The Genebank Standards for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is intended as a guideline for genebanks conserving plant collections (seeds, live plants and explants). They were developed based on a series of consultations with a large number of experts in seed conservation, cryopreservation, in vitro conservation and field genebanks worldwide. The standards are voluntary and nonbinding and have not been developed through standard-setting procedure. They should be viewed more as targets for developing efficient, effective and rational ex situ conservation in genebanks that provides optimal maintenance of seed viability and genetic integrity, thereby ensuring access to, and use of, high quality seeds of conserved plant genetic resources.
