From exploration to use of germplasm with GIS
GIS technology can facilitate the use of germplasm and predict its likely impact. A breeding program can weigh the likely impact of a range of improved materials and then concentrate on the most promising. An example is provided by recent work at CIP on frost tolerance in potato, in which a growth simulation model was used in conjunction with high-resolution monthly climate surfaces of southern Peru and northern Bolivia to predict the effect of increasing frost tolerance on the yield of a standard variety.
Estimating the impact of improved germplasm with GIS illustrates how you can integrate this technology into the entire process of plant genetic resources management. After assessing the likely impact of a promising material (for example, a potato variety more tolerant to frost), you can use data on the occurrence of frost severity in the Andes to analyze sites where this material was collected in the past and identify germplasm held in genebanks that could be used to develop the proposed product. If sufficient germplasm is not available, climatic data can be used to identify areas for further collecting by superimposing maps of frost severity and potato cultivation, or by running the collecting localities of frost-tolerant accessions until you obtain promising material. GIS is then used to identify appropriate evaluation sites. The best material coming out of the evaluation is then used to develop the hoped-for-use product, whose actual performance is finally fed back into the impact model to start the cycle all over again.
