Crop Research Institute
— CRI —
Competence: The Crop Research Institute (CRI) is the leading public research institute devoted to crop production research in the Czech Republic, focused on basic and applied research in plant genetics, nutrition, crop protection, and quality of plant products and safety of food and feedstuffs. Via the Czech Gene Bank it coordinates the National Program for Conservation and Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources and Agrobiodiversity. R&D Infrastructure: The Division of Plant Genetics and Breeding ensures research in departments of Gene Bank, Molecular Genetics, Plant Breeding, Stress Biology, Cryobiology and Product Quality. The National Gene Bank provides conservation of nearly 50,000 plant genetic resources (PGR) and research of various aspects associated with long-term viability and breeding use. It runs documentation system GRIN Czech and European wheat database and participates in international activities of FAO, ECPGR. The Gene Bank cooperates with all above departments, especially Stress Biology, Molecular Genetics and Plant Breeding, on research projects based on a wide range of PGR diversity and publishes results in domestic and international scientific journals. The main focus of the joint research is on cereals and crop wild relatives and on their use in breeding.
Role within AGENT
CRI is the leader of WP3 - Phenotyping of wheat and barley collections, task leader 3.1. To utilise phenotypic legacy data including climate data records accrued over decades of conservation management and 3.2 Develop a pan-European GB Phenotyping network. CRI within WP3 will generate and collect data important for all other WPs and will participate partly in all other WPs.