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Conserving the world’s plant genetic resources (PGR) is critical for ensuring global food security. The genetic diversity contained in those resources will allow plant breeders to improve nutritional quality and to combat future crop disease epidemics, insect infestations, and increased stress due to climate change.

Sustaining the network of genebanks that conserve PGR requires knowledgeable staff with skills in acquiring, maintaining, regenerating, evaluating, documenting, and distributing PGR accessions. This site, dubbed GRIN-U, is aimed at helping recruit new workers and upskill current genebank staff to gain and enhance their skills in these areas. 

Learning materials include videos on cowpea, sorghum, tomato, and potato; virtual tour videos of USDA’s National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation; eBooks on crop wild relatives and a crop science virtual field tour; and infographics explaining USDA’s National Plant Germplasm System and the role of botanic gardens in conserving plant genetic resources. The videos are also available on the YouTube channel youtube.com/GRINUEducation. We hope these materials are useful to you in your teaching or outreach activities.

GRIN-U is supported in part by grant 2020-70003-30930 from the USDA-NIFA Higher Education Challenge Grant Program, administered by Colorado State University. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USDA-NIFA.

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