Conserved material is incorrectly identified
This can only be verified by consulting voucher material or re-identifying
living material which can necessitate a visit to the collection. Clearly
one can be confident of an indentification if it has been carried out by an
expert for the taxonomic group.
Quantity of material conserved is misleading
Genebanks and botanical gardens can duplicate their holdings in
other collections around the world - this can give a misleading
idea of the genetic diversity conserved.
Availability of germplasm is restricted
The germplasm conserved may be unavailable to the potential user
because of restrictions on its supply or because it is conserved
in only small quantities. This is not always clear from catalogues
which could therefore give a false impression of the conservation
status of the taxon.
The status of the material conserved
The target population of a landrace or wild species will have
more intrinsic variation than an advanced cultivar. It is therefore
important to know the status of the sample conserved (e.g.
breeder's line, land-race, advanced cultivar etc.)
