Annual/Termination Reports:

[08/18/2017] [07/25/2018] [07/19/2019] [08/10/2020] [08/31/2021]

Report Information

Participants

In person;
(Hulbert Hall, Room 323J, Washington State University, Pullman Campus):

Joseph Kuhl, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, Email: jkuhl@uidaho.edu;
Jim Moyer, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, email: j.moyer@wsu.edu;
Jinguo Hu, ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA, email: jinguo.hu@ars.usda.gov;
Frank Dugan, ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA, email: frank.dogan@ars.usda.gov;
Ted Kisha, ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA, email: theodore.kisha@ars.usda.gov;
Vicki Bradley, ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA, email: vicki.bradley@ars.usda.gov;
Dave Stout, ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA, email: Dave.Stout@ars.usda.gov

Called In:

Edward Kaleikau, USDA NIFA, Washington, DC, email: EKALEIKAU@nifa.usda.gov;
Hao Tran, ARS PWA, Albany, CA, email: Hao.Tran@ars.usda.gov;
Gary Kinard, ARS NGRL, Beltsville, MD, email: Gary.Kinard@ars.usda.gov;
Harold Bockelman, ARS NSGC, Aberdeen, ID, email: Harold.Bockelman@ars.usda.gov;
Joseph Postman, ARS NCGR, Corvallis, OR, email: Joseph.Postman@ars.usda.gov;
John Preece, ARS NCGR, Davis, CA, and ARS NALPGR, Parlier, CA, email: John.Preece@ars.usda.gov;
Stephanie Greene, ARS NLGRP, Ft. Collins, CO, email: Stephanie.Greene@ars.usda.gov;
Marylou Polek, ARS NCGRCD, Riverside, CA, email: Marylou.Polek@ars.usda.gov;
Dan Parfitt, University of California, Davis, CA, email: fzparfit@plantsciences.ucdavis.edu;
Mark Brick, Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO, email: Mark.Brick@ColoState.EDU;
Melinda Yerka, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, NV, email: myerka@unl.edu;
Ian Ray, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, email: iaray@nmsu.edu;
Edward Scheenstra, Washington State University, Mount Vernon, WA, email: escheenstra@wsu.edu;
Jacqueline King, Washington State University, Mount Vernon, WA, kingjack@wsu.edu;
Kevin Jensen, ARS FRR, UT, email: Kevin.Jensen@ars.usda.gov;
Jack Martin, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, email: jmmartin@montana.edu;
Shawn Mehlenbacher, Oregon State University, email: shawn.mehlenbacher@oregonstate.edu
Barbara Hellier, ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA, email: Barbara.Hellier@ars.usda.gov;
Brian Irish, ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA, email: Brian.irish@ars.usda.gov

Brief Summary of Minutes

Officers:
Chair – Joe Kuhl
Vice Chair – Carol Miles
Secretary – Jack Martin
Administrative Advisor – Jim Moyer
Station Coordinator – Jinguo Hu

Meeting was called to order by Chair Joe Kuhl at 8:30am. There were brief opening remarks regarding agenda and procedure.

Administrative Report - Jim Moyer:
Dr. Moyer summarized the recent National Plant Germplasm Committee meeting held in Geneva, NY. There has been some movement on treaties. The plant germplasm community will want to continue follow these developments. There is increasing focus on documenting impact of the germplasm collections and the accessions distributed to users. There was discussion on how state reports would be tailored to reflect impact rather than just a log of accessions that were distributed. A key point is to try to link germplasm to commerce. Budgets continue to be an issue. As for W6, the project is now back on a 5 year cycle. Many universities have a close working relationship with USDA-ARS. WSU is no exception. For example there may be a state employee supervised by a USDA scientist. These relationships may prove to be more problematic in the future. The proposed W6 FY2018 budget is $435,940. See below for budget discussion.

ARS National Program Office report (Peter Bretting):
Dr. Bretting was not present due to schedule conflict. Power point slides were submitted as a summary of National Program Office activities.
National Program leader Plant Systems-Production NIFA update (Ed Kaleikau):
Congress has increased appropriations for several competitive grant programs above their 2016 levels. Plant breeding for agricultural production will be a Foundational program within AFRI in 2017. Funding opportunities will include research grants and conference grants. The research grants will target pre-breeding and germplasm enhancement, selection theory, applied quantitative genetics and participatory breeding. The 2014 Farm Bill enables eligible state and national commodity boards to submit topics for research supported through AFRI. Topics must relate to AFRI’s priorities. Once topics are approved proposals follow normal peer review process. Plant breeding remains a priority and funding has increased over past few years.

USDA-ARS Pacific West Area Office report (Hao Tran):
Staffing changes were mentioned. Dr. Tran pointed out that 7 out of 20 USDA-ARS locations in the Pacific West Area are plant germplasm sites.

TAC meeting minutes, budget and discussion:

It was noted that the copy of the minutes that was distributed had a sentence that should be removed.

Dan Parfitt moved and Jack Martin Seconded a motion that the 2016 W6 TAC meeting minutes be approved. Motion passed.

The FY2018 budget was discussed. The proposed FY18 budget in $435,940. This is an increase over the FY2017 budget of $10,520. The increases were in salary and fringe benefits.

The Pullman regional airport expansion will take about 30 acres of WPPIS land. Dr. Hu is working with WSU administration to find alternative land. A tentative plan has WRPIS renting land from WSU for ~$100 per acre. The hope is to secure a long term rental agreement. The alternative land would require additional costs in terms of time and travel. Dr. Hu expects to have a final agreement in the near future.

Shawn Mehlenbacher moved with Kevin Jensen second to approve the FY2018 budget. Motion passed.

National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, MD (Gary Kinard):
The lab provides many functions to serve the National Genetic Resources Program. The Laboratory is comprised of the Plant Exchange Office (PEO), the Database Management Unit (DBMU), and the Plant Disease Research Unit (PDRU). A new botanist, Dr. Melanie Schori, was hired this past year. GRIN-Global has been implemented for about 1.5 year. The system seems to be working well but is constantly undergoing small fixes. Other gene banks have expressed interest in collaborating with GRIN-Global.

National Small Grains Collection, Aberdeen, ID (Harold Bockelman):
The National Small Grains Collection (NSGC) presently holds 143,893 accessions of the small grains.
The ‘Wild Barley Diversity Collection’ was recently assigned PI numbers. It consists of 318 accessions of Hordeum vulgare subsp. spontaneum, the primary genepool wild relative of cultivated barley, representing the entire geographic range of this important CWR. It was donated by Brian Steffenson, Univ. of Minnesota, through collaborations with ICARDA.
They are continuing their efforts to capture voucher images of spikes, panicles, and seeds.
Evaluation of NSGC wheat landrace accessions is continuing for reaction to the Ug99 stem rust race in Kenya.
As for staff changes, Charles Erickson, Agronomist with NSGC, retired. The plan is to re-fill the position when hiring freeze ends.
The 2016 Fall nursery had to be terminated due to the severe winter. This is a set-back for evaluation efforts for the winter cereals.

National Clonal Germplasm Clonal Repository, Corvallis, OR (Joseph Postman):
Staff changes include Jill Bushakra a former postdoc was hired as Rubus/Ribes Crop Manager, and Barbara Gilmore was hired as field farm manager.
Screenhouses and greenhouses are being upgraded.
The bacterium Xylella fastidiosa was identified in a few pear trees at the Corvallis site. The pathogen can cause a chronic leaf -scorching disease in many different species of woody landscape shrubs and shade trees. This suspended shipment of Pyrus scions and cuttings temporarily.
Collaborated with staff of NCGR-Davis to backup genetic resources of hazelnuts in Parlier, CA.  This is especially important because Eastern Filbert blight has been found in Corvallis.
Research highlights:

• Developed a multiplexed 14-SSR fingerprinting set as a tool for quick and economic identity verification for hazelnut.


• Developed DNA test for aphid resistance in raspberry.


• Determined the northern limits and distribution of Fragaria cascadensis in Oregon.


• Observed enneaploid (9x) hybrids where F. cascadensis is sympatric with F. virginiana ssp. Platypetala.

National Clonal Germplasm Repository, Davis, CA and National Arid Land Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Parlier, CA (John Preece):
The Davis facility receives, collects, preserves, evaluates, and distributes genetic resources of Mediterranean fruit and nut crops. The Parlier facility is a work site that serves as important germplasm regeneration center for other (NPGS) sites that have species and accessions that require long frost-free seasons or arid conditions for seed production or regeneration of vegetative propagules.
The facility is fully staffed. A research technician was hired to work with pistachio tissue culture procedures.
The number of items shipped declined in 2016 because the facility stopped shipping orders to the general public. Requests for plant material from the general public are being taken care of by California Rare Fruit Growers. The details of this agreement with California Rare Fruit Growers was discussed.
It was noted the size of the collection has grown ~25% in the past three years (from 7,000 to 8,732 accessions). The increase is mainly due to the addition of crop wild relative accessions. 

National Laboratory for Genetic Resource Preservation Ft Collins, CO (Stephanie Greene):
The facility has developed their new 5 year plan which is now in review.
There are currently 5 staff vacancies. But some staffing needs have been met by bringing in 2 pathways interns and 2 Letter of Authorization (L/A) Appointments.
They processed 18,201 seed samples during FY2016.
Percent of W6 collections backed up at NLGRP was noted. This ranged from <90% for safflower to 30% for onion.
Svalbard gene bank in Norway has received attention in the popular press because water had surrounded the entrance to the seed vault. It was noted that no water actually entered the seed vaults themselves and it remains a safe and secure from water damage. As an extra precaution, NLGRP will send seed to the Svalbard gene bank in plastic rather than cardboard containers.

Western Regional Plant Introduction Station (WRPIS) (Jinguo Hu):
Number of accessions totalled 96,229 accessions belonging to 986 genera, 5,159 species (taxa) as of 12/31/2016.
They acquired 3,524 new accessions including 1,353 Phaseolus beans from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia, 1,249 native plant accessions collected by the Seeds of Success (SOS) project and 174 Lupinus from Germany.
They distributed 33,354 packets of seed samples to 1,364 requestors with addresses in each of the 50 domestic states and 46 foreign countries. Seventy-four percent (24,772 packets) were distributed to the U.S. and 26% (8,582 packets) were distributed to foreign countries. Requesters in each of the 50 domestic states received germplasm samples from WRPIS in 2016. A total of 10,990 packets from WRPIS went to the 13 Western states.
They uploaded 45,092 observation data points on 9,876 accessions into the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN)-Global database. These data points are on 168 established descriptors for 20 different crop species. Collaborators contributed 6% and WRPIS staff provided 94% of the evaluation data. The database is accessible by researchers worldwide via the internet.
Coordinated a domestic wild bean collection trip and collected 17 North American wild kidney bean or thicket bean, which is a perennial vine related to the lima bean in Virginia and North and South Carolina.

Research highlights:
A research project on determining the genetic diversity of cultivated lentil was completed and published. The project interrogated 352 lentil accessions with 1,194 polymorphic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and identified three agro-ecological zones.
A research project studying the adaptation of autumn-sown faba bean germplasm to South-eastern Washington was completed and results were published in Agronomy Journal. Promising breeding populations have been distributed under ARS Plant Evaluation Agreements to researchers across various winter hardiness zones in the U.S.

Staff changes:
Dr. R. C. Johnson retired in 2016, and the position will not be re-filled. Gwen Pentecost (IT specialist) retired during 2016. The goal is to re-fill the position.
Dr. Brian Irish was hired as the Curator/Geneticist of the Temperate-adapted Forage Legume (TFL) genetic resources program at the ARS worksite in Prosser, WA.
The Pullman facility is nearing its seed storage capacity. The hope is to have a long term capital improvement plan to increase storage capacity. 

National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Citrus and Dates Riverside, CA (Dr. MaryLou Polek):
Because of pathogens and other exotic pests germplasm facilities are being proactive to back up their collections. This point came up repeatedly in reports. The NCGRCD at Riverside has an ongoing program to secure citrus genetic resources by establishing them in cryopreservation at NLGRP in Fort Collins, CO. In CY2016 an additional 209 accessions were sent to NLGRP for processing and preservation. This has brought the total number of accessions from the screenhouse in cryopreservation to 401, with approximately 78 remaining.
There is concern about Huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening disease in California. They are taking precautions to prevent its occurrence. The precautions and laboratory screening are having an impact on budget.
Methods for detection of HLB were mentioned. APHIS technique uses quantitative PCR. But it does not detect it early enough. Methods for early detection are being developed.

Business meeting and State Reports: 

TAC members summarized their written state reports. 

California state report (Dr. Dan Parfitt)
Highlights of submitted report:

• There were 676 requests for plant introductions representing 342 different users


• A mango from Pakistan that does not produce fruit in Florida did produce excellent fruit in Southern California.


• Zea mays accessions used for educational purposes.


• Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) lines were used in screening for resistance to Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV).


• Seeds from NPGS were used as reference specimens to identify seeds from archaeological records.

Colorado state report (Mark Brick for Pat Byrne):
Highlights of submitted report:

• There were 1,661 accessions delivered in Colorado, constituting 96 orders.


• Maize accessions are being used to research xylem functionality, repair, and overall robustness.


• Photographs were obtained using NPGS accessions to use in noxious weed identification tool.


• Beta vulgaris accessions are being evaluated for resistance to Rhizoctonia in a field nursery.


• Historical spring wheat varieties were evaluated for their response to additions of compost to the soil in a greenhouse study 

Idaho state report (Joe Kuhl):
Highlights of submitted report:

• There were 5,709 accessions requested from 107 orders.


• Large numbers of Tritucum accessions are being used in public and private breeding programs.


• Solanum and Lupinus accessions are being evaluated as trap crops for Globodera pallida (pale cyst nematode).


• Phaseolis accessions are being used for virus propagation and identification.

Montana state report (Jack Martin):
Highlights of submitted report:

• Twenty-seven recipients received 874 plant germplasm accessions
  Wheat accessions are being used to identify additional sources of resistance to the wheat stem sawfly.


• Apple accessions are being used as reference standards to identify historical apple varieties. 

Nevada state report (Melinda Yerka):
Highlights of submitted report:

• Twenty-two orders were placed for a total of 109 plant accessions.


• Artemisia tridentate sbsp are being used to develop genetic markers to help identify and ensure the correct species of sage brush is planted for sage grouse habitat.


• Plant materials from NPGS are being used for identification and analysis of archaeological materials. 

New Mexico state report (Ian Ray):
Highlights of submitted report:

• Twenty-three individuals placed 35 orders and received 895 accessions.


• Maize accessions primarily representing older southwestern U.S. maize landraces or heirloom varieties are being evaluated for drought and salinity tolerance to be used as potential donors of abiotic stress tolerance in modern hybrids.


• Diploid alfalfa accessions are being evaluated under low water conditions. Promising accessions will be mated with tetraploid alfalfa to determine if diploid alfalfa can contribute useful alleles to cultivated alfalfa.


• Peanut accessions are being evaluated for resistance to Sclerotinia disease. Promising lines have been identified to be used as parent lines in the breeding program to produce new cultivars with improved resistance to Sclerotinia disease. 

Oregon state report (Shawn Mehlenbacher):
Highlights of submitted report:

• Hazelnut accessions with high resistance to Eastern Filbert blight (EFB) have been identified.


• Large numerous new simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were developed for hazelnut. These will be useful for future breeding and genetic studies.


• Several taxa from the NPGS system are being used as reference specimens for identifying ancient plant remains in archaeological sites, primarily on the Channel Islands off southern California.


• NPGS accessions were used to construct the first genome sequence for Mentha. This was accomplished using M. longifolia which is a diploid species ancestral to cultivated peppermint and spearmint.
  Twenty two publications were reported.

Utah state report (Kevin Jensen):
Highlights of submitted report:

• Maize line B96 was shown to be resistant to some, though not all, spider mites that are pests to maize and other grasses.


• NPGS accessions is being used to study pollinator diversity. The knowledge gained will inform future Seeds of Success target species designations.


• Wheat accessions were used for phenotypic evaluation for dwarf bunt resistance.


• Several maize accessions (inbreds and populations) are being test for use in breeding program to develop improved inbreds to be used in hybrids for irrigated organic production in the inter-mountain region. 

Washington State report (Jacqueline King and Edward Scheenstra for Carol Miles):
Highlights of submitted report:

• About two thirds of the plant germplasm recipients were from universities or USDA.


• The uses and utilization germplasm were varied. Some included DNA extraction and molecular marker analysis of Malus domestica, taxonomic identifications of archaeological and ethnobotanical materials, SNP genotyping and screening of Lens and Pisum spp., and assessing insect screening of Convolvulus equitans.


• Requested materials belonged to 149 genera and 386 species and subspecies.

 
Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii and Wyoming do not have state representatives. Dave Stout collected and summarized the information from these states.

Alaska State report (Dave Stout):
Highlights of submitted report:

• Alaska had 25 accepted orders, 154 order items of which 99 were filled on 10 addresses.


• Many apple accessions being evaluated for adaptation and survival in this harsh Northern latitude environment.

Arizona state report (Dave Stout):
Highlights of submitted report:

• Arizona had 75 accepted orders, 1,748 order items of which 1,665 were filled on 38 addresses.


• Asclepius sp. were used in an experiment testing restoration design and response from the pollinator community.

Hawaii state report (Dave Stout):
Highlights of submitted report:

• Hawaii had 33 accepted orders, 303 order items of which 233 were filled on 26 addresses.


• Chickpea accessions are being evaluated for their adaptation in the state. This is part of an effort to evaluate chickpea crop suitability to different growth conditions in Hawaii as part of the crop diversity and self-sufficiency movement in the state.

Wyoming state report (Dave Stout):
Highlights of submitted report:

• Wyoming had 18 accepted orders, 636 order items of which 571 were filled on 7 addresses.


• Pepper accessions being evaluated in a dry, high desert location. The goal is to increase the diversity of pepper genotypes available to local growers.

Open discussion:

The W6 TAC has discussed the role of TAC members over the years. The individual TAC members contribute in at least two important ways. First, to facilitate the flow of money to germplasm facilities. This is done through review and recommendation of budget. Second, communicate with germplasm users and stakeholders in individual states. The importance of stakeholders was emphasized.

There is increasing emphasis on impact. The group discussed ways of tracing and documenting impact. One suggestion was for each TAC member to forward a 1 or 2 bullet point statement documenting the impact of plant germplasm in their state. One problem with our current system of reporting is that it does not do a good job of tracking long term impact. That issue was discussed.

The issue of vacancies among the state TAC representatives was mentioned. Representatives from CA, CO, and MT will leave the committee due to retirement this year. At WPRIS all federal scientists except the new forage curator are eligible for retirement.

Election of Officers:

The slate of officers includes Carol Miles to move to Chair, Ian Ray as Vice-chair, and Joe Kuhl as secretary for 2018. The slate of officers was approved by acclamation.

