Registration of Plant Genetic Materials: An Avenue for Access and Use of Valuable Plant Genetic Resources.

Beginning in 1926 and continuing through today (80+ years), over 11,000 crop genetic materials have been registered through Crop Science Registration. The registration process is a critical pathway for public description and documention of genetic materials.  Of upmost importance, once registered, these genetic materials are incorporated into the public domain via the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS). As the global exchange of genetic materials continues to evolve, so have the guidelines for crop registration, with recognition not only intellectually property rights, but also of international treaties, such as the International Treaty on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Interest in the use of these genetic materials remains strong with over 9,000 registered accessions distributed over the past 26 years.  Together with 1) the advent of the new Journal of Plant Registrations; 2) the facilitated search capabilities of GRIN; 3) the development and definition of genetic materials needing registration (cultivars, germplasm, genetic stocks, parental lines and mapping populations); and 4) the recognition and allowance of IPR rights: the registration of crops is a healthy viable dynamic registration system to meet the needs of breeders over the next 80 years.