1ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Regional Station, Hyderabad-500030, Telangana, India
2Agricultural Education Division, ICAR Headquarters, Pusa Campus, New Delhi-110012, India
31-19-62, HIG B-1, A.S. Rao Nagar, Hyderabad-500062, Telangana, India
*Author for Correspondence: Email-n.sivaraj@icar.gov.in
Online Published on 07 November, 2022.
Geographical information system (GIS) tools have enormous applications in management of plant genetic reources (PGR). GIS in conjunction with passport/herbarium/gene bank databases serves in geo-referencing, diversity distribution mspping and and predicting suitable sites for future collection of crop species and threatened taxa. They have been used in ecogeographic surveys for locating diversity, planning field exploration and collecting of PGR. They are also useful for identification of PGR conservation areas and individual species, species-rich areas and vegetation types that are not represented or under represented under conservation programs. In terms of biosecurity, GIS applications can be effectively used in locating hotspots, spread of pests and pathogens, develop early warning systems, build risk assessment models, assist in site specific protection measures etc. These technologies and applications developed in response to a wide range of needs are nowadays an indispensable tool in the management of PGR.