Meeting site for 2018:

Corvallis, OR was selected as the meeting site for the 2018 TAC meeting.

Shawn Mehlenbacher moved and Dan Parfitt seconded the motion that the 2018 TAC meeting be held at Corvallis, OR in the 3rd or 4th week of June. Motion passed.

Resolutions:

Be it resolved that the W6 TAC committee thanks Jinguo Hu and his staff at WPRIS for organizing and hosting the 2017 teleconference meeting originating from Pullman, WA.

Be it resolved that the W6 TAC committee thanks Dan Parfitt, Jack Martin, and Mark Brick for their many years of service on the W6 TAC committee.

Meeting was adjourned at approximately 4:30pm Pacific Coast Time.

The resolutions were approved by an email vote of state representatives.

Jack martin
W6 TAC Secretary

 

Accomplishments

<p>This project, an important part of the UDSA National Plant Germplasm System, manages a diverse collection of important agricultural crop genetic resources and associated information and makes them accessible to plant breeders around the world to develop new cultivars with improved quality and increased productivity, which are critical for feeding the expanding world population. Crop genetic resources are also used by scientists in basic research to increase our knowledge of plant sciences. As of July 13, 2017 the WRPIS held 98,070 accessions that belong to 1,040 genera and 5,381 taxa including 4,706 identified species. The WRPIS distributed a total of 33,354 packets of seed samples to 1,364 requestors with addresses in each of the 50 domestic states and 46 foreign countries in 2016. Seventy-four percent (24,772 packets) were distributed to the U.S. and 26% (8,582 packets) were distributed to foreign countries. Requesters in each of the 50 domestic states received germplasm samples from WRPIS in 2016. A total of 10,990 packets from WRPIS went to the 13 Western states. The distributed samples are being used in a wide range of research and education projects such as adaptability testing, genome sequencing, DNA marker development, and plant breeding for crop improvement.</p><br /> <p><br />The WRPIS has five curatorial programs. These include 1. Grasses, Safflower and Native Plants (Vicki Bradley), 2. Common beans (Ted Kisha), 3. Cool season food legumes (CSFL) (Clare Coyne), 4. Temperate-adapted forage legumes (Brian Irish), and 5. Horticultural/miscellaneous crops (Barbara Hellier).&nbsp; In 2016 there were 4 active research programs (agronomy, plant pathology, and two in genetics). R. C. Johnson, research agronomist, retired in April 2016. That position has been abolished and the native plant responsibility was resumed by Vicki Bradley. The resources from that position will be allocated to upgrading the curator positions, as these positions will now take on added responsibilities. Gwen Pentecost, IT specialist, retired in May after 17 years at the WRPIS. This position was advertised and a qualified applicant was interviewed and tentatively offed the job. However, this critical position has not been filled due to the hiring freeze. Brian Irish started in January 2016 as the curator of the temperate-adapted forage legumes germplasm collection at Prosser, WA.</p><br /> <p><br />The alfalfa research program identified 22 single-nucleotide polymorphic loci associated with biomass yield under water deficit in alfalfa using genome-wide sequencing and association mapping. The production of alfalfa is challenged by adverse environmental stress factors such as drought and other stresses. Developing drought resistant alfalfa is an important breeding objective for enhancing alfalfa productivity in arid and semi-arid regions. To understand the genetic basis of drought resistance in alfalfa, we screened 200 alfalfa accessions for drought tolerance in a field trial in 2015-2016. Biomass yield under drought was measured and DNA was extracted from each individual and sequenced. Marker-trait association identified 22 marker loci associated with biomass yield under drought stress. With further investigation, these markers can be used for marker-assisted selection in breeding programs for developing alfalfa cultivars with enhanced resistance to drought and other environmental stresses.</p><br /> <p><br />Thurber&rsquo;s Needlegrass is a key restoration species in the Great Basin and surrounding areas. Research Agronomist investigated the genecology of Thurber&rsquo;s Needlegrass and developed the seed zones of important species. These published seed zones, in the Journal of Rangeland Ecology and Management, cover almost a half million square kilometers and are useful to guide restoration of Thurber&rsquo;s needlegrass in the Western United States.</p><br /> <p><br />The pulse research program continued the enhancement and development of winter hardy faba bean germplasm lines for pulse and cover crop development. Promising advanced breeding populations have been distributed under Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Plant Evaluation Agreements (PEA) to researchers in several states including Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Kentucky that are each located in different winter hardiness zones. With the support of a germplasm evaluation grant from the Food Legume Crop Germplasm Committee, we evaluated 100 accessions of WRPIS faba bean germplasm in replicated plots at the Lundberg Family Farms, a leader in organic rice farming in California. The experiment was planted after rice harvest in November 2016. Evaluation data, such as biomass, plant height, days to flower and seed yield, will be collected in 2017. We anticipate that this experiment will identify genetic resources for breeding cover crops with potential under their organic farming systems.</p>

Publications

<p>Desgroux, A., V. L&rsquo;Antho&euml;ne, M. Roux-Duparque, J.P. Rivi&egrave;re, G. Aubert, N. Tayeh, A. Moussart, P. Mangin, P. Vetel, C. Piriou, R.J. McGee, C.J. Coyne,&nbsp; J. Burstin, A. Baranger, M. Manzanares-Dauleux, V. Bourion and M.L. Pilet-Nayel.&nbsp; 2016. Genome-wide association mapping of partial resistance to Aphanomyces euteiches in pea. BMC Genomics 17:124. DOI: 10.1186/s12864-016-2429-4.</p><br /> <p>Dugan, F.M. 2016. From Farmer Al Falfa to the hopperdozer: Medicago sativa in North American folkways. Economic Botany 70:394-404.</p><br /> <p>Dugan, F.M. 2016. Multidisciplinary contributions to legume crop history: Proceed with caution. Frontiers in Plant Science 7:1876. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01876.</p><br /> <p>Dugan, F.M. 2016. Seldom just Food: Garlic in magic and medicine in European and Mediterranean traditions. Digest - Journal of Foodways and Culture 5(1). http://digest.champlain.edu/article5_2_3.html.</p><br /> <p>Dugan, F.M., and S. Everhart. 2016. Cryptic species: A leitmotif of contemporary mycology has challenges and benefits for plant pathologists. Plant Health Progress 17:250-253.</p><br /> <p>Dugan, F.M., S.L. Lupien, A.N. Osuagwu, E.A. Uyoh, E. Okpako, and T. Kisha. 2016. New records of Lasiodiplodia theobromae in seeds of Tetrapleura tetraptera from Nigeria and fruit of Cocos nucifera from Mexico. Journal of Phytopathology 164:65&ndash;68.</p><br /> <p>Espeland, E.K., L.B. Perkins, M.E. Horning, and R.C. Johnson. 2016. Seed production farms affect germination and emergence of native grass materials: the source by planting environment interaction. Crop Science. 56:249-258. doi:10.2135/cropsci2015.05.0318.</p><br /> <p>Gupta, D.S., P. Cheng, G. Sablok, P. Thavarajah, C.J. Coyne, S. Kumar, M. Baum and R.J. McGee, 2016. Development of a panel of unigene-derived polymorphic EST&ndash;SSR markers in lentil using public database information. The Crop Journal, 4(5), pp.425-433.</p><br /> <p>Gupta, D.S., D. Thavarajah, R.J. McGee, C.J. Coyne, S. Kumar and P. Thavarajah. 2016. Genetic diversity among cultivated and wild lentils for iron, zinc, copper, calcium and magnesium concentrations. Australian Journal of Crop Science, 10(10), p.1381.</p><br /> <p>Idrissi, O., S.M. Udupa, E. De Keyser, R.J. McGee, C.J. Coyne, G.C. Saha, F.J. Muehlbauer, P. Van Damme and J. De Riek. 2016. Identification of quantitative trait loci controlling root and shoot traits associated with drought tolerance in a lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) recombinant inbred line population. Frontiers in Plant Science, 7.</p><br /> <p>Johnson, R.C., and K. Vance-Borland. 2016. Linking Genetic Variation in Adaptive Plant Traits to Climate in Tetraploid and Octoploid Basin Wildrye (Leymus cinereus (Scribn. &amp; Merr.) A. Love) in the Western U.S. PLoS ONE 11(2): e0148982. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0148982.</p><br /> <p>Khazaei, H., C.T. Caron, M. Fedoruk, M. Diapari, A. Vandenberg, C.J. Coyne, R. McGee, K.E. Bett. 2016. Genetic diversity of cultivated lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) and its relation to the world&rsquo;s agro-ecological zones. Frontiers in Plant Science 7:1093. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01093.</p><br /> <p>Landry, E.J., C.J. Coyne, R. McGee, J. Hu. 2016. Adaptation of autumn-sown faba bean (Vicia faba L.) germplasm to southeastern Washington. Agronomy Journal 108:301-308.</p><br /> <p>Landry, E.J., R. McGee, C. Coyne, and J. Hu. 2016. Adaptation of autumn-sown faba bean germplasm to southeastern Washington. Agron. J. 108:301-308.</p><br /> <p>Landry, E.J., S. Fuchs, and J. Hu. 2016. Carbohydrate composition of mature and immature faba bean seeds. J. Food Comp. Anal. 50:55-60.</p><br /> <p>Ma, Y., J. Hu, J. Myers, M. Mazourek, C.J. Coyne, D. Main, M. Wang, J. Humann and R.J. McGee. 2016. Development of SCAR markers linked to sin-2, the stringless pod locus in pea (Pisum sativum L.). Molecular Breeding. 36:105. DOI 10.1007/s11032-016-0525-4.</p><br /> <p>Penmetsa, R.V., N. Carrasquilla-Garcia, E.M. Bergmann, L. Vance, B. Castro, M.T. Kassa, B.K. Sarma, S. Datta, A.D. Farmer, J.M. Baek, C.J. Coyne, R.K. Varshney, E.J.B. von Wettberg, D.R. Cook. 2016. Multiple post-domestication origins of kabuli chickpea through allelic variation in a diversification-associated transcription factor. New Phytologist 211:1440-1451.</p><br /> <p>Pinhasi-van Oss, R., A. Sherman, D. Shtienberg, H. Zhang, G. Vandemark, C. Coyne, S. Abbo. 2016. Vernalization response of domesticated x wild chickpea progeny is subject to strong genotype by environment interaction. Plant Breeding 135:102-110. doi:10.1111/pbr.12325.</p><br /> <p>Sm&yacute;kal, P., R.K. Varshney, V.K. Singh, C.J. Coyne, C. Domoney, E. Kejnovsk&yacute; and T. Warkentin. 2016. From Mendel&rsquo;s discovery on pea to today&rsquo;s plant genetics and breeding. Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 129(12), pp.2267-2280.</p><br /> <p>Toklu, F., C.J. Coyne, S. Aşıklı, O. Aydın, T. Karak&ouml;y, H. &Ouml;zkan. 2016. Evaluation of Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Collection for Agromorphological and Seed Mineral Concentration. Fresenius Environmental Bulletin 25:1143-1152.</p><br /> <p>Wang, Y., H. Lu and J. Hu. 2016. A novel gene for high resistance to bacterial leaf spot in lettuce PI 358001-1. Phytopathology. 106:1319-1325.</p><br /> <p>Wiseman, M., F.M. Dugan, and C.L. Xiao. 2016. Potential hosts for Lambertella corni-maris and Phacidium lacerum within the family Rosaceae. Plant Health Progress 17 128-129.</p><br /> <p>Wiseman, M.S., Y.K. Kim, F.M. Dugan, J.D. Rogers, and C.L. Xiao. 2016. A new postharvest fruit rot in apple and pear caused by Phacidium lacerum. Plant Disease 100 32-39.</p><br /> <p>Yu, L-X., and T.L. Setter. 2016. Comparative transcriptomes between viviparous1 and wildtype maize developing endosperms in response to water deficit. Env. Exp. Botany. 12: 116&ndash;124. DOI: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2015.11.009.</p><br /> <p>Yu, L-X., P. Zheng, T. Zhang, J. Rodringuez and D. Main. 2016. Genotyping-by-sequencing based genome-wide association studies on Verticillium wilt resistance in autotetraploid alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Mol. Plant Pathol. 2016 Mar 2. doi: 10.1111/mpp.12389.</p><br /> <p>Yu, L-X., X. Liu, W. Boge, X-P. Liu. 2016. Genome-wide association study identifies loci for salt tolerance during germination in autotetraploid alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Using Genotyping-by-Sequencing. Front. Plant Sci. 7:956. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00956.</p><br /> <p>Zhang, X., S. Wan, J. Hao, J. Hu, T. Yang and X. Zong. 2016. Large-scale evaluation of pea (Pisum sativum L.) germplasm for cold tolerance in the field during winter in Qingdao. The Crop Journal. 4:377&ndash;383.</p><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p>

Impact Statements

1. Plant material from NPGS was used by university-based, USDA, and private researchers for use in ethnobotany, archaeology, pharmaceutical, and plant genetics, as well as for work leading to the improvement of yield, quality, adaptability, and pest resistance of field and fruit crops.

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Report Information

Participants

Officers:
Chair – Carol Miles
Vice Chair – Ian Ray (call in)
Secretary – Joe Kuhl

In person (Conference Room at the National Clonal Germplasm Repository, Corvallis, Oregon):
Byrne, Patrick Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO, email: Patrick.Byrne@ColoState.EDU;
Hu, Jinguo ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA, email: jinguo.hu@ars.usda.gov;
Hulbert, Scot Washington State University, Pullman, WA, email: j.moyer@wsu.edu;
Hummer, Kim ARS NCGR, Corvallis, OR, email: Kim.Hummer@ARS.USDA.GOV;
Irish, Brian ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA, email: frank.dogan@ars.usda.gov;
Jensen, Kevin ARS FRR, UT, email: Kevin.Jensen@ARS.USDA.GOV;
Kinard, Gary ARS NGRL, Beltsville, MD, email: Gary.Kinard@ARS.USDA.GOV;
Kuhl, Joseph University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, Email: jkuhl@uidaho.edu;
Miles, Carol Washington State University, Mount Vernon, WA, email: milesc@wsu.edu;
Parfitt, Dan University of California, Davis, CA, email: fzparfit@plantsciences.ucdavis.edu;
Missaoui, Ali University of Georgia, email: cssamm@uag.edu
Postman, Joseph ARS NCGR, Corvallis, OR, email: Joseph.Postman@ARS.USDA.GOV;
Stout, Dave ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA, email: Dave.Stout@ARS.USDA.GOV;
Yerka, Melinda University of Nevada Reno, Reno, NV, email: myerka@unl.edu;

Called In:
Bockelman, Harold ARS NSGC, Aberdeen, ID, email: Harold.Bockelman@ARS.USDA.GOV;
Bretting, Peter ARS ONP, Beltsville, MD, email: Peter.Bretting@ARS.USDA.GOV;
Chetelat, Roger C.M. Rick Tomato Genetics Resource Center, University of California, Davis, CA, email: trchetelat@ ucdavis.edu;
Giroux, Michael Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, email: mgiroux@montana.edu;
Greene, Stephanie ARS NLGRP, Ft. Collins, CO, email: Stephanie.Greene@ARS.USDA.GOV;
Polek, Marylou ARS NCGRCD, Riverside, CA, email: Marylou.Polek@ARS.USDA.GOV;
Preece, John ARS NCGR, Davis, CA, and ARS NALPGR, Parlier, CA, email: John.Preece@ARS.USDA.GOV;
Ray, Ian New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, email: iaray@nmsu.edu;
Thro, Ann Marie USDA NIFA, Washington, DC, email: athro@nifa.usda.gov;
Greene, Stephanie ARS NLGRP, Ft. Collins, CO, email: Stephanie.Greene@ars.usda.gov;
Matsumoto, Tracie ARS TPGRDR, Hilo, HI, email: tracie.matsumoto@ars.usda.gov;

Brief Summary of Minutes

The meeting was called to order by Chair Carol Miles at 8:35am with brief opening remarks regarding agenda and procedure.

2017 Minutes were introduced, moved and seconded to approve without changes, unanimously approved.

Resolutions committee was discussed: Kim Hummer and Dan Parfitt agreed to co-chair. Brian Irish possible member?

Administrative Advisor report (Scot Hulbert):

Dr. Hulbert is replacing Dr. Jim Moyer, and is serving on 5 multi-state meetings. W6 5-year plan was renewed in 2016. Five-year plan reviews were very good. TAC reports need to emphasize impacts, in particular economic/commercial impacts, use bullets and keep short.

The proposed FY2019 budget of $446,257 looks appropriate. It was noted that in the proposed budget, ARS appropriations were flat year to year, while MRF funding increased 2.3% annually. Kevin Jensen moved with Dan Parfitt second to approve the FY2019 budget. Motion passed.

Moving the alfalfa germplasm program from Prosser to Central Ferry, which is estimated to cost ~$3 million, would help keep the genetic integrity of the collection. The idea was that Prosser is exposed to potential pollen drift from GE alfalfa. Brian Irish commented that currently guidelines are in place and are being followed for seed production using isolation cages.

Additional comments were made regarding W6 budget related issues.

Due to an airport expansion W6 lost 28.5 acres. State and Federal authorities are working to resolve the loss of acres, however new land may cost ~$100/acre, ~$3,000 increase to budget.

ARS National Program Office report (Peter Bretting):

Dr. Bretting presented Powerpoint slides summarizing the status, prospects and challenges facing the National Plant Germplasm System in 2018. Successes include state/federal partnerships. The number of accessions has gradually increased over the last 10 years. Germplasm distribution has remained relatively constant over the last 10 years, around 250,000 accessions disturbed annually. The ARS National Plant Germplasm System budget peaked in 2012 and has been flat since 2014. Staff retirements are projected at 30% over the next 5 years. Gayle Volk and Pat Byrne secured a USDA/NIFA planning grant for a workshop in Fort Collins in April 2018 to discuss designing and developing a training program. The workshop generated numerous insights and another grant (Higher Education Challenge) has already been submitted to extend concepts and ideas from the workshop.

National Program Leader Plant Systems-Production NIFA update (Ann-Marie Thro):

Dr. Thro presented Powerpoint slides summarizing management and utilization of plant genetic resources and associated information. In her talk, Dr. Thro noted that it is very difficult to find competitive funding for maintenance and distribution of plant germplasm.

Business meeting, NPGS Station Reports:

National Small Grains Collection, Aberdeen, ID (Harold Bockelman):

• The National Small Grains Collection (NSGC) presently holds 146,225 accessions of the small grains (wheat, barley, oat, rye, triticale, rice, and related wild species)


• NSGC distributed 36,868 accession samples in 727 separate requests in the past 12 months. Approximately 30% of the distributions were to foreign scientists. NSGC provided back-up samples to NLGRP totaling 470 accessions. Almost 99% of NSGC accessions have been backed-up


• NSGC has prepared a total of 12,400 samples to be sent to Svalbard in the next shipment. More than 60,000 accessions will then be backed-up at Svalbard.

