The USDA Pearl Millet Germplasm Collection.

The USDA National Plant Germplasm System pearl millet collection is maintained at the Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit located in Griffin, Ga.  The germplasm collection contains 1297 unique accessions collected from 31 different countries.  The majority of the accessions were collected or donated from Zimbabwe, India, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso.  Over 98% of the accessions are available for distribution and 100% of the germplasm is backed up at a second location.  Material is regenerated at the USDA facility in St. Croix, Virgin Islands.  There are 24 descriptors available online at the USDA, Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) website including descriptors on basic morphology (e.g. leaf length, spike length), plant growth (e.g. plant uniformity, forage potential), seed maturity, seed weight, and image data.  Although the majority of the germplasm has been in storage for over 10 years, the viability has remained high with rates being >80% for most of seed inventories.  Samples of 100 seed per accession are distributed free of charge to those requesting germplasm for research and educational purposes.