SINGER: Crop Germplasm Database from CGIAR Research Centers

The System-wide Information Network for Genetic Resources (SINGER) provides access to information on over half a million samples of crop, forage, and tree germplasm held by 11 International Agricultural Research Centres. Established in 1994, this relational database is continuously updated and is searchable by taxonomy, geographic source, accession identification, and characterization results. It is maintained by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

Use Cases

• Identify germplasm accessions for breeding programs based on taxonomic and geographic source search criteria.
• Track material transfer recipients and provenance based on accession identification data.
• Analyze genetic diversity and characterization results for specific crop collections.
• Support sustainable management of plant genetic resources based on shared knowledge and best practices mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Contains information on over half a million germplasm samples.
• Links databases from 11 Future Harvest Centers with genebanks.
• Searchable by multiple criteria including five descriptors.
• Continuously updated to provide the latest information.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count for the aggregated dataset is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and its International Agricultural Research Centres.

Collection Method

Information exchange network linking the relational databases of 11 participating centers.

Time Range

Data collection ongoing since at least 1994.

Freshness

Continuously updated, but specific recency is unknown.

Geography

Global, based on the geographic sources of the germplasm collections held by CGIAR centers.