National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, MD (Gary Kinard):

• The Plant Exchange Office (PEO) supports the collection of germplasm for the NPGS through the management of a Plant Exploration and Exchange Program. The deadline for submitting proposals for explorations or exchanges to be conducted in FY 2019 is July 20, 2018


• In 2016, ARS and the U.S. Forest Service established a new agreement to foster collaboration on conservation of crop wild relatives on U.S. National Forests


• In 2017, 35 historical PIs were located at the former Cheyenne (Wyoming) Horticultural Station. The information on the PIs was distributed to curators for their input on the need to acquire samples of the germplasm


• Since 2008, a project to provide thorough coverage of wild relatives of all major and minor crops in GRIN-Taxonomy has been underway


• In 2017, 640 public orders containing a total of 55,912 samples of NPGS accessions were shipped from Beltsville to individuals in 69 countries. In addition, PEO facilitated the agricultural inspection of arriving germplasm shipments containing accessions from numerous foreign countries for researchers and curators at NPGS sites


• At the beginning of 2018, the GRIN-Global database included the following: 584,449 active accessions representing 15,720 species and 2,533 genera, 3,023,069 inventory records, 1,973,427 germination records, 8,192,598 characteristic/evaluation records and 410,476 digitized images.

National Clonal Germplasm Clonal Repository, Corvallis, OR (Joseph Postman):

• 12,443 accessions, 73 genera and 774 taxa of 677 species of temperate fruit, nut, and specialty crops were conserved.


• Managed > 3,600 accessions of fruit tree and nut crops on 22 acres of orchard


• Obtained a total of 80 new accessions and 290 new inventory items in CY 2017


• Received 1,202 order requests and shipped 5,789 items


• Collaborated with NGRPL, Ft. Collins, CO, on cryopreservation protocols of dormant blueberry, hazelnut, pear, currant and gooseberry


• Collaborated with Forest Service scientists and USDA botanist and geneticist on in situ conservation of cranberry within National Forests of eastern US


• Expanded potted greenhouse backup collections of Pyrus and Cydonia for accessions represented by a single tree and at risk of loss due to disease susceptibility, lack of hardiness or small tree size


• Discovered a potentially novel gene for black spot resistance in rose


• Identified Vaccinium germplasm that is slow to become infected with, and potentially resistant to Blueberry shock virus.

National Clonal Germplasm Repository, Davis, CA (John Preece):

• In recent years, explorations were conducted in the Caucasus and Central Asian centers of diversity to fill gaps, especially in crop wild relatives. This new germplasm is clearing quarantine and will add significant diversity annually for the next 5 years and beyond. During the past year, 32 new Prunus accessions were received from APHIS. These include 10 species collected from 6 countries.

C.M. Rick Tomato Genetics Resource Center, Davis, CA (Roger Chetelat):

• Acquisitions. The TGRC acquired 444 new accessions this year, including a large set of backcross inbred lines (BILs) from S. pennellii LA0716 in cv. M82, as well as an accession of S. pennellii used for genome sequencing, and an introgression line with a segment of S. lycopersicoides chromosome 12. The current total of number of accessions maintained by the TGRC is 4,360. For backup storage, 93 seed samples were sent to the USDA and 26 samples were sent to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault


• A total of 5,978 seed samples representing 2,241 different accessions were distributed in response to 330 requests from 275 researchers and breeders in 31 countries. Our annual literature search uncovered 115 publications that mention use of our stocks.

Noon to 1:20pm, Working lunch

Special topic: Kim Hummer presented “Doomsday vaults, clonal style”

Business meeting, NPGS Station Reports: continued

National Laboratory for Genetic Resource Preservation Ft Collins, CO (Stephanie Greene):

• Developing state-of-art tools to improve gene bank management


• Status of the Base Seed Collection: 150,000 base samples have at least one monitor test: 2,885 base samples (335 taxa) have declined more than 20% since initially tested. Yet to be assessed - decline of base samples with monitor tests prior to 2014


• We have sent 13,000 accessions representing 280 taxa to Svalbard for back up, 60% comprised of wheat, barley and soybeans.

Tropical Plant Genetic Resources and Disease Research, Hilo, HI (Tracie Matsumoto):

• The Tropical Fruit & Nut Germplasm Repository in Hilo, HI will start the recruitment process for a new curator within the next few months


• At the Hilo repository, we maintain 13 designated clonal germplasm collections with 1200 accessions representing 61 genera and 145 species in 33 acres of fields, greenhouses and a tissue culture laboratory


• We also continue to serve as a backup for the ARS germplasm repositories in Miami, Florida, and Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

National Arid Land Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Parlier, CA (John Preece)

• Distributions from NALPGRU are in the form of seed, green cuttings/propagules, tissue or rooted plants depending on the crop and the nature of the request, and are filled and shipped year-round. The trend in distributions from NALPGRU is flat after a decrease due to a change in policy regarding distributions to home gardeners. In FY 2017, 80.5% of orders were sent to domestic co-operators, and these were splits equally between federal agencies, universities, and unaffiliated individuals


• A significant component of the NALPGRU mission is seed regenerations of accessions from other NPGS sites that require a long growing season and/or dry conditions


• NALPGRU was approved for funding through the Plant Exploration Office and the New Crops CGC for a collection trip targeting Parthenium in southwest Texas


• The NALPGRU performs routine regenerations of their seed crops, and manages the rest as clonal accessions with periodic replanting.

Temperate-adapted Forage Legume germplasm collection, Prosser, WA (Brian Irish)

• Personnel: A full-time Curator (Geneticist), a full-time USDA-ARS Biological Science Technician and one ½ time USDA/WSU Technician/Farmer


• During the 2017 summer regeneration period, alfalfa (M. sativa subsp. sativa ‘Vernal’) sentinel plots (½ covered and ½ uncovered) were established around germplasm regeneration field plots to monitor adventitious presence of genetically engineered (GE) glyphosate trait in alfalfa germplasm. Using a glyphosate-amended seedling germination assay and a seed grinding technique more than 140,000 seed was tested from 13 plots. No AP was detected from any covered (insect proof cage covers) sentinel plots, however AP was detected in five of the uncovered plots. AP detection in uncovered sentinel plots suggests transgenic gene flow to regeneration field site and extreme care must be taken to ensure timely placement of cage covers for alfalfa regenerations


• A recent systematic review of the Lotus genus has reclassified former native North American Lotus species into two new genera: Acmispon and Hosackia. Therefore, the TFL project gained 19 Acmispon species with 63 accessions and 6 Hosackia species with 14 accessions. The number of Lotus species/accessions was adjusted correspondingly


• Project coordinated the field planting and harvest (regeneration) of 184 Medicago, Trifolium, Lotus (Acmispon/Hosackia) germplasm accessions during the 2017 growing season. Additionally, 50 Medicago, Trifolium and Lotus species germplasm accessions were planted in the fall to be overwintered and regenerated CY 2018. The regeneration field site also included 10 sentinel plots and one faba bean (Vicia faba) accession


• During FY 2017 project coordinated the distribution of a total of 180 (1742) requests from 154 (142) cooperators (135 U.S./19 Int.). The number of unique accessions distributed was 3,222 (2,052) and total number of items distributed was 4,407 (3,243).

Western Regional Plant Introduction Station, Pullman, WA (Jinguo Hu):

• On December 31, 2017, there were 98,405 accessions belonging to 1,060 genera, 4,769 species (5,447 taxa) in the WRPIS collection


• We acquired 1,499 new accessions including 1,384 native plant accessions collected by the Seeds of Success (SOS) project and 807 accessions from various sources


• We distributed a total of 42,484 packets of seed samples to 1,060 requestors with addresses in each of the 50 domestic states and 46 foreign countries. Sixty percent (25,913 packets) were distributed to the U.S. and 40% (16,571 packets) were distributed to foreign countries. Requestors in each of the 50 domestic states received germplasm samples from WRPIS in the Year of 2017. A total of 9,682 packets from WRPIS went to the 13 Western states


• We uploaded 17,006 observation data points on 3.515 accessions into the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN)-Global database


• We entered 2,314 seed viability records into GRIN-Global


• We packed and stored 1,772 newly regenerated/harvested inventories of a broad range of plant species. We determined seed quantities of 6,513 inventories


• We shipped 1,573 seed inventories to the National Laboratory for Genetic Resource Preservation (NLGRP), Fort Collins, CO and 602 inventories to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Svalbard, Norway for secured backup


• We demonstrated the potential for dramatically lowering Fusarium proliferatum infestation by planting bulbils instead of seed cloves for regeneration of garlic


• We evaluated 100 faba bean accessions with replicated small plots under organic environment on the Lundberg Family Farms, Richvale, California


• Our genome-wide association study identified SNP markers that were significantly associated with Verticillium wilt (VW) resistance in two alfalfa populations, that were developed for mapping the disease resistance genes


• In collaboration with USDA-ARS NWISRL, Kimberly ID, we described Penicillium cellarum sp. nov., a pathogen of stored sugar beet roots, together with demonstrating its pathogenicity and environmental preferences.

National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Citrus and Dates, Riverside, CA (MaryLou Polek):

• In CY 2017, 17 additional accessions were cryoprocessed in Riverside. However, due to the Hold Order placed on the repository when the HLB quarantine was implemented (see section on Distributions), these have not been sent to Ft Collins at the time of this writing. It is expected that they will be sent in June or July, 2018


• NCGRCD acquired 3 new citrus accessions in CY 2017: Okitsu wase X Maltese ovale (RSD 2017002), Micromelum minutum (RSD 2017001), and TI (Rush) (RRUT 545). RSD 2017002 was a controlled pollination specifically intended for use at NLGRP and will not be maintained as an accession. RSD 2017001 did not establish. RRUT 545 was received as sanitized budwood from the Citrus Clonal Protection Program (CCPP)


• In CY 2017, NCGRCD completed sanitation of 17 accessions that were released from State and Federal quarantine in November of 2017


• During CY 2017, a total of 7988 laboratory tests were performed in support of distributions, therapy items, CVC backup and SH CTV


• In CY 2017, NCGRCD distributed 262 items to 99 requestors. All but 6 items were citrus or related taxa, the remaining 6 being date palm materials. In recent years there was a high number of requests for date palm accessions from scientists conducting genomic research. This project is nearing completion and therefore, the number of date palm distributions has decreased


• CY 2017 Propagations: there were 283 total propagations made from 170 genotypes


• The Crop Germplasm Committee needs to be made aware of critical issues threatening the future of the NCGRCD. These include: 1) Budgetary shortfalls and 2) Personnel Issues.

Business meeting, State Reports:

TAC members summarized their written state reports.

California state report (Dan Parfitt)

624 requests for plant introductions from California users were filled by the NPGS in 2017, very similar to the 676 from last year, representing 341 different users, almost identical to the 342 from last year. The distributed germplasm was used for plant breeding research, testing in home gardens, and propagation of both clonal and seed propagated species. Several respondents used the germplasm for demonstration projects in school settings, researchers used materials as reference materials or checks in their experiments, and some germplasm was used as archeological reference material. Much of the germplasm continues to be used for commercial breeding research (private, university or USDA) and this category is likely highly under-reported, especially from private companies; these companies are competing with each other and are in the business to release proprietary intellectual property. There seems to be less interest to use the collections for molecular/biochemical studies. Several members of the California Rare Fruit Growers requested materials for evaluation and distribution to their members as in past years.

Colorado state report (Patrick Byrne):

Orders for germplasm from the NPGS included delivery of accessions from both clonal repositories and Plant Introduction Stations. A total of 2,450 accessions were delivered in Colorado, constituting 123 orders. This represented an increase in shipments from the previous year (1,661 accessions and 96 orders in 2016), but is similar to the numbers for 2015 (2,312 accessions and 140 orders). Orders were shipped from the following locations in 2017: COR, DAV, GEN, HILO, NC7, NE 9, NR6, NSGC, NSSL, OPGC, S9, SOY, TGRC, and W6.

Idaho state report (Joe Kuhl):

In 2017, 3,024 accessions were requested in Idaho from the National Plant Germplasm System in a total of 83 orders. As observed in past years orders were fairly evenly divided among state, federal and private groups, 31, 20, and 32 orders, respectively. The major user groups in 2017 were USDA scientists accounting for 66% of total accessions, while state entities accounted for 25% of total accessions, together accounting for ~91% of the total accessions requested in Idaho. University researcher requests made up the vast majority of requests from state agencies. While there were 32private orders requesting 276 accessions. The top two private requests were from companies, Crookham Company with 67 accessions and Mountain River Kirby, 52 accessions.

Montana state report (Michael Giroux):

Thirty-three recipients received 1941 plant germplasm accessions in Montana during 2017. Twenty of the recipients responded to inquiry. About 1/3 of the accessions were for bread or durum wheat, 1/3 for barley and 1/3 for pulse crop accessions. The biggest increase over previous years was for barley and pulse crop accessions which reflects the fact that Montana State hired a pulse crop breeder who began work in January 2017 and several years ago hired a new barley breeder who is screening barley accessions for traits of interest. We also continue to have a number of individuals requesting accessions of various species including tree fruit to screen for those that may tolerate MT winters.

New Mexico state report (Ian Ray):

Twenty-five individuals from New Mexico placed 52 orders and received 945 accessions from the NPGS in 2017. In general, these materials were utilized for agronomy, botany, genetics, physiology, taxonomy, and plant pathology research (51%); educational and demonstration programs (29%), varietal development (10%), and undeclared use (10%).

Nevada state report (Melinda Yerka):

Ten individuals from Nevada placed 17 orders and received 91 accessions from the NPGS in 2017. Plant materials were used for chemistry/molecular genetics (40%), plant pathology (18%), anthropology (3%), breeding/varietal development (10%), public educational (19%), and undeclared (11%) efforts. Researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) continue to be the primary users (54%), which accounts for the significant reduction in requests made in 2017 as opposed to previous years (large projects are initiated when new plant science faculty are hired or obtain significant grant funding). Users reported that materials would be used for research (70%), education (19%), or other/unspecified (11%) use.

Oregon state report (Present by Carol Miles in place of Shawn Mehlenbacher):

Oregonians continue to use the PI system extensively. Users include state and federal researchers as well as private seed companies and private individuals. Oregon is a major user in the western region, along with California and Washington. 23 publications utilizing NPGS germplasm were published in 2017 and the first part of 2018.

Utah state report (Kevin Jensen):

Dr. Kevin Jensen sent out three rounds of emails to 2017 germplasm users. Their responses are documented in the 2017 Utah report.

Washington State report (Carol Miles):

In 2017, 126 Washington State residents requested a total of 6,032 germplasm samples from the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS). Recipients were with universities (37, 32 at WSU), USDA (17), private research groups (10), commercial firms, seed companies and nurseries (27), and non-profit organizations (8), as well as 27 private individuals. Recipients received germplasm (in the form of seeds and cuttings) from 17 NPGS repositories or stations in 239 orders. The germplasm material was used in diverse scientific disciplines such as agronomy, anthropology, archaeology, botany, genetics, horticulture, plant pathology, entomology, and soil science, and contributed significantly to scholastic and economic activity in the State of Washington. Several recipients stressed the importance of the NPGS service, and mentioned in particular the value of NPGS as a system for acquiring material for research work. Some recipients wrote of the increasing difficulty of obtaining germplasm for breeding uses from private sources, so that the NPGS is globally important for the development of new breeding programs.

Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii and Wyoming do not have state representatives. Dave Stout summarized the information from these states.

Alaska State report (Dave Stout):

During 2017 NPGS there shipped 14 orders with a total of 102 items (18 from WRPIS) to 10 people in Alaska. Eleven orders were submitted over the GRIN-Global Website and others were through emails or other means. We received three responses to our email questionnaire from requestors.

Arizona state report (Dave Stout):

During 2017 NPGS there shipped 62 orders with a total of 1,936 items (83 from WRPIS) to 41 people in Arizona. Fifty-three orders were submitted over the GRIN-Global Website and others were through emails or other means. We received eight responses to our email questionnaire from requestors.

Hawaii state report (Dave Stout):

During 2017 NPGS there shipped 28 orders with a total of 320 items (only one from WRPIS) to 19 people in Hawaii. Sixteen orders were submitted over the GRIN-Global Website and others were through emails or other means. We received four responses to the questionnaire from Rebecca Canevali, Priscilla Carbajal, Ken Love and Nancy Redfeather, respectively.

Wyoming state report (Dave Stout):

During 2017 NPGS shipped 38 orders with a total of 886 items (494 from WRPIS) to 10 people in Wyoming. All the orders were submitted over the GRIN-Global Website. Only one person, Saleh Osama, responded to my email questionnaire.

Open discussion:

The W6 TAC has discussed how state representative prepare state reports over the years. This year the topic came up and there was interest in possibly coordinating the questions asked to germplasm users. A standardize set of questions might be agreed upon by all members so that there is greater uniformity between state reports and increased ability to summarize all state reports into a single annual review. It was also discussed how to address the issue that many germplasm users that request germplasm in the previous year do not necessarily have results in time for the report, and in many cases the impact of germplasm use may not be realized for many years after received. How many years back should germplasm use be assessed? How do we get an accurate assessment of germplasm use when it may take years to collect results and determine utilization?

A brief discussion revised the issue of GM traits contaminating alfalfa germplasm.

A motion to adjourn for the day was made and seconded, unanimously approved.

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

In person: Kim Hummer, Jinguo Hu, Dan Parfitt, Brian Irish, Pat Byrne, Dave Stout, Kevin Jensen, Carol Miles

Called In: Anne-Marie Thro and Ian Ray

Challenges of the W-6 Station (Jinguo Hu)

Farmland issue – WRPIS lost 4 parcels of land, 28.5 acres, when Pullman Airport expanded; 5 yr rotation needed to rotate by crop species, disease cycle and hard-seeded issue

Action item: The tac wrote a resolution to request this issue is resolved by 2019

Central Ferry and alfalfa issue – at Central Ferry 37 acres WSU and 100 A long-term lease to ARS from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; so plenty of land to accommodate the alfalfa program

Action item: Jinguo and Brian plan to meet to discuss and decide if move is viable, report back to the group next year

The greenhouse is being constructed at Central Ferry, should be ready by winter, for Phaseolus program

Staff – technician resigned, WSU position, 3 months until rehire is complete

Dave Stout’s position in process of being refilled, position description is complete, will be advertised soon

Vicky Bradley retired last week, may be 1 yr until rehire; Jesse acting curator temporarily for now, working well

Impact (Pat) – we have to demonstrate impact for what we are doing, good anecdotal reports in state reports

Create a narrative of 1-2 success stories for each state; economic impact good to show but hard to demonstrate

Kevin: Oregon hazel nuts and Shawn’s work a big impact story, so is Utah wheat breeding

Anne-Marie: each state creates a table highlighting impacts

Can we coordinate efforts with other regions?

