Highlights of meetings

Ad hoc Meeting of the Database Managers and First Meeting of the ECPGR Solanaceae Working Group, 14-17 February 2012, Menemen, Turkey

Documentation

  • Database managers realized that efforts made to improve the quality of the Central Crop Databases (CCDBs) are often not reflected in EURISCO. On the other hand, EURISCO is not hosting sufficiently detailed crop-specific data to be used for the analysis of the collections (for gaps, duplicates, etc.). A recommendation was made that EURISCO should be improved in a way that it can serve to identifying AEGIS candidate accessions. EURISCO should therefore host all the crop-specific data that are necessary to analyse the existing European collections, as well as the standardized minimum characterization data. Such an approach should eliminate the duplication of efforts currently dedicated to the CCDBs. The recommendation will be channelled to the ECPGR Documentation and Information Network.
  • It was proposed that CCDB managers become responsible for checking the quality of a crop-specific part of the data in EURISCO. They could monitor these data for quality, consistency and gaps and seek that appropriate adjustments be made by the data providers in the original data and consequently in the National Inventories and in EURISCO.  The Solanaceae database managers (Tomato, Eggplant, Pepper, Pepino, Physalis and Cyphomandra) will start operating as responsible for the monitoring of the respective crop data in EURISCO, entering in contact with data providers and suggesting appropriate adjustments.
  • The Chair will make plans for the organization of an ad hoc meeting to use the “PGR Duplicate Finder” software, currently under development at CGN, on the Solanaceae databases. Participants, date and location of the meeting will be confirmed at a later stage.
  • It was decided to convert into final versions the existing draft minimum descriptor lists for Physalis and Pepino.
  • The Cyphomandra minimum descriptors drafted by the WG will be cross-checked with the expected Bioversity publication, and then finalized.

The European Collection

  • About 200 candidate Solanaceae accessions to be included in the European Collection were identified. The respective holding countries will be approached, in order to seek their formal inclusion into AEGIS.
  • Representatives from Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland and Slovakia expressed their willingness to include additional accessions in the European Collection and will send proposed lists to the WG Chair by May 2012. Unique accessions will then be proposed to the holding countries for inclusion into AEGIS by September 2012.
  •  Representatives from other countries were also invited to include additional accessions in the European Collection and to send proposed lists to the WG Chair by May 2012, aiming to include additional unique lists into AEGIS by September 2012.

AEGIS Quality System (AQUAS)

  • The Group adopted the draft FAO Genebank Standards for the conservation of orthodox seeds and agreed that the genebanks should strive to follow them. No need was felt to develop more stringent crop-specific standards.
  • Representatives from Bulgaria and France intended to make use of the available budget for support for safety-duplication of Solanaceae accessions. They will submit a justified request to the Chair of the WG for subsequent follow-up.

Election of Chair and Vice-Chair

  • Willem van Dooijeweert, The Netherlands, and Marie-Christine Daunay, France, were reconfirmed as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Group.

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