The FAO/Bioversity Multi-Crop Passport Descriptors Version 2 (MCPD V.2) is an international standard, issued in 2012, to facilitate germplasm passport information exchange. It provides the descriptors necessary to describe crop species and create passports.

This second version is the result of a thorough revision of the widely used publication "FAO/IPGRI Multi-Crop Passport Descriptors (MCPD)" issued in 2001.

The revision process involved consultation with more than 300 people from 187 institutions in 87 countries. The broad perspective gained from this diverse input, together with the collaboration of FAO, gives this revision the status of a valid and neutral international standard.

Major changes in MCPD

The standard now reads "FAO/Bioversity" to reflect the name change that took place in 2006 from IPGRI to Bioversity International.

The 2001 list of descriptors has been expanded to accommodate emerging documentation needs, which in their turn derive from the entry into force of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the technological changes such as the broader use of GPS tools.

Structure of MCPD descriptors

For each multi-crop passport descriptor, a brief explanation of content, coding scheme and, in parentheses, suggested fieldname are provided to assist in the computerized exchange of this type of data.

Screenshot: extract of the MCPD list of descriptors

The MCPD standard aims to be compatible with:

• descriptors used for the FAO World Information and Early Warning System (WIEWS) on Plant Genetic Resources (PGR);
• future Bioversity crop descriptor lists;
• the GENESYS global portal for information about plant genetic resources, and
• other commonly used PGR information systems such as EURISCO and GRIN/GRIN-Global.

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This post is based on information available at:

"FAO/Bioversity Multi-Crop Passport Descriptors V.2 [MCPD V.2]." Bioversity International

Related information in French and Spanish

Descripteurs de passeport multi cultures (MCPD)

Lista de descriptores de pasaporte para cultivos multiples desarollada por la FAO y el IPGRI