GENETIC RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND MAINTENANCE IN THE FORMER SOVIET UNION

This report discusses the development and current status of the plant genetic resources conservation and maintenance system in the former Soviet Union as of mid 1994.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

VALUING PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES: AN ECONOMIC MODEL OF UTILIZATION OF THE U.S. NATIONAL CROP GERMPLASM COLLECTION

Exploration of a germplasm collection for a particular trait is viewed as a search within a given distribution. An optimal strategy would be to search and collect additional accessions for traits as long as expected benefit is greater or equal to the cost of collecting, conserving and testing it. The probability of finding a desirable trait depends on the number of accessions that are screened for the trait, and the distribution of that trait in the collection or in certain subcollections. This study will estimate the expected net return from an additional search opportunity in regard to several pest resistance traits for soybeans both when the additional accession is from the existing collection, and when it is newly acquired.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

The demand for crop genetic resources: international use of the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System

In contrast to a perception that ex situ collections of germplasm are rarely used, this empirical case study reveals large quantities of germplasm samples distributed by the U.S. National Germplasm System to many types of scientific institutions located in numerous countries around the world. Distributions favor developing countries in several ways including the numbers of samples shipped, utilization rates in crop breeding programs, and the secondary benefits brought about through sharing this germplasm with other scientists. Expected future demand is also greater among scientists in developing countries. These findings underscore the importance to global science and technology of retaining such resources in the public domain.Germplasm resources, Plant Research., Germplasm conservation., Germplasm resources, Plant International cooperation. ,

West Nile Virus Economic Impact, Louisiana, 2002

2002 WNV epidemic in Louisiana incurred substantial short-term economic cost

Cost-effectiveness of West Nile Virus Vaccination

Vaccination is unlikely to result in societal monetary savings

External Costs of Risky Health Behaviors Associated with Leading Actual Causes of Death in the U.S.: A Review of the Evidence and Implications for Future Research

This paper reviews the evidence on external costs of risky behaviors in the U.S. and provides a framework for estimating them. External costs arise when a person does not bear all the costs of his or her behavior. They provide one of the strongest rationales for government interventions. Although the earlier estimates of external costs no longer have policy relevance, they demonstrated that the existence of external costs was an empirical question. We recommend that the estimates of external costs be updated as insurance structures, environments, and knowledge about these behaviors change. The general aspects of external costs may apply to countries other than the U.S. after taking into account differences in institutional, policy and epidemiological characteristics

Valuing crop genetic resources: a maximum entropy approach

PRISI; IFPRI3EPT

GENETIC RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND MAINTENANCE IN THE FORMER SOVIET UNION

This report discusses the development and current status of the plant genetic resources conservation and maintenance system in the former Soviet Union as of mid 1994

The marginal value of an accession

Ascribing productivity gains to specific genes or accessions is difficult because of the nature of the research process in genetic enhancement, the relationship among genes within a genome, and the interaction of genes with the environment of the crop. Even in commercialized agriculture, the value of unimproved material used for genetic enhancement cannot be measured directly because only finished (or nearly finished) crop varieties are traded in markets (Brief 7). What is the expected benefit from using an additional, unimproved genebank accession in crop breeding?Non-PRIFPRI1EPT

GENETIC RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND MAINTENANCE IN THE FORMER SOVIET UNION

This report discusses the development and current status of the plant genetic resources conservation and maintenance system in the former Soviet Union as of mid 1994.