The International Coconut Genetic Resources Network (COGENT): its history, achievements and future plans

摘要

The Coconut Genetic Resources Network (COGENT) was established in 1992 by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) under the aegis of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). To date it has made some modest achievements. It has successfully developed and disseminated worldwide the International Coconut Genetic Resources Database (CGRD) containing passport and characterisation data and images of 1,416 accessions which are conserved by national programsin 28 sites in 23 countries. To provide double security for the conserved germplasm and a more effective mechanism for access and safe germplasm movement, it established the COGENT multisite International Coconut Genebank (ICG), which conserves, evaluates and shares about 200 important accessions in each of five geographic regions. Coconut varieties with multipurpose uses are being identified, documented, conserved and promoted in 15 countries. The performance of high-yielding hybrids and farmers' varietal preferences in nine countries are being evaluated. To strengthen the coconut research capability of member countries of COGENT, 39 country needs assessment missions were conducted. Also, 41 workshops and meetings involving 994 coconut researchers, 40training courses involving 765 participants from 41 countries, and 274 research and training and capacity-building activities in 30 countries were supported. To enhance the efficiency of global research, COGENT helped establish and is currently coordinating the Global Coconut Research for Development Programme (PROCORD), a global coconut research alliance with the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community (APCC) and Bureau for the Development of Research on Tropical Perennial Oil Crops (BUROTROP), Centre deCooperation Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Developpement (CIRAD).