How to Search the ARS-GRIN Database
[Updated 18 July 2024]
Search the ARS-GRIN database for a specific tobacco variety
Some entries offer an astonishing trove of data and details, often with multiple results from different contract growers' assessments. Others are shockingly devoid of useful information.
Bob
[Updated 18 July 2024]
Search the ARS-GRIN database for a specific tobacco variety
- go here: https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/search.aspx [BOOKMARK THIS GRIN PAGE]
- NEW CHANGE: click on Advanced Search, in order to include varieties that may not be available for distribution, otherwise all you will see is those currently available (to researchers). For example, the heirloom variety, Glessnor, is not available for distribution, so will not be displayed at all when using the default search box.
- enter "nicotiana tabacum" plus the varietal name you're searching for (or begin with "nicotiana rustica", etc. for other nicotiana species). If you omit the "nicotiana", then you will turn up beans and rutabagas and whatever else the database matches. There are some option checkboxes.
- click an individual "hit" from the search results list to go to that specific PI for general information
[There may be no hits, a single hit, or a gazillion hits. You have to click them one by one. Sometimes this is quite tedious.] - On the specific page for a particular PI (plant inventory number), you will possibly find:
- a link to the "original accession document" (as a .pdf file that is indexed by the Pi number). This always has details on the source, and often very specific date and location info.
- a varietal name (sometimes several)
- possibly a Ti (tobacco inventory) number or a TC (tobacco cultivar) number instead. These were assigned chronologically, so the lower the number within a particular series, the older the accession, relative to its numbered neighbors.
- a source history
- sometimes the variety's genetic heritage
- possibly one or more images that can be enlarged
- an Observations page. By default, it annoyingly displays only the first five rows. Click to display all rows.
- click the specific info you wish
Some entries offer an astonishing trove of data and details, often with multiple results from different contract growers' assessments. Others are shockingly devoid of useful information.
In general, the new GRIN-GLOBAL website is an awkwardly designed, frustrating website to use efficiently. Oversized, unrelated, "pretty" images of grains and vegetables. Page down, just to reach the search box. Page down x2, just to see if there are any results of the search. Results can be displayed only 10 at a time, requiring additional page scrolling and clicking to see that 11th result. Individual accession pages sometimes require scrolling to see if valuable information has been mysteriously tucked below the usual entries. The "Original Accession Data" is now displayed as its single pdf page. If you need to view the previous page, in order to simply see the header information for a particular PI, you will need to go to the directory of accession documents, find the correct volume, then open it and scroll to the desired page.
Bob
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