Beta

The Third meeting of the Technical Consultative Committee of ECPGR, Reykjavík, Iceland, 1985, had recommended that ECPGR enhance collaborative activities for Beta, in its third Phase. Consequently, in 1987, a Beta workshop was convened at the Centre for Plant Genetic Resources, Wageningen, The Netherlands, in order to develop a collaborative programme on Beta genetic resources. In 1989, IPGRI launched the concept of self-sustaining crop networks.
The World Beta Network (WBN), which was founded the same year, served as a model crop within the framework of the new concept. The goal of all crop-specific networks is to improve international collaboration between curators of collections and researchers and users of germplasm and to enable maximum use of the often limited funds for conservation and utilization through task sharing. The WBN is a voluntary association receiving scientific input and financial support from various partners from the public and commercial sectors. WBN has been instrumental in facilitating progress of research on the genus Beta and the utilization of exotic germplasm.

The ECPGR Working Group on Beta was established in 1998, in order to improve the joint management of European Beta collections and the involvement of their curators in international activities. This Working Group is seen as an integral part of the WBN, improving the function of this international network.