The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has extended the facilities of its International Rice Genebank to the National Plant Genetic Resources Laboratory (NPGRL) in the Institute of Plant Breeding , University of the Philippines Los Baños (IPB-UPLB) to temporarily store its medium-term germplasm collections of major Philippine agricultural crops after typhoon Milenyo damaged its genebank facilities.

These crops consist of cereals, food legumes, forage/pasture, plantation/industrial, root crops, medicinal plants and spices, fruit trees, nut trees, ornamentals, small fruits, botanical collection, vegetables, and unclassified recent introductions.

As of October 2002, a total of 45,978 germplasms were stored in the NPGRL genebank until Milenyo struck.

Prof. Tess Borromeo and researcher Nestor Altoveros of IPB revealed that 70 percent of the genetic materials (350 accessions) stored in the NPGRL were damaged by floodwaters and mud, while 100 percent of the laboratory's root crop collections were buried in mud.

On the other hand, an "optimistic estimate" indicated that 5 percent of the laboratory's total seed collections were also damaged.

More importantly, floodwater and mud flows rendered inoperational four convirons (controlled environment facilities where germplasm collections are stored), without which the germplasm will lose their long-term viability.

These convirons or cold storage facilities, including a standby generator, sustained damages estimated at P20 million.

IPB Crop Science Cluster Director Jose E. Hernandez expects the NPGRL facilities to be back in normal operation within 11 to 12 months. "We also expect a minimum of 1 month before electric supply to IPB returns to normal."

Ruaraidh Sackville Hamilton, the head of the IRRI Genebank said, "We are committed to doing everything we can to help our local colleagues get through this difficult period. Genebanks are fundamental to a country's ability to feed itself and maintain its agricultural productivity."

The NPGRL, one of the component units of the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB), College of Agriculture , University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), maintains these germplasm collections and serves as the national center in plant genetic resources activities.

It aims to provide IPB and the national crop improvement programs a broad range of genetic materials for breeding of superior crop varieties and help minimize the rapid erosion of natural variability existing in cultivated species and their wild relatives.

The NPGRL, established on 12 November 1976 by Presidential Decree 1046-A, is the world base collection center for germplasm of winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus), snake gourd (Trichosanthes spp.), bitter groud (Momordica charantia), and wax gourd (Benincasa hispida). It also holds the duplicate world collection of mungbean (Vigna radiata), the Asian collection of tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum), and the world's largest collection of Musa balbisiana (banana).

The NPGRL conserves for national posterity the endemic and introduced plant genetic resources; provides plant breeding projects in the national research system with a broad genetic base for crop improvement; and monitors and coordinates national efforts in the collection, conservation, utilization, and exchange of plant genetic resources.