The in trust sweetpotato collection housed by the International Center of Potato (CIP) is one of the largest assemblages of plant material representing the genetic resources of this important staple crop. The collection currently contains almost 6,000 accessions of Ipomoea batatas (cultivated sweetpotato) and over 1,000 accessions of sweetpotato crop wild relatives (CWRs). In this study, the entire cultivated collection (5,979 accessions) was genotyped with a panel of 20 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers to assess genetic identity, diversity, and population structure. Genotyping and phenotyping of in vitro plantlets and mother plants were conducted simultaneously on 2,711 accessions (45% of the total collection) to identify and correct possible genetic identity errors which could have occurred at any time over the thirty plus years of maintenance in the in vitro collection. Within this group, 533 accessions (19.6%) had errors in identity. Field evaluations of morphological descriptors were carried out to confirm the marker data. A phylogenetic tree was constructed to reveal the intraspecific relationships in the population which uncovered high levels of redundancy in material from Peru and Latin America. These genotypic data were supported by morphological data. Population structure analysis demonstrated support for four ancestral populations with many of the accessions having lower levels of gene flow from the other populations. This was especially true of germplasm derived from Peru, Ecuador, and Africa. The set of 20 SSR markers was subsequently utilized to examine a subset of 189 accessions from the USDA sweetpotato germplasm collection and to identify and reconcile potential errors in the identification of clones shared between these collections. Marker analysis demonstrated that the USDA subset of material had 65 unique accessions that were not found in the larger CIP collection. As far as the authors are aware, this is the first report of genotyping an entire sweetpotato germplasm collection in its entirety.

Conserving the genetic diversity of potato is critical for the long-term future of potato improvement programs. Further, it is the social and ethical responsibility of the present generation to ensure future generations have the same opportunities to use, exploit, and benefit from the genetic diversity that exists today. Genebanks and the ex situ conservation of potato genetic resources are the only way to ensure this happens; in situ conservation plays a complementary role, but it can never ensure that the vast diversity that exists on earth today is still there for use in the future. Material in ex situ genebanks not only serve as a reservoir of ready-to-use genetic material when needed but also provide invaluable tools for research now and in the future of cultivated potato and its wild relatives.

The maintenance of plant germplasm and its genetic diversity is critical to preserving and making it available for food security, so this invaluable diversity is not permanently lost due to population growth and development, climate change, or changing needs from the growers and/or the marketplace. There are numerous genebanks worldwide that serve to preserve valuable plant germplasm for humankind’s future and to serve as a resource for research, breeding, and training. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) and the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) both have a network of plant germplasm collections scattered across varying geographical locations preserving genetic resources for the future. Besides the USDA and CGIAR, there are germplasm collections established in many countries across the world that also aim to preserve crop and plant collections. Due to the advancement of technology, genotyping and sequencing whole genomes of plant germplasm collections is now feasible. Data from genotyping can help define genetic diversity within a collection, identify genetic gaps, reveal genetic redundancies and verify uniqueness, enable the comparison of collections of the same crop across genebanks (rationalization), and determine errors or mix-ups in genetic identity that may have occurred in a germplasm collection. Large-scale projects, such as genotyping germplasm collections, require strategic planning and the development of best practices. This article details strategies and best practices to consider when genotyping whole collections, considerations for the identity verification of germplasm and determining genetic replicates, quality management systems (QMS)/QC genotyping, and some use cases.

Latin America (Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America) is a megadiverse region. From Mexico and the Caribbean, through Central America to the Amazon and Andes, Latin America's botanical diversity contributes significantly to global food production and security, as it is the region of domestication for crops essential to human survival, including maize, potato, cassava, sweet potato, and beans. However, Latin America is also one of the most threatened regions with massive loss of native habitat where cultivars of these domesticated crops and their wild relatives, invaluable for new traits important for the adaptation to the abiotic and biotic challenges from climate change, currently exist. Many of these crops are vegetatively propagated, and their unique allelic makeup is crucial to conserve. Unfortunately, these unique genotypes cannot be conserved as seed and are at risk of vanishing forever due to the lack of secure conservation methods. The Global Plant Cryopreservation Initiative (GPCI) is addressing this challenge by providing a secure, long-term method for conserving plant diversity which cannot be conserved as botanical seed. The Latin America hub for the GPCI, at the International Potato Center (CIP) in Peru, is a model for how to mobilize and build capacity at the country level through national programs to conserve their genetic resources. Starting with a regional in-person workshop in 2022, CIP has maintained momentum for a plant cryopreservation network in Latin America by holding annual regional virtual cryopreservation meetings. CIP provided in-person capacity training for Latin American researchers in plant genetic resources conservation, with a special focus on cryopreservation. CIP has also implemented national plant cryopreservation programs in Ecuador and Chile, which include backing up their accessions in CIP's "cryo-vault." These activities provide the foundation for the future of a strong, lasting plant cryopreservation community of practice throughout Latin America.