Every few years a meeting of the 4 regions, we can discuss then, last meeting was in CO 2 years ago

Action item: Form a subgroup of the tac to: determine what is done with the state reports and W6 annual report; ask other regions what they are doing; ask each state representative in W6 to share annual request letter; maybe we need to ask recipients who received germplasm several/3 years ago (Kevin); subgroup volunteers: Pat, Kevin, Carol, others let Pat know if you are interested

More states participated this year than in the past (Dan), how do we keep state representatives engaged?

Distribution of germplasm (Kim) – need to restrict distribution next year due to lack of resources (budget is not adequate to maintain current samples or ship requests)

Dan: it’s a quandary, we are promoting importance of NRGS to public, so public wants to use it

Kevin: exposure is good, there is a genetic diversity movement

Missy: they have a letter letting people know they won’t receive material, could update it so people understand the lack of resources

Kim: some people are asking for germplasm so they can sell it, can recognize some names and screen them out

Missy: people asking for hops germplasm (a few 100) so they can start a commercial production operation

Kevin: create a core set of germplasm for general requesters?

Kim: homeowners would see a small set in GRIN, scientists see whole set

Action item: 2019 annual meeting will be hosted by W6-WRPIS in Pullman in mid-June, will have a webinar connection with WebX; 2020 annual meeting tentatively to be held in Logan UT

Resolutions:

Resolution 1. The W-6 Technical Advisory Committee thanks Dr. Kim Hummer, Joseph Postman and the staff of the USDA ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository in Corvallis for their efforts in organizing and hosting the 2018 W-6 meeting with teleconference options.

Resolution 2. The W-6 Technical Advisory Committee thanks Dr. Jim Moyer for his many years of service as Administrative Advisor for the W-6 Regional Technical Advisory Committee.

Resolution 3. The W-6 Technical Advisory Committee thanks Dave Stout and Vicki Bradley for their many years of service at the W-6 station and their contributions to NPGS.

Motion to adjourn the meeting by Kevin, Dan seconded, passed unanimously.

Meeting minutes for Tuesday, June 26, 2018 recorded by Carol Miles.

W6 TAC Secretary: Joe Kuhl

To view all the complete state reports, please follow these instructions: Log in to NIMSS at https://www.nimss.org/   Click on "WEST" in the Sort by Region section, then the "W," then on "W6." When the project homepage comes up, go to the left hand side and click on "Attachments." Here you will see all the individual 2018 State reports.

 

 

 

Accomplishments

<p>This project manages a diverse collection of important agricultural crop genetic resources and associated information and makes them accessible to plant breeders around the world to develop new cultivars with improved quality and increased productivity, which are critical for global food security. Crop genetic resources are also used by scientists in basic research to increase our knowledge of plant sciences. To fill the gaps in our collection, we acquired 1,499 new accessions including 1,384 native plant accessions collected by the Seeds of Success (SOS) project and 807 accessions from various sources. As of August 6, 2018, the WRPIS held 100,979 accessions that belong to 1,065 genera and 5,356 taxa including 4,687 identified species. We uploaded 17,006 observation data points on 3.515 accessions into the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN)-Global database. These data points are on 97 established descriptors for 13 different crop species. Our collaborators contributed 7% and WRPIS staff provided 93% of the evaluation data. The database is accessible by researchers worldwide via the internet. We distributed a total of 42,484 packets of seed samples to 1,060 requestors with addresses in each of the 50 domestic states and 46 foreign countries. Sixty percent (25,913 packets) were distributed to the U.S. and 40% (16,571 packets) were distributed to foreign countries. Requestors in each of the 50 domestic states received germplasm samples from WRPIS in the Year of 2017. A total of 9,682 packets from WRPIS went to the 13 Western states.</p><br /> <p>We entered 2,314 seed viability records into GRIN-Global in 2016. The WRPIS tested 985, the National Laboratory for Genetic Resource Preservation (NLGRP), Fort Collins, CO tested 1,329 accessions. We packed and stored 1,772 newly regenerated/harvested inventories of a broad range of plant species. We determined seed quantities of 6,513 inventories. We shipped 1,573 seed inventories to the National Laboratory for Genetic Resource Preservation (NLGRP), Fort Collins, CO and 602 inventories to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Svalbard, Norway for secured backup.<strong> <br /></strong></p><br /> <ul><br /> <li>Cool season food legume germplasm curator Clarice Coyne co-directed a Ph.D. dissertation project of Dr. Md Nurul Amin, a native of Bangladesh, who was conferred doctoral degree by Washington State University. This project discovered 10,052 Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers in the USDA lentil core collection using Genotyping-By-Sequencing (GBS) and identified markers that are significantly associated with some important agronomic traits including early flowering and high yield in the genome-wide association study (GWAS).</li><br /> <li>Research Plant Pathologist Frank Dugan and horticultural crops germplasm curator Barbara Hellier demonstrated that garlic bulb rot caused by Fusarium proliferatum infestation can be dramatically lowered by planting bulbils instead of seed cloves for regeneration of garlic.</li><br /> <li>Research Geneticist Long-Xi Yu identified SNP makers associated with resistance to Verticilium wilt in alfalfa. A couple of these markers could be from the functional genes since their sequences show homology to the conserved components of plant disease resistant genes.</li><br /> <li>Horticultural crops germplasm curator Barbara Hellier finished characterization of the USDA table beet collection. The data and images are being uploaded to GRIN-Global database.</li><br /> <li>Agronomy and native plants germplasm curator Vicki Bradley selected and released a new tef germplasm line &lsquo;Crimson Torch&rsquo; for ornamental crop development.</li><br /> <li>Phaseolus bean germplasm curator Theodor Kisha analyzed 120 Heirloom Beans for protein, extractable phenolics and non-extractable proanthocyanidins. There were 2 to 3-fold differences even within market classes of Red and Black beans. Data is being entered into the GRIN Global database for plant breeders to select desirable parental accession in developing varieties with the optimal polyphenolic compound contents for consumers.</li><br /> <li>On May 18, 2018, the Central Ferry research farm hosted a field trip of the 5th grade class from La Crosse, WA. Four plant science technicians (Lisa Taylor, Jessica McGowan, Dawn Tachell and Saber Glass) and the farm crew (Kurt Tetrick and Jennifer Morris) showed the kids different plants in the field and greenhouse, methods of harvesting and cleaning seeds and farm equipment. The class late rated the field trip the best in the school year.</li><br /> </ul><br /> <p>On June 19, 2018, the W6 station hosted 21 High School Students with the Omak/Okanogan County Upward Bound Program in Pullman, WA as part of their WSU visit. ARS volunteers showcased many aspects of plant science education and USDA careers through discussion, worksheets and hands-on activities. The students rotated through 4 stations, each focusing on a different aspect. These stations included: &lsquo;Botany/Mendelian Genetics&rsquo;, &lsquo;Fungal Pathogens/Microscopy&rsquo;, &lsquo;Seed Cleaning/Identification&rsquo; and &lsquo;Molecular Research Tools/Phenotypic Variation&rsquo;.</p>

Publications

<ol><br /> <li>Arkwazee, Haidar A. 2018. Quantitative trait loci and genome wide association study for resistance to white mold in common (snap) bean. Ph.D. dissertation, Oregon State University.</li><br /> <li>Bhattarai, G. and S. A. Mehlenbacher. 2018 Discovery, characterization and linkage mapping of simple sequence repeat markers in hazelnut (<em>Corylus avellana </em>). J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 143: (accepted).</li><br /> <li>Bhattarai, G. and S.A. Mehlenbacher. 2017. Development and mapping of new tri-nucleotide repeat simple sequence repeat markers from the hazelnut genome sequence. PLoS ONE 12(5): e0178061.</li><br /> <li>Bhattarai, G., S.A. Mehlenbacher, and D.C. Smith. 2017. Eastern filbert blight disease resistance from <em>Corylus americana </em>&lsquo;Rush&rsquo; and selection 'Yoder #5' maps to linkage group 7. Tree Genetics and Genomes 13:45 doi.org/10.1007/s11295-017-1129-9</li><br /> <li>Bhattarai, G., S.A. Mehlenbacher, and D.C. Smith. 2017. Inheritance and mapping of eastern filbert blight resistance from 'Uebov' hazelnut. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 142:289-297.</li><br /> <li>Bushakra, J.M., M. Dossett, K.A. Carter, K.J. Vining, J.C. lee, D.W. Bryant, R. VanBuren, J. Lee, T.C. Mockler, and N.V. Bassil. 2018. Characterization of aphid resistance loci in black raspberry (<em>Rubus occidentalis </em>). Mol. Breed. (in press). DOI: 10.1007/s11032-018-0839-5.</li><br /> <li>Byrne PF, Gardner C, Gore MA, Simon PW, Smith S, Volk GM. 2018. Sustaining the Future of Plant Breeding: The Critical Role of the USDA-ARS National Plant Germplasm System. Crop Science 58:451-468. doi: 10.2135/cropsci2017.05.0303</li><br /> <li>Carpenter M.A., M Shaw, R. Cooper, T.J. Frew, R.C. Butler, S.R. Murray, L. Moya, J. Coyne, G.M Timmerman-Vaughan. 2017. Association mapping of variation in starch chain length distribution in pea (<em>Pisum sativum </em>L.) using carbohydrate and starch metabolism candidate genes. BMC Plant Biology 17:132. DOI 10.1186/s12870-017-1080-9</li><br /> <li>Colburn, B.C., S.A. Mehlenbacher and V.R. Sathuvalli. 2017. Development and mapping of microsatellite markers from transcriptome sequences of European hazelnut (<em>Corylus avellana </em>) and use for germplasm characterization. Molecular Breeding 37:16.</li><br /> <li>Dandurand, LM, Morra, MJ, Zasada, IA, Phillips, WS, Popova, I, and C Harder. 2017. Control of Globodera spp. Using Brassica juncea seed meal and seed meal extract. Journal of Nematology. 49:437-445.</li><br /> <li>DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0160941</li><br /> <li>Dugan, F.M., J. Landry, and J. Hu. 2017 Ascochyta blight of faba bean. Washington State University Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet.</li><br /> <li>Dugan, F.M., S.L. Lupien, and J. Hu. 2017. Fungal plant pathogens associated with emerging crops in North America: A challenge for plant health professionals. Plant Health Progress 18: 221-229.</li><br /> <li>Dugan, F.M., S.L. Lupien, C.M. Vahling-Armstrong, G.A. Chastagner, and B.K. Schroeder. 2017. Host ranges of Penicillium species causing blue mold of bulb crops in Washington State and Idaho. Crop Protection 96: 265-272.</li><br /> <li>Elias, G.E. and Y. Wu. 2017. Grow-out test to distinguish different amaranth species. Seed Technol. 38 (2): 153-154. (Abstract)</li><br /> <li>Elwan, EA, Aleem, EEA, Fattouh, FA, Green, KJ, Tran, LT, and AV Karasev. 2017. Occurrence of diverse recombinant strains of Potato Virus Y circulating in the potato fields in Egypt. Plant Disease. 101:1463-1469.</li><br /> <li>Feng, X, Guzman, P, Myers, JR, and AV Karasev. 2017. Resistance to bean common mosaic virus conferred by the bc-1 gene affects systemic spread of the virus in common bean. Phytopathology. 107:893-900.</li><br /> <li>Feng, X., G.E. Orellana, J.R. Myers, and A.V. Karasev. 2018. Recessive resistance to bean common mosaic virus conferred by the <em>bc-1 </em>and <em>bc-2 </em>genes in common bean (<em>Phaseolus vulgaris </em>) affects long distance movement of the virus. Phytopathology doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-01-18-0021-R.</li><br /> <li>Feng, X., P. Guzm&aacute;n, J.R. Myers and A.V. Karasev. 2017. Resistance to bean common mosaic necrosis virus conferred by the <em>bc-1 </em>gene affects systemic spread of the virus in common bean. Phytopathology 107:893-900. org/10.1094/PHYTO-01-17-0013-R.</li><br /> <li>Finn, C.E., T.A. Mackey, J.D. Postman, and R.R. Martin. 2017. Identifying blueberry germplasm that is slow to get <em>Blueberry shock virus </em>in the Pacific Northwest United States. Acta Hortic. (in press).</li><br /> <li>Funke, CN, Nikolaeva, OV, Green, KJ, Tran, LT, et al. 2017. Strain-specific resistance to potato virus Y (PVY) in potato and its effect on the relative abundance of PVY strains in commercial potato fields. Plant Disease. 101:20-28.</li><br /> <li>Green, KJ, Brown, CJ, Gray, SM, and AV Karasev. 2017. Phylogenetic study of recombinant strains of Potato Virus Y. Virology. 507:40-52.</li><br /> <li>Green, KJ, Chikh-Ali, M, Hamasaki, RT, Melzer, MJ, and AV Karasev. 2017. Potato virus Y (PVY) isolates from <em>Physalis peruviana</em> are unable to systemically infect potato or pepper and form a distinct new lineage within the PVYc strain group. Phytopathology. 107:1433-1439.</li><br /> <li>Holdsworth W.L., E. Gazave, P. Cheng, J. Myers, M.A. Gore, J. Coyne, R.J. McGee, M. Mazourek. 2017. A Community Resource for Exploring and Utilizing Genetic Diversity in the USDA Pea Single Plant Plus Collection. Horticulture Research 4;17017; doi:10.1038/hortres.2017.17.</li><br /> <li>Ingwell, LL, Lacroix, C, Rhoades, PR, Karasev, AV, and NA Bosque-Perez. 2017. Agroecological and environmental factors influence Barley yellow dwarf viruses in grasslands in the US Pacific Northwest. Virus Research. 241:185-195.</li><br /> <li>Jibran, R., H. Dzierzon, N. Bassil, J.M. Bushakra, P.P. Edger, S. Sullivan, C.E. Finn, M. Dossett, K.J. Vining, R. VanBuren, T.C. Mockler, I. Liachko, K.M. Davies, T.M. Foster and D. Chagn&eacute;. 2018. Chromosome-scale scaffolding of the black raspberry (<em>Rubus occidentalis </em>) genome based on chromatin interaction data. Hort. Res. 5:8-, DOI 10.1038/s41438-017-0013-y</li><br /> <li>Kahraman A, Pandey A, Khan MK, Lindsay D, Moenga S, Shin M-G, Molano G, Carrasquilla-Garcia N, Vance L,Bergmann E, vonWettberg E, Chang P, Taran B, Cook DR, Penmetsa RV(2017).Distinct subgroups of <em>Cicer echinospermum</em> are associated with hybrid sterility and breakdown in interspecific crosses with cultivated chickpea. Crop Science 57:3101-3111. doi: 10.2135/cropsci2017.06.0335.</li><br /> <li>Kim, W., J.-J. Park, M. Dugan, T.L. Peever, D.R. Gang, G. Vandemark, and W. Chen. 2017. Production of the antibiotic secondary metabolite solanapyrone A by the fungal plant pathogen <em>Ascochyta rabiei </em>during fruiting body formation in saprobic growth. Environmental Microbiology 19: 1822-1835.</li><br /> <li>Lafta, A., T. Turini, G. Sandoya, and B. Mou. 2017. Field evaluation of green and red leaf lettuce genotypes in the Imperial, San Joaquin, and Salinas Valleys of California for heat tolerance and extension of the growing seasons. HortScience 52: 40-48.</li><br /> <li>Landis, JB, A Guercio, CF Fiscus, and D Koenig. Elucidating the genetic control of long-term success in a near century long study of barley (<em>Hordeum vulgare</em>). (Oral). Evolution 2017 Conference, June 23-27, Portland, OR.</li><br /> <li>Landis, JB, A Guercio, CF Fiscus, and D Koenig. Phenotypic variation and genetic control of long-term success in a near century long study of barley (<em>Hordeum vulgare</em>). (Oral). Botany 2018 Conference, July 21-25, Rochester, MN.</li><br /> <li>Landry E., C.J. Coyne, R. J. McGee and J. Hu. 2017. A modified mass selection scheme for creating winter-hardy faba bean (<em>Vicia faba </em>) lines with a broad genetic base. Euphytica 213: 72. doi:10.1007/s10681-017-1843-2</li><br /> <li>Liu X-P, Yu L-X (2017) Genome-wide association mapping of loci associated with plant growth and forage production under salt stress in alfalfa (<em>Medicago sativa </em>). Front. Plant Sci. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00853.</li><br /> <li>Lupien, S.L., F.M. Dugan, K.M. Ward, and K. O'Donnell. 2017. Wilt, crown and root rot of common rose mallow (<em>Hibiscus moscheutos</em>) caused by a novel Fusarium sp. Plant Disease 101: 354-358.</li><br /> <li>Ma Y., C.J. Coyne, D. Main, S. Pavan, S. Sudheesh, S. Kaur, J.W. Foster, J. Leit&atilde;o, S. Sun, Z. Zhu, X. Zong, R.J. McGee. 2017. Development and validation of breeder-friendly KASPar markers for <em>er1</em>, a powdery mildew resistance gene in pea (<em>Pisum sativum </em>) Molecular Breeding 37:151 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11032-017-0740-7</li><br /> <li>Ma, Y., Coyne, C.J., Grusak, M.A., Mazourek, M., Cheng, P., Main, D. and McGee, R.J., 2017. Genome-wide SNP identification, linkage map construction and QTL mapping for seed mineral concentrations and contents in pea (<em>Pisum sativum </em>). BMC Plant Biology, 17:43. DOI: 10.1186/s12870-016-0956-4</li><br /> <li>Mathey, M.M., S. Mookerjee, L.L. Mahoney, K. Gunduz, U. Rosyara, J.F. Hancock, P.J. Stewart, V.M. Whitaker, N.V. Bassil, T.M. Davis, and C.E. Finn. 2017. Genotype by environment interactions and combining ability for strawberry families grown in diverse environments. Euphytica 213:112. DOI 10.1007/s10681-017-1892-6.</li><br /> <li>Mehlenbacher, S.A., D.C. Smith, and R.L. McCluskey. 2018. 'Burgundy Lace' ornamental hazelnut. HortScience 53:387-390 https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI12623-17</li><br /> <li>Mehlenbacher, S.A., D.C. Smith, and R.L. McCluskey. 2018. 'York' and 'Felix' hazelnut pollenizers. HortScience 53: (in press).</li><br /> <li>Pincot DDA, Poorten, Hardigan. Harshman, Acharya, Cole, Gordon TR, Stueven M, Edger PP, Knapp SJ (2018) Genome-Wide Association Mapping Uncovers Fw1, a Dominant Gene Conferring Resistance to Fusarium Wilt in Strawberry. G3:&nbsp; Genes, Genomes, Genetics 8: 1817-1828.&nbsp; https://doi.org/10.1534/g3.118.200129.</li><br /> <li>Price, R. A., P. Woods, and D. Meyer. 2017. Seed identification from ITS DNA sequencing-an update. Seed Technology 38: 152-153.</li><br /> <li>Price, R. A., T. Bartling, J. Kaste, P. Woods, D. Thiede, D. Meyer, and F. Ghavami. 2017. Palmer amaranth: identification from ITS DNA sequencing. Seed Technology 38: 151-152.</li><br /> <li>Qin, J., A. Shi, B. Mou, G. Bhattarai, W. Yang, Y. Weng, and D. Motes. 2017. Association mapping of aphid resistance in USDA cowpea (<em>Vigna unguiculata</em> Walp.) core collection using SNPs. Euphytica 213: 36. doi:10.1007/s10681-016-1830-z</li><br /> <li>Qin, J., A. Shi, B. Mou, M.A. Grusak, Y. Weng, W. Ravelombola, G. Bhattarai, L. Dong, and W. Yang. 2017. Genetic diversity and association mapping of mineral element concentrations in spinach leaves. BMC Genomics 18: 941. DOI 10.1186/s12864-017-4297-y</li><br /> <li>Ravelombola, W., A. Shi, Y. Weng, B. Mou, D. Motes, J. Clark, P. Chen, V. Srivastava, J. Qin, L. Dong, W. Yang, G. Bhattarai, and Y. Sugihara. 2018. Association analysis of salt tolerance in cowpea (<em>Vigna</em> <em>unguiculata</em> (L.) Walp) at germination and seedling stages. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 131: 79-91. doi:10.1007/s00122-017-2987-0</li><br /> <li>Ruas, M ., Guignon, V., Sempere, G., Sardos, J., Hueber, Y., Duverhey, H., Andrieu, A., Chase, R., Jenny, C., Hazekamp, T., Jelali, K., Adeka, J., Ayala Silva, T., Chao, C., Daniels, J., Dowlya, B., Effa Effa, B., Gueco, L., Kempenaers, E., Herradura, L., Ibobondji, L., Irish, B.M., Kilangi, J., Muhangi, S., Ngo Xuan, P., Paofa, J., Pavis, C., Sandoval Jorge, Sutanto, A., Thiemele, D., Tossou, C., Vangu Paka, G., Ganjun, Y., Van Den Houwe, I., Roux, N., Rouard, M. 2017. MGIS: Managing banana (<em>Musa </em>) genetic resources information and high-throughput genotyping data. Database: The Journal of Biological Databases and Curation. doi:10.1093/database/bax046.</li><br /> <li>Salinas, N.R., J.D. Zurn, M. Mathey, S. Mookerjee, B. Denoyes, J. Perrotte, A. Potier, C.E. Finn, J.F. Hancock, P. Stewart and N.V. Bassil. 2017. Validation of molecular markers associated with perpetual flowering in octoploid <em>Fragaria </em> Mol. Breeding 37:70-82. DOI 10.1007/s11032-017-0672-2</li><br /> <li>Sathuvalli, V., S. Mehlenbacher, and D. Smith. 2017. High-resolution genetic and physical mapping of the eastern filbert blight resistance region in 'Jefferson' hazelnut (<em>Corylus avellana </em>). The Plant Genome 10(2) doi:10.3835/plantgenome2016.12.0123</li><br /> <li>Shi, A., J. Qin, B. Mou, J. Correll, Y. Weng, D. Brenner, C. Feng, D. Motes, W. Yang, L. Dong, G. Bhattarai, and W. Ravelombola. 2017. Genetic diversity and population structure analysis of spinach by single-nucleotide polymorphisms identified through genotyping-by-sequencing. PLoS ONE 12(11): e0188745. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0188745</li><br /> <li>Sm&yacute;kal P, I. Hradilov&aacute;, O. Trněn&yacute;, J. Brus, A. Rathore, M. Bariotakis, R. Rani Das, C. Richards, C.J. Coyne, S. Pirintsos. 2017. Macroecological patterns of wild relatives of domesticated pea in the Mediterranean Region and the Fertile Crescent. Scientific Reports 7:17384 DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-17623-4</li><br /> <li>Strausbaugh, C.A., and M. Dugan. 2017. A novel <em>Penicillium </em>sp. causes rot in stored sugar beet roots in Idaho. Plant Disease 101: 1781-1787.</li><br /> <li>Thavarajah D., A. Abare, I. Mapa, J. Coyne, S. Kumar, P. Thavarajah. 2017. Selecting lentil accessions for global selenium biofortification. Plants 6 (3), p.34.</li><br /> <li>Thompson, JR, Dasgupta, I, Fuchs, M, Iwanami, T, Karasev, AV, et al. 2017. ICTV Virus taxonomy profile: Secoviridae. Journal of General Virology. 98:529-531.</li><br /> <li>VanBuren, R., C. Man-Wai, M. Colle, J. Wang, S. Sullivan, J.M. Bushakra, I. Liachko, K.J. Vining, M. Dossett, C.E. Finn, R. Jibran, D. Chagne, K. Childs, P.O. Edger, T.C. Mockler, and N.V. Bassil. 2018. A near complete, chromosome-scale assembly of the black raspberry (<em>Rubus occidentali</em>s) genome. GigaScience (accepted)</li><br /> <li>Verma, S., J.D. Zurn, N. Salinas, M. M. Mathey, B. Denoyes, J.F. Hancock, C.E. Finn, N.V. Bassil, and V.M. Whitaker. 2017. Clarifying sub-genomic positions of QTLs for flowering habit and fruit quality in strawberry (<em>Fragaria </em>&times;a<em>nanassa</em>) breeding populations using pedigree-based QTL analysis. Hortic. Res. 4:17062 doi:10.1038/hortres.2017./62.</li><br /> <li>Vining KJ., Johnson SR., Ahkami A., Lange I., Parrish AN., Trapp SC., Croteau RB., Straub SCK., Pandelova I., Lange BM. 2017. Draft genome sequence of <em>Mentha longifolia </em>and development of resources for mint cultivar improvement. Molecular Plant 10:323&ndash;339. doi: 10.1016/j.molp.2016.10.018.</li><br /> <li>Volk G, Samarina, L, Kulyan R, Gorshkov V, Malyarovskaya V, Ryndin A, Polek ML, Krueger R, Stover E. 2018. Citrus genebank collections: international collaboration opportunities between the US and Russia. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 65:433- DOI 10.1007/s10722-017-0543-z DOI</li><br /> <li>Volk GM, Henk AD, Forsline PL, Szewc-Mcfadden AK, Fazio G, Aldwinckle H, Richards CM. 2017. Seeds capture the diversity of two ex situ <em>Malus sieversii </em> Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 64: 1513-1528.</li><br /> <li>Volk, G.M., Jenderek, M. and Chao, C.T. 2017. Prioritization of <em>Malus </em>Accessions for Collection Cryopreservation at the USDA-ARS National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation. Acta Hort 1172:267-272.</li><br /> <li>von Wettberg, E.J., Chang, P.L., Başdemir, F., Carrasquila-Garcia, N., Korbu, L.B., Moenga, S.M., Bedada, G., Greenlon, A., Moriuchi, K.S., Singh, V. and Cordeiro, M.A., 2018. Ecology and genomics of an important crop wild relative as a prelude to agricultural innovation. Nature communications, <em>9</em>(1), p.649.</li><br /> <li>Voznesenskaya, E.V., N.K. Koteyeva, G.E. Edwards, G. Ocampo. 2017. Unique photosynthetic phenotypes in Portulaca (<em>Portulacaceae</em>): C3-C4 intermediates and NAD-ME C4 species with Pilosoid type Kranz anatomy. J Experimental Botany 68: 225-239 doi:10.1093/jxb/erw39</li><br /> <li>Wallace, Lyle. 2018. Sensory analysis and genetic mapping of green bean flavor. Ph.D. dissertation, Oregon State University.</li><br /> <li>Wang, M.L., Harrison, M.L., Tonnis, B.D., Pinnow, D.L., Davis, J., Irish, B.M. Total leaf crude protein, amino acid composition and elemental content in the USDA-ARS bamboo germplasm collection. Plant Genetic Resources. doi: 10.1017/S1479262117000053.</li><br /> <li>Wang, M.L., Irish, B.M., Tonnis, B.D., Pinnow, D.L., Davis, J., Hotchkiss, M.W., Harrison, M.L. 2017. Exploring bamboo leaf nutrient value in the US NPGS germplasm collection. Austin Food Sciences. 2(1):1030.</li><br /> <li>Wang, R, Chen, JL, Anderson, JA, Zhang, JL, Zhao, WD, Wheeler, J, Klassen, N, See, DR, and YH Dong. 2017. Genome-wide association mapping of Fusarium head blight resistance in spring wheat lines developed in the Pacific Northwest and CIMMYT. Phytopathology. 107:1486-1495.</li><br /> <li>Whitson, William. 2017. How to grow wild potatoes. Cultivariable web page, accessed 3/2/18 https://www.cultivariable.com/instructions/potatoes/how-to-grow-wild-potatoes/</li><br /> <li>Whitson, William. 2017. Potato: Morphological Observations of USDA Accessions 2017. Cultivariable web page, accessed 3/2/18 https://www.cultivariable.com/potato-morphological-observations-of-usda-accessions-2017/</li><br /> <li>Xiong, H., J. Qin, A. Shi, B. Mou, D. Wu, J. Sun, X. Shu, Z. Wang, W. Lu, J. Ma, Y. Weng, and W. Yang. 2018. Genetic differentiation and diversity upon genotype and phenotype in cowpea (<em>Vigna unguiculata</em> Walp.). Euphytica 214:4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-017-2088-9.</li><br /> <li>Xu, C., C. Jiao, H. Sun, X. Cai, X. Wang, C. Ge, Y. Zheng, W. Liu, X. Sun, Y. Xu, J. Deng, Z. Zhang, S. Huang, S. Dai, B. Mou, Q. Wang, Z. Fei, and Q. Wang. 2017. Draft genome of spinach and transcriptome diversity of 120 Spinacia accessions. Nature Communications 8: 15275. doi: 10.1038/ncomms15275</li><br /> <li>Yu L-X (2017) Identification of single-nucleotide polymorphic markers associated with biomass yield under water deficit in alfalfa (<em>Medicago sativa </em>) using genome-wide sequencing and association mapping. Front Plant Sci. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2017.01152.</li><br /> <li>Yu L-X, Chao S, Singh PR, Sorrells EM. (2017) Identification and validation of single nucleotide polymorphic markers linked to Ug99 stem rust resistance in spring wheat. PLoS ONE 12 (2): e0171963. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0171963.</li><br /> <li>Zhang F, Zhang T, Long R-C, Lv H, Wang Z, Yu L-X, Kang J, Yang Q (2017). Genome-wide association study identifies loci associated with early-flowering in autotetraploid alfalfa (<em>Medicago sativa </em>) using genotyping-by-sequencing. Submitted to peer-reviewed journal.</li><br /> <li>Zheng, XW, Li, XH, Ge, C, Chang, JZ, Shi, MM, Chen, JL, Qiao, LY, Chang, ZJ, Zheng, J, Zhang, JC. 2017. Characterization of the CCT family and analysis of gene expression in <em>Aegilops tauschii</em>. PLOS One 12:e0189333.</li><br /> </ol>

