The world faces a continual need to increase forage crop productivity, and to develop new varieties more adapted to changing environmental and biological challenges, and evolving needs of Local communities. One of the main reasons for under-utilization of germplasm, according to curators, breeders and other users of plant genetic resources, is the lack of adequate passport, characterization and evaluation data (Biodiversity International, 2007). Buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris L.) is a C4 perennial grass of arid lands distributed over hotter and drier parts of India, Mediterranean region and tropical and southern Africa. This forage grass is under the focus of different ecological issues like, response to desertification, quality of forage and impact of invasion. The use of genetic resources by the researchers, gene bank managers and farmers will be limited by non-availability of essential information of their phenotypic and genotypic characters. Therefore, the accurate documentation of information about the origin, characterization and performance of germplasm is essential for effective conservation, use and also for the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) issues
