Report of a Working Group on Wheat

The Third Meeting of the ECPGR Wheat Working Group was held 15-17 May 2012 in Piešt'any, Slovakia, involving 23 WG members and 5 observers. The meeting was organized in collaboration with the Plant Production Research Centre (PPRC) Piešt'any. An inventory of precise genetic stock collections in Europe and their status of conservation was presented and an ad hoc group was created to carry forward the project. The status of the European Databases on Wheat, Secale and Triticale was presented. The list of descriptors used for the ECPGR Wheat Database (EWDB) was revised. The meeting discussed the relationship between EURISCO and the Central Crop Databases and was looking forward to the development of EURISCO as a reliable unique database that could and should serve all the current needs of the Working Groups. A full day was dedicated to the initiative for “A European Genebank Integrated System” (AEGIS). The Group agreed on criteria for the identification of Most Appropriate Accessions to be included in the European Collection and a detailed workplan was developed for Triticum and Aegilops. Regarding the AEGIS Quality Management System (AQUAS) the Group agreed to adopt the FAO Genebank Standards. A protocol for dormancy breaking, viability testing and multiplication of Aegilops and other wild cereals would be prepared. The last day of the meeting included a visit to the PPRC Genebank and a number of scientific and technical presentations.