Impact Statements

1. The NPGS system has provided educators and private citizens with access to crop plant resources for small business development and teaching that they otherwise would not have had access to. One recipient in Washington State noted that the availability of unique and rare varieties has allowed growers to begin the process of re-establishing viable local commercial farms that can compete at a very small scale. Another described it as “an invaluable resource.”

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Report Information

Participants

Officers:
Chair – Carol Miles (attending the meeting virtual/off-site)
Vice Chair – Ian Ray (attending the meeting virtual/off-site)
Secretary – Joe Kuhl (attending the meeting in person/on site)

In person (Hulbert Hall, Room 409, WSU Pullman Campus):
Joseph Kuhl, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, Email: jkuhl@uidaho.edu;
Peter Bretting, National Program Leader, email: Peter.Bretting@ars.usda.gov;
Robert Matteri, USDA-ARS PWA Area Director, email: Robert.Matteri@ars.usda.gov
Scot Hulbert, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, email: scot_hulbert@wsu.edu;
Jinguo Hu, ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA, email: jinguo.hu@ars.usda.gov;
Dave Stout, ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA, email: Dave.Stout@ars.usda.gov;
Brian Irish, ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA, email: Brian.irish@ars.usda.gov;
Clair Coyne, ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA, email: clarice.coyne@ars.usda.gov
Barbara Hellier, ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA, email: barbara.hellier@ars.usda.gov
Ted Kisha, ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA, email: theodore.kisha@ars.usda.gov
Lisa Taylor, ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA, email: lisa.taylor@ars.usda.gov

Called In:
Carol Miles, Washington State University, Mount Vernon, WA, email: milesc@wsu.edu;
Ian Ray, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, email: iaray@nmsu.edu;
Ann-Marie Thro, National Program Leader, email: athro@nifa.usda.gov;
Dan Parfitt, University of California, Davis, CA, email: fzparfit@plantsciences.ucdavis.edu;
Gary Kinard, ARS NGRL, Beltsville, MD, email: Gary.Kinard@ars.usda.gov;
Harold Bockelman, ARS NSGC, Aberdeen, ID, email: Harold.Bockelman@ars.usda.gov;
Joseph Postman, ARS NCGR, Corvallis, OR, email: Joseph.Postman@ars.usda.gov;
John Preece, ARS NCGR, Davis, CA, and ARS NALPGR, Parlier, CA, email: John.Preece@ars.usda.gov;
Melinda Yerka, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, NV, email: myerka@unl.edu;
Pat Byrne, Colorado State University, email: Patrick.byrne@colostate.edu
Roger Chetelat, University of California - Davis, Davis, CA, email: trchetelat@ucdavis.edu;
Stephanie Greene, ARS NLGRP, Ft. Collins, CO, email: Stephanie.Greene@ars.usda.gov;
Tracie Matsumoto, ARS TPGRDR, Hilo, HI, email: tracie.matsumoto@ars.usda.gov;
Marylou Polek, ARS NCGRCD, Riverside, CA, email: Marylou.Polek@ars.usda.gov;
Michael Giroux, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, email: mgiroux@montana.edu;

Unable to connect:
Kevin Jensen, ARS FRR, UT, email: Kevin.Jensen@ars.usda.gov

Brief Summary of Minutes

8:00 a.m. to 8:25 a.m.: Participants call in/connect 

Opening remarks:

The meeting was called to order by Chair Carol Miles at 8:25am. There were brief opening remarks regarding agenda and connectivity.  No discussion occurred.  The agenda was approved without edits.

Scot Hulbert, Administrative Advisor report, remark and budget

In 2018 Scot Hulbert was interim, in 2019 he became permanent Administrative Advisor.  In May 2019 the NRSP budget request was reviewed and submitted.  It included a standard 3% increase.  Recently the state hired Ms. Saber Glass as the Pullman Farm Manager, starting on June 17, 2019.  A seed cleaning position will soon be advertised. 

Peter Bretting (ARS National Program Office)

Peter Bretting presented slides titled: The National Plant Germplasm System: 2019 Status, Prospects, and Challenges.  Over the last 15 years the rate of germplasm distribution has doubled from ~125,000 to ~250,000 accessions.  Genome scientists have become a new primary customer base of NPGS. NPGS funding peaked in 2010-2012 and has been stable since 2014, following a low in 2013.  Some key challenges for the NPGS include: managing and expanding the NPGS operational capacity and infrastructure to meet the increased demand for germplasm and associated information, recent and upcoming NPGS personnel retirements including hiring and training new staff, developing and applying cryopreservation and/or in vitro conservation methods for clonal germplasm, BMPs and procedures for managing accessions and breeding stocks with GE traits and the occurrence of adventitious presence, acquiring and conserving additional germplasm, especially of crop wild relatives.  The fact that approximately one third of Plant Genetic Resource managers will retire in the next 5 years led to a NIFA Higher Education Challenge grant proposal that was submitted focusing on two tracks, standard university course(s) and USDA staff.  Three areas of permanent NPGS budget increases were highlighted: $1.9 million for coffee genetic resources, $1.0 million for citrus genetics resources, and $500,000 for industrial hemp genetic resources. 

Ann Marie Thro (National Program Leader, Division of Plant Systems-Production)

Ann Marie Thro provided a NIFA update.  Ann Marie will be retiring and will most likely be replaced by Ed Kaleikau.  In October 2018 J. Scott Angle became director of NIFA.  There is a need to educate NIFA about what NPGS does.  Effort should be made to write non-technical summaries in reports that are exciting and highlight significant accomplishments.  

Robert Matteri (Area Director, PWA Area Office)

Robert Matteri inserted additional comments during Peter Bretting’s presentation. 

2018 TAC meeting minutes, discussion and approval

The 2018 TAC meeting minutes were distributed to the committee as Appendix 3 in the WRPIS W6 report, starting on page 43.  The first half of the minutes were scrolled through then skipped to resolutions section. Joe Kuhl motioned to approve the minutes as is, Ian Ray seconded, and the motion was unanimously approved. 

9:35 a.m. to 10:10 a.m.: Break 

Business meeting: ARS Site reports 

NGRL, Beltsville, MD, Gary Kinard

Dr. John Wiersema retired in June 2018 after more than 30 years as the curator of GRIN Taxonomy.  Dr. Melanie Schori now has full responsibility for GRIN Taxonomy.  Plant Exchange Office (PEO) supports the collection of germplasm for the NPGS through the management of a Plant Exploration and Exchange Program.  The deadline for submitting proposals for explorations or changes to be conducted in FY 2020 is July 26, 2019. 

Public website upgrades are in progress to provide new functionality. Examples include: responsive design to reorient content to the viewing platform (tablet, phone, etc.), and migrating GRIN to Microsoft Azure Cloud to comply with USDA mandate to consolidate and streamline databases. 

NSGC, Aberdeen, ID, Harold Bockelman

Personnel:

Agronomist position (vacant since January 2017) has been filled by Scott McNeil 

The National Small Grains Collection (NSGC) presently holds 147,894 accessions of the small grains (wheat, barley, oat, rye, triticale, rice, and related wild species). This number includes more than 10,000 accessions of mapping populations with GSHO (Genetic Stock – Hordeum) and GSTR (Genetic Stock – Triticum) numbers, which will not be maintained for perpetuity.

NSGC distributed 30,810 accession samples in 624 separate requests in the past 12 months. Approximately 35% of the distributions were to foreign scientists.

NSGC provided back-up samples to NLGRP totaling 228 accessions. About 99% of NSGC accessions have been backed-up.

Evaluations of NSGC wheat landrace accessions are continuing for reaction to the Ug99 stem rust race in Kenya. We continue to coordinate the assembly of the Stem Rust Nursery in Kenya in cooperation with the Kenya Agricultural & Livestock Research Organization, CIMMYT, and wheat and barley breeders in public and private programs throughout the U.S.

