Genebank
The Genetic Resources Center (GRC) - Ibadan, Nigeria
IITA’s genebank holds the plant material (germplasm) of major food crops of Africa. This germplasm is held in trust on behalf of humanity under the auspices of the United Nations. It is distributed without restriction for use in research for food and agriculture.IITA’s conservation activities started in the mid-seventies with the establishment of a genebank. Depending on species, collections are either stored in field-, seed-, or in vitro genebanks.
Scope and collections
- IITA’s genebank, also known as the Genetic Resources Center (GRC), is based at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria.
- It holds tens of thousands of crop accessions — representing the world’s largest collection of cowpea germplasm and extensive collections of maize, soybean, Bambara groundnut, African yam bean, wild Vigna, and other legumes.
- The genebank also conserves clonal crops such as banana, cassava, and yam, using storage methods distinct from seed storage.
How the genebank operates
Types of conservation
- Seed bank: Seeds are dried and stored under controlled conditions — typically medium-term (about 5 °C) and long-term (about –20 °C) cold storage — to prolong viability and preserve genetic integrity.
- Field genebank: For crops that cannot be stored as seeds (like cassava and banana), living plants are maintained in field collections.
- In Vitro and cryopreservation: Tissue cultures are used for medium-term conservation of clonal crops, and advanced cryopreservation techniques (liquid nitrogen storage) help ensure long-term viability.
Global collaboration and safety
- The GRC operates within the CGIAR genebank network and under the provisions of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) — meaning the genetic material is held “in trust” and made broadly available for research, breeding, and agricultural development.
- To protect against loss, safety duplicates of many accessions are stored at international facilities such as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and other genebanks abroad.
Activities beyond storage
The genebank’s work isn’t just about holding seeds — it also involves:
- Collection and acquisition of genetic materials from farmers’ fields and national programs across Africa.
- Characterization and documentation of accessions using morphological and molecular methods to capture genetic diversity.
- Regeneration of materials when seed viability drops below thresholds, ensuring long-term usability.
- Distribution of germplasm to breeders, researchers, universities, and national research systems around the world.
Why it matters
- Food security: Conserving crop genetic diversity ensures breeders have access to traits for disease resistance, climate adaptability, improved nutrition, and yield stability.
- Climate resilience: Indigenous African legumes like Bambara groundnut and African yam bean — conserved in the genebank — hold valuable genes for drought tolerance and nutritional quality.
- Sustainable agriculture: The genebank supports crop improvement programs that strengthen smallholder farming systems across sub-Saharan Africa.