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Rice Germplasm and Genetics Project
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USDA Agricultural Research Service World Rice Collection

The mission of the National Plant Germplasm System is to maintain seedstocks of cultivars (also called “germplasm”) collected from around the world as a means of preserving global genetic diversity. Within this system is a collection of some 19,000 rice varieties that have been maintained for decades. These varieties serve as a resource for a wide diversity of natural genes and traits that help in the development of new rice varieties. The Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center is the only USDA-ARS location where this rice collection is grown, seed rejuvenated, and genomic and trait characteristics are determined. The seed is sent to the National Small Grains Collection located in Aberdeen, ID where it is distributed to researchers around the world. Orders for seed and the collected trait data can be found at http://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/.