NCGR, Corvallis, OR, Joseph Postman

NCGR has 10 permanent Federal staff.  Joseph Postman will be retiring and his position will be replaced, however he will continue as a collaborator at NCGR.

Stakeholder/Service Accomplishments

• 12,669 accessions, 72 genera and 784 taxa of 674 species of temperate fruit, nut, and specialty crops were conserved.


• Managed > 3,600 accessions of fruit tree and nut crops on 22 acres of orchard.


• Obtained a total of 226 new accessions and 670 new inventory items in CY 2018.


• Received 789 order requests and shipped 7001 items.

International shipping is limited by inability to get phytosanitary certificates from other countries as they have a long list of issues or assurances that we can’t certify 

Research Accomplishments

• Determined a Rubus phylogeny using target capture sequencing


• Determined that the most recent common ancestor for Rubus is from North America and that it dispersed over land bridges to Asia, Europe, and South America during the early Miocene.


• Chloroplast DNA sequence data was used to differentiate pear species groups, and to identify genetic relationships between pears and other related crops in collaboration with NCGRP, Fort Collins.


• 20 publications were listed for 2018-2019. 

NCGR, Davis, CA, John Preece

Personnel Changes

Howard Garrison retired. NCGR, Davis awaits permission to recruit.

Operational funds continue to shrink, there are no student workers on federal funds, however grant funds do support student workers.

Challenges for 2019 have included retirements and the furlough.  UC Davis is helping out this spring.

Germplasm distributions only go to researchers, not to the general public. 

New Acquisitions:

Limited land space makes it difficult to add to the collections. However, typically 150 Prunus seedlings clear APHIS quarantine annually. These are received and then planted 1 m apart within rows. We expect to receive 300 trees next year. 

NALPGRU, Parlier, CA, John Preece

Distribution

NALPGRU distributions are in the form of seed, green cuttings/propagules, tissue or rooted plants depending on the crop and the nature of the request, and are filled and shipped year-round. The trend in distributions from NALPGRU is flat after a decrease due to a change in policy regarding distributions to home gardeners. In FY 2018, 83% of orders were sent mainly to US Federal agencies and Universities. 

TGRC, Davis, CA, Roger Chetelat

Acquisitions

The TGRC acquired two new accessions this year, both long storage, delayed ripening varieties from Spain. In addition, we rescued three accessions of Solanum ochranthum that had never been successfully grown for seed increase. Obsolete or redundant accessions were dropped. The current total of number of accessions maintained by the TGRC is 4,344. 

Distribution and Utilization

A total of 7,154 seed samples representing 2,045 different accessions were distributed in response to 339 requests from 263 researchers and breeders in 32 countries; at least 32 purely informational requests were also answered. The overall utilization rate was 165%. Information provided by recipients indicates our stocks continue to be used to support a wide variety of research and breeding projects. Our annual literature search uncovered 90 publications that mention use of TGRC stocks. 

NLGRP, Ft. Collins, CO, Stephanie Greene

NLGRP was reorganized in 2018.  Two management units were combined into one unit titled Agricultural Genetic Resources Preservation Research Unit, with two sections: Plants (seed, clonal, microbe) and National Animal Germplasm Program. 

At NLGRP 80% of NPGS seed accessions are backed up, and 15% of clonal collections are backed up as cryopreserved samples.

Received and processed 52,379 samples; Black box collection from CIMMYT (wheat)-44,140 samples; Pullman back up status: entire collection (79%) - Beta, Lactuca, Poa; Conducted ~ 7,800 germination tests; Prepared 15,000 NPGS accessions for shipment to Svalbard Global Seed Vault.

10th Anniversary of Svalbard Shipment, switched from cardboard to plastic boxes to protect against warm temperatures and resulting moisture from melting ice.

A two-volume book on the crop wild relatives (CWR) native to the United States, Canada and Mexico is being published by Springer Publishing. 

Looking forward:

• Filling vacancies! High priority: supervisory seed analyst, 2 analysts


• Working with NPGS curators to get 90% of active collections backed up at Fort Collins


• Working with curators to replace declining samples at Fort Collins 

TPGRD, Hilo, HI, Tracie Matsumoto

TPGRD has a new crop to curate, coffee (Coffea species).  Currently there are 43 genotypes, and 674 trees in the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center (HARC) coffee variety trials.  TPGRD has experienced several challenges over the last year, the Kilauea Volcano eruption, the newly identified pathogen of macadamia and the little fire ant.  TPGRD is acting as a backup site for the Avocado collection (Miami), this is in part due to the presence of avocado laurel wilt near the Miami location.  Plants were first transferred from Miami to Ft. Detrick where they were tested for laurel wilt and avocado sun blotch viroid prior to shipment to TPGRD. 

WRPIS, Pullman, WA, Jinguo Hu

Two recent retirees included Vicky Bradley (agronomy grasses and safflower) and Frank Dugan (plant pathology).  WRPIS hopes to replace both positions.  Mrs. Lisa Taylor started in April, 2019 as the Seed Storage and Databased Manager, replacing Dave Stout (retired March 2018).  Mrs. Carla Olson started in June 2019 as the Program Support Assistant, replacing Mr. James Dann (relocated August 2018). 

Currently WRPIS manages 100,968 accessions from 169 countries, as of April, 2019.  The number of accessions continues to increase, a steady increase since 2009 with the exception of 2016 where there was a slight decline (many accessions were transferred to other PI stations).  The number of seed packets distributed has been increasing steadily, with 2018 having a record high of 44,659.  The thirteen western states continue to use W-6 germplasm; between 18 and 30% of all germplasm requests. 

Five research advancements made by WRPIS were highlighted.

Approximately 30 acres of farm land were lost to the Pullman-Moscow airport expansion. 

A new greenhouse has been built at the Central Ferry Farm. 

NCGRCD, Riverside, CA, Marylou Polek

NCGRCD is currently composed of 8 permanent/term federal staff, five student workers, and a university/grant funded USDA APHIS MAC laboratory technician.  Current program holdings include 1,881 accessions: 1,617 Citrus and related taxa; 147 Phoenix spp.; 115 citrus pathogens; and 2 date palm phytoplasma nucleic acid extracts.  Distributions in 2018 included 5,350 budwood accessions, 1,956 seed packets, and 205 grams of pollen. 

Citrus program status includes 570 sanitized and pathogen-tested citrus accessions, 406 have been successfully cryopreserved at NLGRP in Fort Collins, 97 are pending viability assessment, 17 accessions released from quarantine status in 2018. 

Date palm program status includes: tissue cultures have been sent to NLGRP for cryopreservation. 

Accomplishments in 2018 include: successfully completed the requirement for two tests for Citrus greening pathogens in the protected screenhouse, 6 months apart and by external party, hold order lifted, and executed new compliance agreement in 2018. 

The meeting was behind schedule, so the general discussion was postponed until the end.

Lunch break 

Start at 1pm, Business meeting: State reports 

Colorado, Patrick Byrne

A total of 2,718 accessions were delivered in Colorado, constituting 117 orders to 55 unique addressees. This represented an increase in number of accessions from the previous year (2,450 accessions in 2017), but the number of orders was about the same (123 orders in 2017). Orders were shipped from the following locations in 2018: COR, DAV, GEN, HILO, NC7, NE 9, NR6, NSGC, NSSL, OPGC, PVPO, RIV, S9, SOY, TOB, and W6. 

When broken down by recipient institution (see table below), by far the largest recipient was USDA’s National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation (NLGRP) in Fort Collins, accounting for 60% of accessions shipped. Companies accounted for nearly 15% of accessions, led by Cargill, which develops canola varieties at its Fort Collins location. Universities received 6.6% of accessions, mostly shipped to Colorado State University, and the Denver Botanic Gardens received 6.3% of accessions. Institution type could not be determined for 7.4% of accessions.

Four publications are listed in the Colorado state report. 

California, Dan Parfitt in place of Charles Brummer who will report in 2020

562 requests for plant introductions from California users were filled by the NPGS in 2018, somewhat fewer than the 624 from last year, representing 323 different users, similar to the 341 from last year.

The distributed germplasm was used for plant breeding research, testing in home gardens, and propagation of both clonal and seed propagated species. Several researchers used materials as reference materials or checks in their experiments. Academic institutions were significantly represented in the reports and the germplasm was used for a wide variety of research purposes. Much of the germplasm continues to be used for commercial breeding research (private, university or USDA). There continues to be interest in using the collections for molecular/biochemical studies, especially development of markers and molecular clones.

Idaho, Joe Kuhl

In 2018, 1,810 accessions were requested in Idaho from the National Plant Germplasm System. The total number of accessions was significantly down from 2017 and 2016. A total of 63 orders were placed from Idaho in 2018, down from 83 orders in 2017, and 107 orders in 2016. Orders were skewed towards private requesters with state and federal groups approximately half of private orders. The major user groups (assessed by the number of accessions requested) in 2018 were once again USDA scientists (primarily based in Aberdeen, Idaho) accounting for 69% of total accessions, while state and private entities accounted for 14% and 16% of total accessions, respectively. While the number of private orders placed in 2018, 31, was about the same as 2017 (32 orders), state and federal orders were approximately half the number seen in past years at 14 and 18 orders, respectively. University researcher requests made up the vast majority of requests from state agencies. The top four private requests were from companies, Mountain River Kirby with 61 accessions, Cascade Specialties with 57, Alforex Seeds with 45 accessions and JR Simplot with 69 accessions. USDA-ARS Aberdeen, Belayneh Yimer, placed the largest request(s) with three orders totaling 884 accessions, primarily for rust research. A breakdown of accessions requested in 2018 by genus and species was not available. 

Six publications are listed in the Idaho state report. 

Montana, Michael Giroux

Twenty-three recipients received a total of 2,394 plant germplasm accessions in Montana during the last year. 1,723 of the accessions went to one private breeder with the next biggest portion (369) going to Montana State pulse breeder Kevin McPhee. We also continue to have several individuals requesting accessions of various species including tree fruit and raspberries to screen for those that may tolerate MT winters.

Most of the germplasm samples received from various NPGS sites are used primarily for breeding/varietal development purposes as well as for genetics studies. 

Eleven publications are listed in the Montana state report. 

Nevada, Melinda Yerka

Fifteen (10 in 2017) individuals from Nevada placed 39 orders (17 in 2017) and received 2,138 (91 in 2017) accessions from the NPGS in 2018. Plant materials were used for historical/anthropology (11%), genetics research (57%), botanical/taxonomic investigations (4%), breeding/varietal development (20%), and education/teaching (8%) efforts. The division between genetics research and breeding/varietal development is especially blurry this year due to the initiation of my own new plant breeding and plant genetics program in 2017 at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), wherein initial germplasm development using molecular strategies requires extensive genetics work to identify alleles in the most promising parent lines in a new area. Researchers at UNR continue to be the primary users (54%). All users were contacted via email and 4 out of 13 responded. 

One publication is listed in the Nevada state report. 

Discussed during or after the Nevada state report included:

GWAS studies at times poorly utilize wild species accessions, leading to a large number of accessions being requested from NPGS, but not significantly contributing to the GWAS analysis.  It might be possible to provide better assistance for GWAS studies to avoid excessive wild species requests.

A number of germplasm users in Nevada requested germplasm for anthropological purposes, primarily for seed identification.  For these type of requests NPGS might be able to decrease the number of seeds sent. 

New Mexico, Ian Ray

Twenty-three individuals from New Mexico placed 40 orders and received 478 accessions from the NPGS in 2018. In general, these materials were utilized for agronomy, anthropological, bioremediation, botany, genetics, physiology, taxonomy, and plant pathology research (74%); educational and demonstration programs (5%), varietal development (13%), and undeclared use (8%). 

Two responses to highlight:

Cramer, Chris; New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM: received 122 Allium/onion accessions to evaluate their susceptibility to Fusarium basal rot using seedling screening and mature bulb screening methods. We are also conducting a regeneration for a number of the accessions for the NPGS. 

Puppala, Naveen; New Mexico State University, Clovis, NM: received 104 peanut accessions for variety development research. Two mapping populations were received in January 2018. These materials were developed through a collaboration between NMSU and ICRISAT, India. These materials went through quarantine before releasing it to NMSU, Peanut Breeding program. We appreciate the help from USDA-NPGS, in timely release of the material. 

No publications were identified in the New Mexico state report. 

Oregon, Shawn Mehlenbacher

Oregonians continue to use the PI system extensively. Users include state and federal researchers as well as private seed companies and private individuals. Oregon is a major user in the western region, along with California and Washington. 

Shawn A. Mehlenbacher, Dept. of Horticulture, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331.

Resistance to eastern filbert blight (EFB) is a top priority objective of the OSU hazelnut breeding program. Structure exposure tests to identify sources of quantitative resistance were initiated in the early 1990s, and recently summarized. Potted trees are exposed under a structure topped with diseased wood, in the spring, and cankers are counted and measured in December of the following year. Selections were made from each seed lot and propagated for further testing. Their incompatibility alleles were identified. One tree of each was donated to the USDA Repository in Corvallis.

Additional selections have remained free of EFB after structure exposure, greenhouse inoculation, or field exposure in New Jersey. The combined collections of OSU, USDA-ARS-NCGR and Rutgers University include 171 accessions with very high resistance. Many of these have been used as parents in breeding. Using progenies that segregate 1:1 for resistance, resistance loci have been identified on linkage groups 6, 7 and 2. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers have been developed for these three regions and will be used in the pyramiding of resistance genes. 

15 publications are listed in the Oregon state report. 

Utah, Kevin Jensen (Kevin was not available to give his report) 

Washington, Carol Miles

In 2018, 123 Washington State residents requested a total of 14,662 germplasm samples from 18 National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) repositories or stations, more than twice as many samples as the previous year. Recipients were with universities [40 (WSU 33, UW 3, PNW Natl. Lab 2, Central WA U 1, Clark College 1)], USDA (13), private research groups (8), commercial firms, seed companies and nurseries (18), and non-profit organizations (9), as well as 35 private individuals. Recipients received germplasm (in the form of seeds and cuttings) in 233 orders. Recipients reported 16 journal publications that included germplasm received from NPGS, and several recipients highlighted the importance of the value of NPGS as a system for acquiring material for research work such as the development of new breeding lines. 

Requestors from the last 5 years totaled 495 individuals, of which 8 (1.6%) had requested material every year, 18 (3.6%) had sent requests 4 years, 32 (6.5%) had requested material 3 years, and 80 (16.0%) had sent in requests 2 years. The remaining 357 requestors (72%) were one-time-only. 

Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii and Wyoming, Lisa Taylor/Dave Stout

Alaska

For 2018, NPGS shipped 17 orders with a total of 1,805 items (21 from WRPIS) to 10 people in Alaska. Fifteen orders were submitted over the GRIN-Global Website and two others were through emails or other means. We received 5 responses to our email questionnaire from requestors. 

Arizona

For 2018, NPGS shipped 73 orders with a total of 1,752 items (98 from WRPIS) to 47 people in Arizona. Forty-nine orders were submitted over the GRIN-Global Website and two other 24 were through emails or other means. We received 7 responses to our email questionnaire from requestors. 

Hawaii

For 2018, NPGS shipped 41 orders with a total of 505 items (14 from WRPIS) to 27 people in Hawaii. Thirty orders were submitted over the GRIN-Global Website and eleven others were through emails or other means. We received 6 responses to our email questionnaire from requestors. 

Wyoming

For 2018, NPGS shipped 13 orders with a total of 103 items (37 from WRPIS) to 5 people in Wyoming. All thirteen orders were submitted over the GRIN-Global Website. We received 2 responses to our email questionnaire from requestors. 

Open discussion:

The 2020 meeting will be in Logan, UT in late June.  Jinguo will not be at the meeting since he will be retired. 

Dan Parfitt contributed the following ideas:

• To facilitate germplasm use reporting SurveyMonkey could be used to collected germplasm user data. SurveyMonkey might be used in place of the receiving written responses via email.


• Impact statements should address Hatch and REEport


• GRIN-GLOBAL might be able to be programmed to request user feedback


• Rephrase question 2, originally:

“Did you release any plant material(s) to the public in 2018 that was partially or fully derived from any NPGS germplasm(s) that you received in 2018 or previously?”

Suggested change:

“Do you plan to release…?” 

The question was asked if curators use information in state reports to adjust priorities, provide information to users?  The general consensus was yes, the state reports are useful to curators. 

GWAS analysis might be facilitated if an algorithm could be used to determine which germplasm would be best suited for GWAS. 

Discussion of SurveyMonkey:

SurveyMonkey could provide users an easy way to address how germplasm was used.

Could SurveyMonkey be used to combine responses across all 13 western states? Possibly.

The surveys should focus on germplasm response: breeding, molecular markers, etc…

State reps could provide users with a list of accessions requested, then ask them to respond to SurveyMonkey.

Within SurveyMonkey the survey could use drop down menus, to allow users a suggested list of responses, and therefore allow quantification of responses.

The publication of research using Plant Introduction (PI) numbers could be a way of tracking germplasm use: one suggested database is Phytozome. 

Discussion regarding the use of current GRIN data:

It was pointed out that GRIN already collects intended use of germplasm.  State reps should go back to the Excel files provided by W6 and see if data contained within intended use could be used for state reports.  Follow-up questions would still be needed to assess germplasm/breeding releases and publications.

More emphasis needs to be placed on getting users to assess how germplasm received many years ago has contributed to germplasm releases and publications.

Note: Carol followed up after the meeting and found for Washington State that of the 234 requests in the Excel file, 33 (14.1%) did not fill in the “Intended Use” column (choices are: Research, Education, and Other) and 32 (13.7%) did not fill in the “Intended Use Notes (objectives)” column. The “Intended Use Notes” entries varied from one or two words (e.g., breeding, variety development) to several sentences. Based on the entries from 2018 Washington germplasm requestors, there is not enough information to write a robust state report on germplasm use and impact. So while it is a good idea to streamline our reporting, the information on the current web form does not provide enough information. 

Discussion of the relocation of alfalfa to Central Ferry. 

The Central Ferry environment is completely suitable to growing alfalfa.

Labor is an issue due to the isolated location, it is far from major towns.  Pullman might be the best location for anyone working at Central Ferry.  The closest town of significance is Pomeroy.  Pullman is ~one hour drive from Central Ferry.

The nearest alfalfa grower to Central Ferry is approximately five miles away.  Even if this farm changed to growing GE alfalfa germplasm in Central Ferry would be better off than growing it in Prosser.  Prosser is becoming more and more crowded. 

Nominations for the Resolution Committee:

Melinda Yerka and Shawn Mehlenbacher agreed to serve as the resolution committee.  Jinguo will provide additional information to Melinda and Shawn if needed. 

Dan Parfitt provided:

What does the resolutions committee do?

