A. Need as indicated by stakeholders

Plant genetic resources acquired throughout the world and conserved at the Griffin, Georgia location are crucial components of agricultural production systems that sustain humanity. This project is part of a comprehensive nationwide program, the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS), to preserve plant genetic resources for present and future researchers and plant breeders. Plant genetic resources are the raw materials essential for the genetic enhancement of crops and are used extensively in support of basic scientific research in numerous disciplines. The genetic resource collections maintained by the USDA, ARS, Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit (PGRCU) are recognized globally as valuable sources of genetic diversity for use by the agricultural and horticultural research communities. The plant materials in these collections serve as the foundation materials required by, and utilized in, crop improvement efforts in the areas of plant breeding, biotechnology, plant genetics, plant pathology, entomology, plant biology, and many others.

B.  Importance and extent of problem

Food security in the U.S. is largely based on the cultivation of non-indigenous crops that were imported many decades ago. The genetic resources of these crops and their wild relatives are often no longer available from their original locations where the diversity of the crop is often the greatest. The loss or reduction in the genetic diversity in crop species that contribute to the world’s food supplies is a potential threat to U.S. and global food security (Khoury et al., 2014). Best management practices are required to ensure efficient, effective, long-term, and secure preservation of sorghum, millet, peanut, vegetable crops, sweetpotato, warm-season grasses, tropical/subtropical legumes, annual clover, cowpea, industrial crops, other crops, and their crop wild relatives (CWRs).

Viability testing and continuous monitoring are required to ensure the highest quality of stored accessions and to optimize regeneration intervals. Secure storage of plant genetic resources at secondary locations is needed to ensure against the loss of plant genetic resources due to natural or manmade disasters. Users of the plant materials in germplasm collections must be able to identify and obtain the most appropriate genetic resources for their research needs. The genetic resources available to meet those needs must be efficiently and effectively distributed. Phenotypic characterization and digital imaging serve to fully document morphological traits. Abiotic and biotic stress resistance data, including drought tolerance, disease resistance, and root system analyses, are needed to identify accessions potentially useful in adapting crops to climate change. Biochemical evaluation data such as oil content, fatty acid composition, mineral content, flavonoid content, capsiate, galactomannan, and protein content are needed to identify accessions with traits offering improved nutritional value. Evaluation of genome sequences and structures in CWRs can provide insight into the evolution, domestication, and expression of genes contributing to disease and pest resistance and important morphological traits in the cultivated crop species. All these and other data once incorporated into the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN-Global) and other databases, will be accessible worldwide for users to best select germplasm to meet their research needs.

C.  Technical feasibility

Cold storage facilities are available for proper conservation, and experienced personnel are available to conduct the mission of acquiring, characterizing, conserving, evaluating, documenting, and distributing genetic resources of agronomic and horticultural crops.

D.  Advantages of multistate effort

Crop germplasm collections important to the Southern Region have been supported since 1949 through a partnership designated as the Multistate Research Project S-009 between the USDA-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and the Southern State Agricultural Experiment Stations (SSAES). For decades, S-009 has served as a major germplasm repository within the NPGS. Its activities have markedly improved crop technology in the U.S. and abroad, through the acquisition, conservation, characterization, evaluation, and distribution of plant genetic resources and associated information for use in scientific research and crop improvement programs.

E. Benefits or impact of research

The potential benefits expected from attaining the project’s objectives include ensuring that S-009 plant genetic resources are well preserved, secure, and able to serve as critical sources of genes for research and crop improvement for vulnerable or threatened sorghum, peanut, chili pepper, watermelon, okra, sweetpotato, tropical/subtropical legume, warm-season grass, annual clover, Vigna spp., industrial crop, and other crops and their CWRs. Genetic characterization and phenotypic evaluation information for priority genetic and agronomic traits will enable users to more efficiently identify accessions for their research and breeding activities. Progress in crop genetic improvement projects in the Southern Region, the U.S., and throughout the world will be accelerated as a result of the information on and availability of the genetic resources furnished by this project. Sources of genes for diversifying the genetic background of the previously mentioned crops and their CWRs will be more readily assured; thereby, contributing to the productivity, genetic base, stability, and sustainability of U.S. agricultural production systems.

F. Stakeholders

The stakeholders, customers, and consumers for this project include researchers and plant breeders worldwide who request and utilize these plant genetic resources and associated information for their programs. Many stakeholders and customers are directly involved with this project through the S-009 technical committee or through ten crop-specific Crop Germplasm Committees (CGC) that meet periodically to discuss plant genetic resource acquisition, conservation, management, evaluation, and distribution of the crops curated within this project. Information is provided for users to select the most appropriate genetic resources for their research needs. The users of S-009 plant genetic resources and associated information range from large multinational companies to local specialty seed companies; from small organic production systems to large high yield production systems; and from basic and applied genetic research to theoretical genomic research.