The Eleventh Regional Wheat Workshop For Eastern ... - Cimmyt

Increasing y ield potential for marginal areas using genetic resources collections - Skovmand and Reynolds
wheats using embryo rescue, followed by chromosome doubling using colchicine (Mujeeb­
Kazi, 1995).
Access to genetic resources
Key to the access to wheat genetic resources is the development of a database, or
interconnected systems of databases, with the capacity to manage and integrate all wheat
information, including passport, characterization and evaluation data. In the early 1990s,
CIMMYT's Wheat Program established just such a strategy for integrating and managing all
data pertaining to germplasm regardless of where they were generated (Skovrnand et ai.,
1998). The goal was to facilitate the unambiguous identification of wheat genetic resources
and remove barriers to handling and accessing information. As a result, the International
Wheat Information System (lWIS), a system that seamlessly joins conservation, utilization,
and exchange of genetic material, came into being. The system is fast, user-friendly, and is
available on an annually updated CD-ROM (Skovmand et ai., 2000a). The development of
IWIS by the CIMMYT Wheat Program has led to an international effort to develop the
International Crop Infonnation System (ICIS) which using IWIS as the model, has made the
system more generic to be applicable to different crops (Skovmand et ai., 1998).
IWIS has two major components: the Wheat Pedigree Management System, which assigns
and maintains unique wheat identifiers and genealogies, and the Wheat Data Management
System, which manages perfonnance information and data on known genes. Another
information tool, the Genetic Resource Information Package (GRIP), has been developed
using IWIS as data warehousing; GRIP, as one of its functions, attempts to collate passport
information across gene banks to identify duplications and unique genetic resources
(Skovmand et ai., 2000b).
Who owns it (genetic resources)?
During the 1980s there was an increasing trend towards a greater application of intellectual
property protection (IPP) which contrasted with the 1960s and 70s where IPP on an
international level of plant improvement was seen as a d~triment to progress. The view that
strong IPP could help in maintaining technological leadership has gained respectability,
especially in the United States (Siebeck, 1994). Several international initiatives have resulted,
among these the 1991 strengthening of the upav Convention, which narrowed the breeder's
privilege to use protected cultivars as parents in breeding. However, according to Siebeck
(1994), the most significant initiative were instigated as part of the Multilateral Trade
Negotiating Round in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade which ended in 1993. At
the insistence of the industrial nations, strengthening of IPP was included as a key negotiating
point. The efforts in UPOV and GATT to widen IPP on inventions and breeding technology
were paralleled by efforts to regulate international access to genetic resources.
F AO established the "International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources" in 1983 (F AO,
1983), and this Undertaking was an attempt to stop genetic erosion and protect genetic
resources. At the outset, the Undertaking subscribed to the rule of free interchange of
germplasm, and recognized plant genetic resources as "heritage of mankind". However, later
disagreements arose over ownership of genetic resources and in 1989 the idea of
compensation was introduced which was again modified in 1991 when FAO adopted a
resolution of the common heritage principle but subordinated it to "the sovereignty of states".
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