Mango Glossary | Mango Database

Explore Mango Terminology

Browse definitions and growing concepts to expand your mango knowledge.

Showing 1–5 of 5 terms

Germplasm

Germplasm is genetic material maintained or used for conservation, research, or breeding. In mangoes it can be represented by living trees, seeds, or other suitable plant material, accompanied by records that describe its identity and origin. A collection of many unlabeled trees is much less useful than a documented collection. Because seed propagation can change genotype and mango seed is not suited to conventional long-term dry storage, living collections and reliable vegetative propagation have particular importance.

Accession

An accession is a separately identified sample or collection unit maintained in a germplasm collection. A mango accession number helps track a particular introduction or source, which may be a cultivar, a breeding selection, or other material. It is not automatically the same as a commercial variety name, and several accessions can share a name while having different histories. Preserve the number and provenance together when using collection records to investigate identity, performance, or breeding relationships.

GRIN

GRIN stands for Germplasm Resources Information Network, the USDA information system supporting documentation of genetic resources. Plant records can include accession identifiers, taxonomy, collection history, and evaluation information relevant to mango research. It is a reference and collection-management resource, not a guarantee that every cultivar claim found elsewhere is correct or that plant material is available to every requester. Distinguish a documented accession from a commercial nursery name when investigating the identity or history of a mango.

NGRP

NGRP stands for National Genetic Resources Program, the USDA program encompassing conservation of genetic resources important to agriculture. Plants are one part of that wider effort, alongside other kinds of agricultural genetic resources. For mango growers, the practical connection is preservation of living diversity and the information needed to use it in research or breeding. NGRP is not a cultivar, certification label, or nursery rating. Its relationship with GRIN and the National Plant Germplasm System explains why those abbreviations often appear together.

NPGS

NPGS stands for National Plant Germplasm System, a collaborative US system that conserves plant genetic resources for agriculture. Its work includes acquiring, documenting, evaluating, maintaining, and distributing germplasm for appropriate research and improvement uses. Mango accessions in living collections help preserve material that cannot simply be replaced by a packet of ordinary seed. Collection records are valuable for identity research, but an accession's presence does not establish unrestricted public availability or guarantee performance in every growing region.