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Responsibilities
EUROPEAN CENTRAL FORAGES DATABASES 15
The primary collection would:
• Ensure that the material is maintained under long-term conditions in compliance with
international standards (references: FAO/IPGRI Genebank Standards 1994, Guidelines for
the regeneration of accessions in seed collections of the main perennial forage grasses and
legumes of temperate grasslands, this report, Appendix III).
• Ensure that an appropriate safety-duplicate is deposited in a genebank preferably within
another ECP/GR country and that relevant information about this safety-duplication is
provided to the respective European Forage Database Manager (ref. Forages Passport
Descriptors list, Appendix I).
• Respond in reasonable time to germplasm requests. In the case of a shortage of seeds the
requesting party may exceptionally be asked to participate in its multiplication. Requests
which are clearly counter to the spirit of the present initiative (e.g. requests for most
accessions in a collection) can be referred to the Working Group on Forages for arbitration.
• Provide unrestricted access to the declared accessions to bona fide users from ECP/GR
Member Countries (exemption is made for registered varieties, see above) and ensure
through the use of Material Transfer Agreements that receiving parties do the same.
• Endeavour to give high priority to the adequate characterization, evaluation and
documentation of accessions which are part of the European Forages Collection.
• In the case of an impossibility to honour the commitment for long-term conservation,
inform the respective European Forage Database Manager and actively seek a new
'primary collection', willing to maintain the material.
• If a new host genebank cannot be found, maintain the material under long-term condition
for at least another 2 years.
The European Forage Database Manager would:
• Facilitate the repatriation of material by distributing relevant information about
accessions conserved in foreign countries.
• Update the database every 1-2 years and make it available to the collection holders.
• Effect changes to the database when informed by the collection holders.
• Rapidly forward to the 'primary collection' any requests for seed.
• Provide the collection holders and the Working Group with information about the degree
of safety-duplication of the collections.
• Analyze the database and advise the Working Group with regard to duplication or gaps
in the collections, establishment of core collections, planning of collecting missions, etc.
The genebank hosting safety-duplicates would:
• Maintain a sufficient quantity of the safety-duplicated material in long-term storage
conditions in compliance with international standards and under 'black-box arrangement'
(see Appendix II).
• Not distribute the material.
• Clearly designate as safety-duplicate the accessions provided for this purpose and not
include them on index seminae/distribution lists.
• Immediately notify the 'primary collection' in case of any problem with the safetyduplicate.
• Not carry out viability tests.
• Not regenerate the safety-duplicated material.