in the NPGS flow along separate and independent lines of authority. An analysis by the USDA revealed the frustration within that agency over management authority (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1981:II-16).

The level at which decisions are made is often so obfuscated that accountability is lost. This weakness is not unique to the NPGS, but it is especially critical because of the breadth of the program.

While attempts to address this concern have been made, the administrative weaknesses and clouding of accountability remain. This chapter examines the administrative, organizational, and advisory components of the national system.

Management of the NPGS network is divided among several agencies within the USDA and state agricultural experiment stations. The ARS holds the largest share of responsibility for management. The diffuse nature of the NPGS with its many sites and cooperators often means that those outside the system do not understand how it functions. Facilities at several locations and a range of expertise and environments are necessary because of the variety of germplasm held.

Although federal NPGS sites have agreed goals and priorities in managing germplasm, conflicts may occur where state or local objectives and plans for funding are different. The constraints these conflicts put on a national program have also been criticized (Office of Technology Assessment, 1981:45) in other USDA research efforts.

The highly decentralized nature of the USDA research system, a source of friction through much of the 20th century, now seems to be accepted and even favored by the States. . . . This dispersion, in fact, has led to criticism that many USDA employees essentially function as State employees and that this in turn has led to a loss of focus on national issues.

Management of the various units of the NPGS is largely the responsibility of the ARS, which operates through an area management structure. The USDA Cooperative State Research Service (CSRS), through its regional structure, supports projects at some NPGS sites. Germplasm conservation, however, requires a national focus. The four regional plant introduction stations, for example, are administered by four separate area directors who support and foster ARS activities important to their respective areas. This decentralized organization is an obstacle to the national coordination and focus crucial to NPGS efforts. Where both CSRS and ARS provide support (e.g., the regional stations), each

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)