Crop Genebank Knowledge Base

Monitoring

Monitoring in field banks of forage grass genetic resources

Contributors to this page: ILRI, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Jean Hanson); CIAT, Cali, Colombia (Rainer Schultze-Kraft); Bioversity International/ILRI, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Alexandra Jorge).

Germplasm testing in field banks

When field banks are established from seeds, use the same procedures as for viability in forage seed genebanks.

Health diagnosis in field banks

It should be carried out annually or if any disease symptoms are noticed.
When established from seeds use the same procedures as for health in forage seed genebanks.
The same pests and disease apply for field grown plants.

Routine monitoring of field banks

Methods and frequency

Survival rates - Check survival monthly (most forage grasses that have to be maintained in a field genebank are perennial and regular monitoring is important to ensure survival).
Vigour - Record vigour monthly.
Pests and diseases - Inspect for pests and diseases monthly (this is sufficient to identify any pests or diseases and rescue the plants if problems are detected).
Replacement by other weeds - Rogue out plants of other species regularly and at flowering time. Check taxonomy at least once in a year.

Recording information during routine monitoring of field genebanks

The following information should be recorded for each step:

Accession number (an ID number).
Genus (genus name of the plant, entered in full).
Species (species name of the plant, entered in full).
Field genebank site name (a code to indicate the site of seed production).
Plot number (the plot number at the production site).
Date of monitoring (date when data is collected).
Name of staff (name of staff recording the data).
Damage [a score of 1-5 (where 5 is damaged) on amount of damage (specifying insect, disease etc)].
Vigour [assessment of vigour of the plants on a scale of 1-5 (where 5 is high)].