International Cultivar Registration Authority

International Cultivar Registration Authority
Name	International Cultivar Registration Authority
Formation	1950s
Type	Registration authority
Purpose	Cultivar nomenclature and registration
Region served	Worldwide
Parent organization	International Society for Horticultural Science

Contents

International Cultivar Registration Authority The International Cultivar Registration Authority coordinates cultivar names across horticultural and botanical communities to maintain nomenclatural stability, linking stakeholders such as Royal Horticultural Society, International Society for Horticultural Science, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations, and International Union for Conservation of Nature. It operates within frameworks established by the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants, the International Organization for Standardization, and collaborates with institutions such as the Kew Gardens and the Smithsonian Institution to document cultivars across continents including Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, and Oceania.

Overview and Purpose

The Authority serves to prevent duplicate cultivar names and to provide authoritative records used by entities like Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Missouri Botanical Garden, Jardin des Plantes, United States Department of Agriculture, and the European Commission. Its remit aligns with principles from the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants and interacts with regulatory frameworks such as the UPOV Convention and standards from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Users include breeders represented by the International Seed Federation, conservationists from the World Wide Fund for Nature, and academic researchers at universities like University of Cambridge, Harvard University, and University of Tokyo.

The practice of cultivar registration emerged alongside botanical garden networks exemplified by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and plant societies such as the Royal Horticultural Society and the American Horticultural Society. Early coordination involved figures and institutions linked to the International Horticultural Congress and the postwar establishment of international bodies including the Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The codification of cultivated plant nomenclature developed in parallel with the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature and later the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants, influenced by registry initiatives at institutions like the Missouri Botanical Garden and national agencies such as the United States Department of Agriculture.

Governance models draw on practices from the International Society for Horticultural Science and accreditation approaches similar to those of the International Organization for Standardization and the World Intellectual Property Organization. Accreditation of specific registration authorities often involves collaboration with botanical authorities such as Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and legal frameworks influenced by the UPOV Convention and the European Patent Office. Decision-making bodies mirror structures found in organizations like the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the International Botanical Congress, while advisory roles include experts affiliated with universities such as University of Oxford and research centers like the John Innes Centre.

Registration protocols conform to the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants and rely on documentation standards used by databases like Plants of the World Online and herbaria such as the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Submissions often require provenance details similar to those maintained by the United States Department of Agriculture germplasm collections and cultivar descriptions paralleling standards at the National Botanic Garden of Belgium and the Australian National Botanic Gardens. Data exchange aligns with metadata practices from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and quality assurance procedures from the International Organization for Standardization.

National plant registration schemes interact with international registries in ways comparable to the relationship between the European Commission and member states, or between the United States Department of Agriculture and state agencies. International coordination involves entities such as the International Society for Horticultural Science, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the Food and Agriculture Organization, while national roles are filled by organizations like the Royal Horticultural Society, the American Horticultural Society, the National Institute of Agricultural Botany, and botanical gardens including Kew Gardens and the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Critiques echo debates seen in forums involving the World Intellectual Property Organization, the UPOV Convention, and the European Patent Office about intellectual property, access, and benefit-sharing. Challenges include coordination issues comparable to those faced by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and the Convention on Biological Diversity, data standardization debates similar to those in the International Organization for Standardization, and resource constraints reminiscent of concerns raised by the Food and Agriculture Organization. Equity and indigenous rights discussions reference instruments and actors like the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the Convention on Biological Diversity's Nagoya Protocol.

Notable registration authorities and programs are associated with institutions such as the Royal Horticultural Society for garden plants, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew for taxonomic expertise, the Missouri Botanical Garden for regional floras, and national schemes at the National Institute of Agricultural Botany and the Australian National Botanic Gardens. Plant groups commonly managed by registries include orchids overseen by societies related to the Royal Horticultural Society and the American Orchid Society, roses linked to the Royal National Rose Society and the World Federation of Rose Societies, and fruit cultivars connected to the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants and national agricultural research institutes like the Institut national de la recherche agronomique.

Category:Horticulture Category:Plant taxonomy Category:Botanical nomenclature