tees. The composition and responsibilities of the principal advisory bodies are summarized below.

The National Plant Genetic Resources Board (NPGRB) was established by the secretary of agriculture in 1975, in part because of the concerns expressed in the wake of both the 1970 corn blight and the release of the report, Genetic Vulnerability of Major Crops (National Research Council, 1972). The NPGRB meets at least twice a year and advises the secretary of agriculture and the officers of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (National Plant Genetic Resources Board, 1984) on national policy related to the problems, needs, and welfare of the nation 's plant genetic resources activities as they affect the food production system. It also establishes priorities for safeguarding plant genetic resources. Members are scientists and administrators from the public and private sectors who are appointed by the secretary of agriculture to serve a 2-year term. They may be reappointed for two more consecutive terms.

The board is chaired by the USDA assistant secretary for science and education; a vice-chair is appointed from its membership. The assistant secretary's office provides an executive secretary and financial and personnel support. As a federal advisory committee, the board must be rechartered periodically by the secretary of agriculture.

The National Plant Germplasm Committee (NPGC) emerged in 1974 from the previous New Crops Coordinating Committee, by mutual agreement of the ARS and the state agricultural experiment stations (Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, 1984; White et al., 1989), to represent the user community. It was intended to facilitate coordination among agencies and to be a source of information for administrators and program leaders working in or with the NPGS. Its members include scientists and administrators from the ARS, CSRS, experiment stations, and the private sector.

According to its charter, the NPGC meets at least once a year, and its functions are the following (Jones and Gillette, 1982):

• Coordinate the research and service efforts of federal, state, and industry units engaged in the introduction, preservation, evaluation,

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)