the current needs of developing countries, again emphasizing widespread access. These germplasm products result from the combined efforts of CIMMYT and colleagues around the world, together comprising an international network integrating the energies, expertise, and experience of hundreds. Within this network each generation of improved products rests on preceding generations and to a growing extent on collections of older materials-especially for specialized materials with tolerance to particular stresses. In this Annual Report we reflect the two dimensions of our work in genetic resources-conservation and utilization-and the growing interaction between them.