from the information platform ProMusa is also present at the meetings. Part of the Diversity Thematic Group, the Taxonomic Advisory Group (TAG) comprises 12 experts that work together on particular projects concerning banana taxonomy, such as developing morphological field descriptors and verifying the genetic integrity of banana germplasm. Membership Membership to MusaNet is based on individuals, not institutes, and is solicited by thematic group Chairs and Co-chairs. Members are active in banana genetic resources-related research with a commitment to fruitful collaboration and knowledge exchange. Musa Collections There are more than 60 banana ex situ collections worldwide located mostly in banana producing countries. The majority of the collections are supported by national funding to conserve banana diversity and conduct related research. Detailed information of the collections can be found on the MusaNet website. Activities Projects in MusaNet are developed within and among the five thematic groups. Some recent activities carried out by MusaNet members are: The publication of the revised Global Strategy for the Conservation and Use of Musa Genetic Resources (MusaNet 2016). The revision of the Technical Guidelines for the Safe Movement of Musa Germplasm Regional workshops on Musa characterization and documentation - held in Cameroon, Uganda, Malaysia and Costa Rica. Creation of the Taxonomic Reference Collection - a reference set of accessions representing the spectrum of Musa diversity Collecting missions carried out with local partners in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea Development of electronic tools used for field characterization: MusaTab and MusaID Building plant phytosanitary capacity in national collections through a Virus Ring Test Banana Genomics workshop organised annually at the Plant and Animal Genome Conference (PAG) in San Diego, USA. Ongoing development of standardized protocols for the evaluation of Black leaf streak (Black sigatoka), Fusarium wilt and Drought tolerance. The Musa Germplasm Information System (MGIS) is closely linked with the Information Thematic Group activities. It contains accession-level information of germplasm held in many Musa collections. References External links MusaNet website Bioversity International Promusa Musa Germplasm Information System (MGIS) International research institutes Agricultural research institutes Bananas