Some examples of resolutions are to a) thank the hosts for organizing and hosting the meeting b) recognize members retiring from the committee c) recognize retirements from the WRPIS d) recognize retiring committee chairs e) promote to decision makers for improved WRPIS funding, facilities, etc. 

Budget discussion:

The proposed FY20 budget of $456,625 includes a 3% increase of annual salary and benefit for WSU employees. This is $10,368 more than the FY19 budget approved at the 2018 TAC meeting.

Shawn motioned to approve the FY20 budget as shown, Dan seconded.  The motion passed unanimously. 

Resolutions for discussion:

Resolution 1: The W-6 Technical Advisory Committee thanks Brian Irish, Tracie Matumoto, Bo Gao and the staff of the USDA ARS WRPIS in Pullman, WA for their efforts in organizing and hosting the 2019 W-6 meeting with teleconference and Zoom options. 

Resolution 2. The W-6 Technical Advisory Committee thanks Dan Parfitt for his many years of service to W-6 Regional Technical Advisory Committee.  The committee also wishes to thank Frank Dugan for his many years of service to WRPIS, Pullman. 

A motion to adjourn was made and seconded.  The motion was unanimously approved. 

Adjourn ~4pm.

To view all the complete reports, please follow these instructions: Log in to NIMSS at https://www.nimss.org/   Click on "WEST" in the Sort by Region section, then the "W," then on "W6." When the project homepage comes up, go to the left hand side and click on "Attachments." Here you will see all the individual 2019 reports.

 

Accomplishments

<p>This multistate project manages a diverse collection of 100,968 accessions belonging to 1,107 genera, 4,887 species (5,593 taxa) of important agricultural crops and associated information, and distribute them upon request to researchers and plant breeders around the world to develop new cultivars with improved quality and increased productivity, which are critical for global food security. Crop genetic resources are also used by scientists in basic research to increase our knowledge of plant sciences. To fill the gaps in our collection, we acquired 2,717 native plant accessions collected by the Seeds of Success (SOS) project, 53 expired IPR/CSR accessions from NGRP and 31 other miscellanies accessions from various sources. In addition, we received three thousand <em>Brachypodium distachyon</em> lines with T-DNA insertions generated by John Vogel of the DOE Joint Genome Institute. All these lines were added to the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN)-Global database under one accession and added to WRPIS for storage and possible distribution only. We uploaded 20,973 observation data points on 6,561 accessions into the GRIN-Global database. These data points are on 108 established descriptors for 9 different crop species. Our collaborators contributed 12% and WRPIS staff provided 88% of the evaluation data. The database is accessible by researchers worldwide via the Internet. We distributed a total of 44,659 packets of seed samples to 835 requestors with addresses in each of the 50 domestic states and 44 foreign countries. Fifty-four percent (23,973 packets) were distributed to the U.S. and 46% (20,686 packets) were distributed to foreign countries. Requestors in the 13 Western states received a total of 9,794 packets from WRPIS. Requestors in each of the 50 domestic states received germplasm samples from WRPIS in the Year of 2018. A total of 9,794 packets from WRPIS went to the 13 Western states.</p><br /> <p>We entered 22,086 seed viability records into GRIN-Global database. Among these, the seed storage personnel at WRPIS tested 74, the National Laboratory for Genetic Resource Preservation (NLGRP), Fort Collins, CO tested 1,332, Tangent Seeds, Tangent, OR tested 300, our Horticultural Crops program tested 275 and our Temperate-adapted Forage Legumes program tested 95 accessions. We regenerated 2,218 inventories of diverse plant germplasm and shipped 1,994 seed inventories to the NLGRP and 120 inventories to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Svalbard, Norway for secured backup.&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>Cool season food legume germplasm curator Clarice Coyne identified lentil genetic resources and QTL associated with good levels of partial resistance to Aphanomyces root rot (Aphanomyces euteiches) using the W6 lentil core collection and genome-wide association study approach. The SNP markers identified will be converted to breeder-friendly assays for use in marker-assisted selection to mitigate damage of root rots in lentil crop.</p><br /> <p>Supervisory research geneticist Jinguo Hu and his postdoctoral research associate Erik Landry published results on how pre-acclimation temperature influences freezing tolerance of faba bean. Seedlings grown under a controlled &ldquo;warm&rdquo; 17/12&deg;C (day/night) pre-acclimation environment were initially less freezing tolerant than those grown under a &ldquo;cold&rdquo; 12/5&deg;C temperature treatment. We suggest that when screening faba bean genotypes for freezing tolerance, researchers should consider testing germplasm across a range of relevant field based pre-acclimation temperatures.</p><br /> <p>Research Geneticist Long-Xi Yu and his team identified a total of 53 significant single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers associated with salt tolerance and located 49 loci throughout eight alfalfa chromosomes. A Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) search of the regions surrounding the SNPs revealed 21 putative candidate genes associated with salt tolerance. The genetic architecture for traits related to salt tolerance characterized could help in understanding the genetic mechanism by which salt stress affects plant growth and production in alfalfa and in marker-assisted selection for alfalfa genetic improvement.</p><br /> <p>In 2018 we continued improving infrastructure at Central Ferry in stages with partial support from year-end funding from the Area Office. In 2018, two new structures were erected at Central Ferry, including a 30&rsquo; x 80&rsquo; bubble greenhouse and a 35&rsquo; x 100&rsquo; greenhouse. The bubble greenhouse is already in use. The metal frame of this bubble house was purchased in the mid-1980s and the new greenhouse kit was purchased four years ago from Winandy Greenhouse Company. Our Farm Manager Mr. Kurt Tetrick worked out every detail and assembled the greenhouse with a small crew of term or temporary helpers. With the additional funds from the ARS Pacific West Area office, LED lights will be purchased and installed his year. This new greenhouse will be replacing an old greenhouse that was built in 1971. These two greenhouses will help us to catch up with the needed regenerations for the ~17,000 Phaseolus bean accessions. Aimed at producing virus-free seed, our bean regenerations have always been conducted in the greenhouses.</p>

Publications

<ol><br /> <li>Adhikari, S., Menalled, F., Weaver, D. (2018) Farming system and wheat cultivar affect infestation of, and parasitism on, Cephus cinctus in the Northern Great Plains. Pest Management Science: v. 74 i. 11 p. 2480-2487</li><br /> <li>Al Rwahnih, M., A. Rowhani, N. Westrick, K. Stevens, A. Diaz-Lara, F.P. Trouillas, J. Preece, C. Kallsen, K. Farrar, and D. Golino. (2018). Discovery of viruses and virus-like pathogens in pistachio using high throughput sequencing. Plant Disease. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-12-17-1988-RE</li><br /> <li>Attavar A. and C. Miles. 2018. Evaluating USDA NPGS cucurbit germplasm accessions for resistance to Verticillium wilt. HortScience 53(9) S357. (Abstr.)</li><br /> <li>Attavar, A. and C. Miles. 2019. Screening USDA NPGS accessions for resistance to verticillium wilt and grafting compatibility with watermelon. In preparation for submission to HortScience in June 2019.</li><br /> <li>Beharav, A., Hellier, B., Richardson, K.L., Lebeda, A. and Kisha, T., 2018. Genetic relationships and structured diversity of <em>Lactuca georgica</em> germplasm from Armenia and the Russian Federation among other members of <em>Lactuca</em>, subsection <em>Lactuca</em> L., assessed by TRAP markers. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, 65(7), pp.1963-1978.</li><br /> <li>Blake, N. K., Varella, A. C., Bicego, B., Martin, J. M., Cook, J. P., Heo, H. -., Acharya, R., Sherman, J. D., Nash, D., Talbert, L. (2018) Maturity traits related to climate adaptation affect quality characteristics in hard red spring wheat. Crop Science: i. 58 p. 1954-1963</li><br /> <li>Byrne PF, Volk GM, Gardner C, Gore MA, Simon PW, Smith S. 2018. Sustaining the Future of Plant Breeding: The Critical Role of the USDA-ARS National Plant Germplasm System. Crop Science 58:451-468. doi: 10.2135/cropsci2017.05.0303</li><br /> <li>Carter, K., Zurn, J.D., Bassil, N.V., Finn, C.E., Hummer, K.E. 2019. The importance of being 'Boysen': examining genotypic variation with simple sequence repeat markers. Journal of American Pomological Society. 73:47-52.</li><br /> <li>Chang, H., Sang, H., Wang, J., McPhee, K. E., Zhuang, X., Porter, L., Chilvers, M. (2018) Exploring the genetics of lesion and nodal resistance in pea (Pisum sativum L.) to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum using genome-wide association studies and RNA-Seq. Plant Direct: p. 1-17</li><br /> <li>Chater, J., D. Merhaut, Jia, Z., M.L. Arpaia, P. Mauk, and J. Preece. (2018). Effects of Site and Cultivar on Consumer Acceptance of Pomegranate. Journal of Food Science 83:1389-1395.</li><br /> <li>Chater, J., D. Merhaut, Jia, Z., P. Mauk, and J. E. Preece. (2018). Fruit quality traits of ten California-grown pomegranate cultivars harvested over three months. Scientia Hortic. 237(2018): 11-19.</li><br /> <li>Chater, J.M., L.S. Santiago, D.J. Merhaut, J.E. Preece, Z. Jia. (2018). Diurnal Patterns of Photosynthesis and Water Relations for Four Orchard-Grown Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Cultivars. Journal of the American Pomological Society 72:157-165.</li><br /> <li>Chater, J.M., L.S. Santiago, D.J. Merhaut, Z. Jia, P.A. Mauk, J.E. Preece. (2018). Orchard establishment, precocity, and eco-physiological traits of several pomegranate cultivars. Scientia Hortic. 235: 221-227.</li><br /> <li>Cooper, W. R., D. R. Horton, E. Miliczky, C. H. Wohleb, and T. D. Waters. &nbsp; The weed link in zebra chip epidemiology.&nbsp; Potato Progress.&nbsp; 19: 4. [Popular article]</li><br /> <li>Diaz-Lara, A., V. Klaassen, K. Stevens, M.R. Sudarshana, A. Rowhani, H.J. Maree, K.M. Chooi, A.G. Blouin, N. Habili, Y. Song, K. Aram, K. Arnold, M.L. Cooper, L. Wunderlich, M.C. Battany, L.J. Bettiga, R.J. Smith, R. Bester, H. Xiao, B. Meng, J.E. Preece, D. Golino, and M. Al Rwahnih. (2018). Characterization of grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 genetic variants and application towards RT-qPCR assay design. PLoS ONE, 13(12), p.e0208862.</li><br /> <li>Dohle S, Berny Mier y Teran JC, Egan A, Kisha T, and Khoury CK (2018). &ldquo;Wild beans (<em>Phaseolus</em>) of North America&rdquo;. In: Greene SL, Williams KA, Khoury CK, Kantar MB, and Marek LF, eds., North American Crop Wild Relatives, Volume 2: Important Species. Springer, 770 pp.</li><br /> <li>Dong, H.X., R. Wang, Y.P. Yuan, J. Anderson, M. Pumphrey, Z.W. Zhang, and J.L. Chen (2018) Evaluation of the potential for genomic selection to improve spring wheat resistance to fusarium head blight in the pacific northwest. Frontiers in Plant Science. 9:911.</li><br /> <li>Dugan, F., Landry, E. and Hu, J., 2018. Ascochyta blight of faba bean. WSU Extension Bulletin, pp.1-4.</li><br /> <li>Dugan, F.M., and C.A. Strausbaugh. 2019. Catalog of <em>Penicillium </em> causing blue mold of bulbs, roots, and tubers. Mycotaxon 134: 197-213.</li><br /> <li>Dugan, F.M., L. Lupien, and B.C. Hellier. 2019. Infection by <em>Fusarium proliferatum</em> in aerial garlic bulbils is strongly reduced compared to rates in seed cloves when both originate from infected bulbs. Crop Protection 116:43-48.</li><br /> <li>Dyer, W., Burns, E. E., Keith, B., Talbert, L. (2018) Non-target site resistance to flucarbazone, imazamethabenz, and pinoxaden is controlled by three linked genes in Avena fatua L. Weed Research: v. 58 p. 8-16</li><br /> <li>Echegaray, E. R., Barbour, C. R., Talbert, L., Stougaard, R. N. (2018) Evaluation of Sitodiplosis mosellana (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) infestation and relationship with agronomic traits in selected spring wheat cultivars in northwestern Montana, United States of America. The Canadian Entomologist: v. 150 p. 675-683</li><br /> <li>Egan, A. and T. Kisha. 2018. Genetic diversity and population structure of the North American wild kidney bean (Phaseolus polystachios) in the Eastern U.S. Abstract. Botany 2018. July 23, Rochester, MN.</li><br /> <li>Finn, C.E., Strik, B., Mackey, T.A., Jones, P., Bassil, N.V., Martin, R.R. 2019. &lsquo;Echo&rsquo; ornamental reflowering blueberry. HortScience. 54(2):368&ndash;370. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI13646-18.</li><br /> <li>Finn, C.E., Strik, B., Yorgey, B., Peterson, M.E., Jones, P., Lee, J., Bassil, N.V., Martin, R.R. 2019. &lsquo;Hall&rsquo;s Beauty&rsquo; thornless trailing blackberry. HortScience. 54(2):371-376. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI13678-18.</li><br /> <li>Freixas‑Coutin JA, An S, Postman J, Bassil NV, Yates B, Shukla M, Saxena PK. 2019. Development of a reliable Corylus sp. reference database through the implementation of a DNA fingerprinting test. Planta 249(6):1863-1874. https://doi.10.1007/s00425-019-03131-4.</li><br /> <li>Garcia, R.O. I. Rivera-Vargas, R. Ploetz, J.C. Correll and B.M. Irish.&nbsp; 2018.&nbsp; Characterization of <em>Fusarium </em>spp. isolates recovered from bananas (<em>Musa </em>spp.) affected by Fusarium wilt in Puerto Rico. Doi: 10.1007/s10658-018-1503-y</li><br /> <li>Gasic, K., Preece, J.E., and Karp, D. (Eds.) (2018). Register of new fruit and nut cultivars List 49. HortScience 53:748-776.</li><br /> <li>Godoy, J., Gizaw, S., Chao, S., Blake, N., Carter, A., Cuthbert, R., Dubcovsky, J., Hucl, P., Kephart, K., ... Talbert, L. (2018) Genome-wide Association Study (GWAS) of Agronomic Traits in a Spring Planted North American Hard Red Spring Wheat Panel. Crop Science/Crop Science Society of America: v. 58 p. 1838-1852</li><br /> <li>Gradziel, T. B. Lampinen, and J.E. Preece. (2019) Propagation from basal epicormic meristems remediates an aging-related disorder in almond clones. Horticulturae. 5.28: 1-9. doi:10.3390/horticulturae5020028 www.mdpi.com/journal/horticulturae</li><br /> <li>Gross BL, Wedger MJ, Martinez M, Volk GM, Hale C. 2018. Identification of unknown apple cultivars demonstrates the impact of local breeding program on cultivar diversity. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 65:1317-1327. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-018-0625-6 ARIS LOG 346615</li><br /> <li>Guzm&aacute;n, F. A., Segura, S., Aradhya, M., &amp; Potter, D. (2018). Evaluation of the genetic structure present in natural populations of four subspecies of black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) from North America using SSR markers. Scientia Horticulturae, 232, 206-215.</li><br /> <li>Hardigan, M., Poortan, T., Acharya, C., Cole, G., Hummer, K.E., Bassil, N.V., Edger, P., Knapp, S.J. 2018. Domestication of temperate and coastal hybrids with distinct ancestral gene selection in octoploid strawberry. The Plant Genome. 11:180049. https://doi:10.3835/plantgenome2018.07.0049.</li><br /> <li>Hawkins, C. and Yu, L.X., 2018. Recent progress in alfalfa (<em>Medicago sativa</em>) genomics and genomic selection. The Crop Journal, 6(6), pp.565-575. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cj.2018.01.006">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cj.2018.01.006</a>.</li><br /> <li>Hellier, B.C. 2018. Practical considerations for increasing seed samples of wild species. In: Greene S.L., Williams K.A., Khoury C.K., Kantar M.B., and Marek L.F., eds., North American Crop Wild Relatives, Volume 1 (pp. 281-309). Springer, Cham.</li><br /> <li>Hummer, K.E., Williams, K.A., Bushakra, J. 2019. North American crop wild relatives of temperate berries (Fragaria L., Ribes L., Rubus L., and Vaccinium L.). Chapter 9 in: S. Greene, K. Williams, C. Khoury, M. Kantar, and L. Marek (eds.) North American Crop wild relatives. Vol.2, pp. 283-327. Springer, Germany. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97121-6_9.</li><br /> <li>Jarvis-Shean, K., Archer, L., Leslie, C., Aradhya, M., Kluepfel, D., Preece, J.E., and Brown, P. (2019) Preserving and enhancing the usefulness of the USDA-NCGR walnut collection for breeding. Walnut Research Reports 2018. California Walnut Board. pp.45-52.</li><br /> <li>Jobson, E. M., Johnston, R. E., Oiestad, A. J., Martin, J. M., Giroux, M. (2019) The wheat Rht-B1b semi-dwarfing allele reduces flag leaf photosynthetic rate and modifies seed development. Frontiers in Plant Science: v. 10 i. 51</li><br /> <li>Jobson, E. M., Martin, J. M., Schneider, T. M., Giroux, M. (2018) The impact of the Rht-B1b, Rht-D1b, and Rht-8 wheat semi‐dwarfing genes on flour milling, baking, and micronutrients. Cereal Chemistry: v. 95 p. 770-778</li><br /> <li>Jordan, K., Wang, S., He, F., Chao, S., Lun, Y., Paux, E., Sourdille, P., Sherman, J., Akhuovna, A., ... Talbert, L., ... Akhunov, E. (2018) The genetic architecture of genome-wide recombination rate variation in allopolyploid wheat revealed by nested association mapping. The Plant Journal: v. 95 p. 1039&ndash;1054</li><br /> <li>Kisha, T.J., G. Ganjyal, and C. Freiszell. 2018. Examination of extractable phenolics and non-extractable proanthocyanidins from a selection of &ldquo;Red&rdquo; and &ldquo;Black&rdquo; market class accessions of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) from the National Plant Germplasm System. Abstract: Annual meeting of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences. Washington DC July 31-Aug3, 2018.</li><br /> <li>Knap, T., Aradhya, M., Arbeiter, A. B., Hladnik, M., &amp; Bandelj, D. (2018). DNA profiling of figs (Ficus carica L.) from Slovenia and Californian USDA collection revealed the uniqueness of some North Adriatic varieties. Genetic resources and crop evolution, 65(5), 1503-1516.</li><br /> <li>Koloniuk, I., T. Thekke-Veetil , J.S. Reynard , I.M. Ple&scaron;ko , J. Přibylov&aacute; , J. Brodard , I. Kellenberger , T. Sarkisova , J. &Scaron;pak , J. Lamov&scaron;ek , S. Massart , T. Ho , J. Postman , I. Tzanetakis. 2018. Molecular characterization of divergent closterovirus isolates infecting Ribes species. Viruses 10(7):369</li><br /> <li>Landry, E.J. and Hu, J., 2019. Increasing pre‐acclimation temperature reduces the freezing tolerance of winter‐type faba bean (<em>Vicia faba</em>). Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, 205(1), pp.46-53.</li><br /> <li>Liu X.-P., C. Hawkins, M. Peel, and L.-X. Yu. 2018. Genetic loci associated with salt tolerance in advanced breeding populations of tetraploid alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) using genome-wide association studies. The Plant Genome. doi:10.3835/plantgenome2018.05.0026.</li><br /> <li>Liu, X.P., Hawkins, C., Peel, M.D. and Yu, L.X., 2019. Genetic loci associated with salt tolerance in advanced breeding populations of tetraploid alfalfa using genome-wide association studies. The Plant Genome, 12(1). doi:10.3835/plantgenome2018.05.0026.</li><br /> <li>Martin, R.R. and I.I. Tzanetakis. 2018. High risk blueberry viruses by region in North America; implications for certification, nurseries, and fruit production. Viruses 10:342. doi:10.3390/v10070342</li><br /> <li>Mathon, C., J.M. Chater, A. Green, D.J. Merhaut, P.A. Mauk, J.E. Preece, and C.K. Larive. (2019) Quantification of punicalagins in commercial preparations and pomegranate cultivars, by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 99:4036-4042. (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jsfa.9631).</li><br /> <li>Mccoy, J., Young, J.H., Nifong, J.M., Hummer, K.E., De Noma, J.S., Avendano-Arrazate, C.H., Greene, S.L., Kantar, M.B. 2019. Species for medicinal and social use with an emphasis on Theobroma cacao L. (cacao), Nicotiana tabacum L. (tobacco), Actaea racemose L. (black cohosh), and Humulus lupulus L. (hops). Chapter 19, pp 645-692 in: S.L. Greene et al. (eds.), North American Crop Wild Relatives, Volume 2. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97121-6_19.</li><br /> <li>Milczarek, R.R., P.S. Liang, T. Wong, M.P. Augustine, J.L. Smith, R.D. Woods, I. Sedej, C.W. Olsen, A.M. Vilches, R.P. Haff, and J.E. Preece. (2019). Nondestructive determination of the astringency of pollination-variant persimmons (Diospyros kaki) using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 149, pp.50-57.</li><br /> <li>Milczarek, R.R., Woods, R.D., LaFond, S.I., Breksa, A.P., Preece, J.E., Smith, J.L., Sedej, I., Olsen, C.W. and Vilches, A.M. (2018). Synthesis of descriptive sensory attributes and hedonic rankings of dried persimmon (Diospyros kaki sp.). Food Sci. Nutr. 6(1):124-136.</li><br /> <li>Montanari, S., Bianco, L., Allen, B., Martinez-Garcia, P., Bassil, N.V., Postman, J.D., Chagne, D., Evans, K., Dhingra, A., Troggio, M., Neale, D. 2019. Development of a highly efficient Axiom&reg; 70K SNP array for Pyrus and evaluation for high-density mapping and germplasm. BMC Genomics. 20:331. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-019-5712-3.</li><br /> <li>Mugabe, D., Coyne, C.J., Piaskowski, J., Zheng, P., Ma, Y., Landry, E., McGee, R., Main, D., Vandemark, G., Zhang, H. and Abbo, S., 2019. Quantitative trait loci for cold tolerance in chickpea. Crop Science. In press.</li><br /> <li>Norberg, O.S., L. Yu, D.K. Combs, G.E. Shewmaker, G.J. Wang, D. A. Llewellyn, S.C. Fransen and E. van Santen. 2018. Determining genetic factors that influence forage quality in alfalfa. International Invited Abstract. North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference. June 4-6, 2018 Logan, Utah.</li><br /> <li>Oviatt CG, JS Pigati, DB Madsen, DE Rhode, and J Bright (2018). Juke Box Trench: A Valuable Archive of Late Pleistocene and Holocene Stratigraphy in the Bonneville Basin, Utah. Utah Geological Survey Miscellaneous Publication 18-1. Salt Lake City.</li><br /> <li>Pinon, A.F. and R. R. Martin. 2018. First report of strawberry necrotic shock virus in strawberry in Benguet, Philippines. Plant Disease 102(11):2385.</li><br /> <li>Postman J.D and Hummer K.E. 2018. Perry: American renaissance of an ancient beverage. Acta Hortic. 1205:493-496.</li><br /> <li>Postman, J., K. Johnson, B. Norton, J. King, G. Moulton, S. Benowitz and B. Davis. 2018. Best Pears for the Western Pacific Northwest. Pome News 44:28-30.</li><br /> <li>Potter, D., H. Bartosh, G. Dangl, J. Yang, R. Bittman, and J. Preece. (2018). Clarifying the Conservation Status of Northern California Black Walnut (Juglans hindsii) Using Microsatellite Markers. Madro&ntilde;o, 65(3), pp.131-141.</li><br /> <li>Preece, J.E. and Aradhya. M. (2019). Temperate nut crops &ndash; chestnut, hazelnut, pecan, pistachio, and walnut. In: Greene, S., Williams, K., Khoury, C., Kantar, M.B., and Marek, L. (eds.) North American Crop Wild Relatives, Volume 2: 417-449.</li><br /> <li>Preece, J.E., J.M. Chater, D.J. Merhaut, Z. Jia. (2018). Pomegranate. HortScience. 56: 770.</li><br /> <li>Riaz, S., G. De Lorenzis, D. Velasco, A. Koehmstedt, D. Maghradze, Z. Bobokashvili, M. Musayev, G. Zdunic, V. Laucou, M.A. Walker, O. Failla, J.E. Preece, M. Aradhya, and R. Arroyo-Garcia (2018). Genetic diversity analysis of cultivated and wild grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) accessions around the Mediterranean basin and Central Asia. BMC plant biology, 18:137.</li><br /> <li>Rylands, Chris. 2018. Creating a Resilient Cider Industry, Cidercraft Magazine, Vol 11, Pg 39, 9/1/2018.</li><br /> <li>Sandhu, D., Pudussery, M.V., Ferreira, J.F., Liu, X., Pallete, A., Grover, K.K., Hummer, K.E. 2019. Variable salinity responses and comparative gene expression in woodland strawberry genotypes. Scientia Horticulturae. 254:61-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2019.04.071.</li><br /> <li>Sherman, J., Varella, A., Lanning, S., Martin, J., Heo, H., Nash, D., Blake, N., Cook, J., Talbert, L. (2018) Effect of a gene for high dough strength on whole wheat baking parameters of hard white spring wheat. Cereal Chemistry: v. 95 p. 411-417</li><br /> <li></li><br /> <li>Stover E, Aradhya M, Gozlekci S, Crane J, Brower Tm, Riley Cm, Zee F, Gottwald T, Hall D. (2018) Guava SSR Analysis: Diversity Assessment in US and Similarity to Accessions Associated with Reducing Citrus Huanglongbing in Vietnam. American Pomological Society. 2018;72(4):242-50.</li><br /> <li>Strausbaugh, C.A., Hellier, B.C. 2018. Beet curly top resistance in USDA-ARS plant introduction lines, 2017. Plant Disease Management Reports. 12:CF001.</li><br /> <li>Strausbaugh, C.A., Hellier, B.C. 2018. Rhizomania and storage rot resistance in USDA-ARS plant introduction lines evaluated in Idaho, 2017. Plant Disease Management Reports. 12:CF155.</li><br /> <li>Thekke-Veetil, T., T. Ho, J.D. Postman and I.E. Tzanetakis. 2018. A virus in American black current (Ribes americanum) with distinct genome features reshapes classification in the Tymovirales. Viruses 10:406.</li><br /> <li>Trněn&yacute; O., J. Brus, I. Hradilov&aacute;, A. Rathore, R. Das, P. Kopeck&yacute;, C. Coyne, P. Reeves, C. Richards, P. Sm&yacute;kal. 2018. Molecular evidence for two domestication events in the pea crop. Genes 9:535. doi:10.3390/genes9110535.</li><br /> <li>Tzanetakis, I.E. and R.R. Martin. 2017. A systems-based approach to manage strawberry virus diseases. Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology 39(1):5-10., DOI: 10.1080/07060661.2017.1295403</li><br /> <li>van-Oss R.P., A. G.Z. Kerem, A. Sherman, H. Zhang, G. Vandemark G, C.J. Coyne, O. Reany, S. Abbo. 2018. The relationship between seed free tryptophan and vernalization response in chickpea. Plant Breeding 137:290-300.</li><br /> <li>Varella, A. 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Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 66:825-845. https://10.1007/s10722-019-00750-4.</li><br /> <li>Volk G, Samarina, L, Kulyan R, Gorshkov V, Malyarovskaya V, Ryndin A, Polek ML, Krueger R, Stover E. 2018. Citrus genebank collections: international collaboration opportunities between the US and Russia. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 65:433-447. DOI 10.1007/s10722-017-0543-z</li><br /> <li>Volk G., Shepherd AN, Bonnart RM. 2018. Successful cryopreservation of Vitis shoot tips: Novel pre-treatment combinations applied to nine species. CryoLetters 39(5): 322-330.</li><br /> <li>Volk, G.M., Henk, A.D., Richards, C.M., Bassil, N.V., Postman, J.D. 2018. Chloroplast sequence data differentiate Maleae, and specifically Pyrus, species in the USDA-ARS National Plant Germplasm System. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 66:5-15. <a href="https://doi.org/waiting">https://doi.org/waiting</a>.</li><br /> <li>Wang, R., Y.X. Liu, K. Isham, W.D. Zhao, J. Wheeler, N. Klassen, Y.G. Hu, J.M. Bonman, and J.L. Chen (2018) QTL identification and KASP marker development for productive tiller and fertile spikelet numbers in two high-yielding hard white spring wheat cultivars. Molecular Breeding 38:135.</li><br /> <li>Weiland, J.E., C. Benedict, I.A. Zasada, C.R. Scagel, B.R. Beck, A. Davis, K. Graham, A. Peetz, R.R. Martin. J.K.S. Dung, A.R. Gaige, and L. Thiessen. 2018. Late-summer disease symptoms in western Washington red raspberry fields associated with co-occurrence of <em>Phytophthorsa rubi</em>, <em>Verticillium dahliae </em>and <em>Pratylenchus penetrans </em>but not Raspberry bushy dwarf virus. Plant Disease 102:938-947. doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-08-17-1293-RE</li><br /> <li>Whitworth, J.L., R.G. Novy, I.A. Zasada, X. Wang, L-M. Dandurand, and J.C. Kuhl (2018) Resistance of potato breeding clones and cultivars to three species of potato cyst nematode. Plant Disease. 102:2120-2128.</li><br /> <li>Wixom, A.Q., N.C. Casavant, J.C. Kuhl, F. Xiao, L-M. Dandurand, and A.B. 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Hafez (2018) Species and population densities of stubby root nematodes from multiple states in the United States. Phytopathology. 107:96.</li><br /> <li>Zheng, L., L. Wu, Postman, J., Liu, H., and Li, R. 2018. Molecular characterization of a novel closterovirus identified from blackcurrant by high-throughput sequencing. Archives of Virology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11262-018-1598-4.</li><br /> <li>Zhu T, Wang L, You FM, Rodriguez JC, Deal KR, Chen L, Li J, Chakraborty S, Balan B, Jiang CZ, Brown PJ, Leslie CA, Aradhya MK, Dandekar AM, McGuire PE, Kluepfel D, Dvorak J and Luo MC. (2019). Sequencing a Juglans regia&times; J. microcarpa hybrid yields high-quality genome assemblies of parental species. Horticulture Research. 6(1):55.</li><br /> <li>Zurn, J.D., Ho, T., Li, R., Bassil, N.V., Tzanetakis, I., Martin, R.R., Postman, J.D. 2019. First report of Blackcurrant reversion virus in Ribes nigrum germplasm in the United States. Plant Disease. 103:1051. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-03-18-0526-PDN.</li><br /> <li>Zurn, J.D., Zlesak, D., Holen, M., Bradeen, J., Hokanson, S., Bassil, N.V. 2018. Mapping a novel Black Spot Resistance Locus in the Climbing Rose Brite EyesTM (&lsquo;RADbrite'). Frontiers in Plant Science. 9:1730. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.01730">https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.01730</a>.</li><br /> </ol>

