accommodate the growing size of collections, to develop and operate desert and subtropical sites, and to regenerate accessions. All of these areas, however, represent current needs of the NPGS, and they are not related to administrative restructuring.

To achieve more centralized national management will require administrative and structural changes to the system and the way it is organized within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Two options are proposed.

Organization Outside the Agricultural Research Service The national system could be established as an independent entity within USDA's Office of Science and Education. It would be responsible for all aspects of the program, including budget formulation, staff, operations, and site management. Funding would encompass the budgets already designated for germplasm activities by ARS and CSRS. This approach would enable the execution of a national germplasm program through a central authority. Furthermore, the leader of the NPGS would report directly to the assistant secretary for science and education, and could be granted authority comparable to the heads of other USDA research agencies.

This new structure would provide the national system with direct lines of leadership and authority, and would enable the NPGS to respond directly to specific needs in establishing priorities, programs, and budgets. It would unambiguously establish the NPGS as an organization whose leaders have greater visibility and control of budgets, policies, and operations and more direct line authority over sites and individuals. Program and budget guidance would be provided by the NPGRB, which represents both the participating agencies and offices and the user community.

However, this option has potential disadvantages. Outside ARS, the NPGS would stand alone as a relatively small program, competing for budgets and political support against three much larger, well-established USDA science and education agencies, the ARS, the CSRS, and the Cooperative Extension Service. It may become difficult for the NPGS to obtain cooperation from larger services, and its visibility in the USDA budget process might lessen. Separation from ARS may also distance germplasm work from the basic research that has been important to advancing NPGS activities. Finally, the ARS provides administrative

Front Matter (R1-R16)

Executive Summary (1-20)

1 Managing Crop Genetic Resources (21-42)

2 Elements of the National Plant Germplasm System (43-86)

3 Administration of the National System (87-106)

4 Prescription for Effectiveness (107-144)

References (145-148)

Glossary (149-153)

Abbreviations (154-155)

Authors (156-160)

Index (161-173)