Impact Statements

1. Due to the labor-intensive nature of growing large number of diverse plant accessions from seed to seed every year, WRPIS hires many temporary/seasonal helpers to work in the research laboratories, in the greenhouses and on the farm. Each year, at least 40 different names (almost all are WSU students) show up on our payroll, with working period from a few weeks to several months. The working experience and skills acquired at the WRPIS helped many students acquire ag-related jobs.

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Report Information

Participants

Amjad, Ahmad; alobady@hawaii.edu; University of Hawaii, Manoa, HI
Barney, Dan; dbarney53@outlook.com; Palmer, AK
Bockelman, Harold; Harold.Bockelman@ars.usda.gov; ARS NSGC, Aberdeen, ID
Bretting, Peter; Peter.Bretting@ars.usda.gov; National Program Leader, Beltsville, MD
Brummer, Charles; ecbrummer@ucdavis.edu; University of California, Davis, CA
Byrne, Pat; Patrick.byrne@colostate.edu; Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
Giroux, Michael mgiroux@montana.edu; Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
Hulbert, Scot; scot_hulbert@wsu.edu; Washington State University, Pullman, WA
Hummer, Kim; kim.hummer@usda.gov; ARS NCGR, Corvallis, OR
Irish, Brian; Brian.irish@ars.usda.gov; ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA.
Jensen, Kevin; Kevin.Jensen@ars.usda.gov; ARS FRR, Logan, UT
Kinard, Gary; Gary.Kinard@ars.usda.gov; ARS NGRL, Beltsville, MD
(Secretary) Kuhl, Joseph; jkuhl@uidaho.edu; University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
Mayo-Riley, Carol; carol.mayoriley@usda.gov; ARS TPGRDR, Hilo, HI
Mehlenbacher, Shawn; shawn.mehlenbacher@oregonstate.edu; Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Miles, Carol; milesc@wsu.edu; Washington State University, Mount Vernon, WA
Polek, Marylou; Marylou.Polek@ars.usda.gov; ARS NCGRCD, Riverside, CA
Preece, John; John.Preece@ars.usda.gov; ARS NCGR, & NALPGR, Davis & Parlier, CA
(Chair) Ray, Ian; iaray@nmsu.edu; New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM
Robert Matteri; Robert.Matteri@ars.usda.gov; USDA-ARS PWA Area Director, Albany, CA
Taylor, Lisa; lisa.taylor@ars.usda.gov; ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA
Vandemark, George; george.vandemark@usda.gov; ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA
Volk, Gayle; gayle.volk@ars.usda.gov; ARS NLGRP, Ft. Collins, CO
Yerka, Melinda; myerka@unl.edu; University of Nevada Reno, Reno, NV

Brief Summary of Minutes

Meeting was called to order (8:25 a.m.) by Chair Ian Ray. The agenda was introduced, with no changes discussed. Carol Miles moved to approve the agenda; Charlie Brummer seconded; the motion passed unanimously. 

Scot Hulbert (W6 Administrative Advisor) - report, remarks and budget

The next 5-year budget is due January 15, 2021. WRPIS also needs to hire a new Research Leader to replace Jinguo Hu. Washington State University (WSU) is currently operating under COVID-19 operating restrictions (Stage 2). WSU will suffer budget cuts due to COVID-19 budgetary loses, some loses will be permanent. A new USDA-funded building being built will overlap with Johnson Hall. It may be necessary to remove Johnson Hall during construction, which means ~3 years people may be displaced, impacting USDA, ARS personnel located in Johnson Hall. We are in the last year of the current 5-year plan. It was noted that it would be difficult to increase the budget for the next 5-year plan. The 5-year plan in this case is the regional multi-state plan, as opposed the ARS 5-year plan. Brian Irish will help write the multi-state 5-year plan. Scot Hulbert approved the budget as shown. The W6 state representatives will discuss budget in more detail later in the meeting.

For the complete Site and State reports, paste the following URL into your browser:  https://www.nimss.org/projects/attachment/18196

Peter Bretting (ARS National Program Office) – NPGS Update

Peter Bretting presented slides titled: The National Plant Germplasm System: 2020 Status, Prospects, and Challenges. NPGS accessions have increased over the last several years. NPGS distributes ~250,000 accessions per year. Land grant universities are the largest user of germplasm with an overall 2/3 public, 1/3 private usage. Due to COVID-19 all international shipments have stopped, for fear of delivery failure. USDA-ARS lowest budget was 2013, and 2019 saw a significant increase and 2020 a minor increase. Challenges faced by NPGS include increased distributions with decreasing purchasing power. In the next few years 1/3 of germplasm managers will likely retire. Coursework designed by Gayle Volk and Patrick Byrne will help train replacement managers. Budgetary increases were seen in FY 2019 for coffee genetic resources ($1.9 million), citrus genetic resources ($1 million), and industrial hemp genetic resources ($500,000). Development of an NPGS video was led by Barbara Hellier of NPGS operations https://youtu.be/uHOclGNELuw. 

Robert Matteri (Area Director, PWA Area Office) – PWA Update

Pacific West Area (PWA) includes eight states with ARS laboratories (Alaska is also included but, does not have an ARS location), a total of 20 locations with 375 Ph.D. scientists. The PWA budget has increased the last few years to ~$184 million, with~$29.5 million soft funds (16.6% of base). There are 7 germplasm sites in the PWA. The Consolidated Appropriations Act – FY2019 identified funds for coffee germplasm and citrus germplasm. The Senate Markup – FY2020 stipulated $1 million for blueberry breeding and $1 million for cranberry research. 

George Vademark (Acting Research Leader) – PGITRU/WRPIS Update

George Vandemark is normally the Research Leader for legumes in Pullman, however now he is also Acting Research Leader for this Unit. Current vacancies include a Plant Pathologist to replace Frank Dugan, which is soon to be posted. Three additional vacancies include the Research Leader position, formally held by Jinguo Hu, and two Curator positions formally held by Vicki Bradley and Ted Kisha. Priorities for W6 include 1) replacement of dehumidifier for the cold storage room, 2) a generator at the Central Ferry location and 3) resolving transportation issue to Central Ferry during the COVID pandemic. 

2019 TAC meeting minutes, discussion and approval

It was pointed out that no one from NIFA was participating in this year’s meeting due to lack of personnel and logistics of NIFA’s move to Kansas City. Brian Irish provided an update on alfalfa regeneration in Prosser, WA. Concerns have existed with the presence of GM alfalfa in fields surrounding Prosser. Sentinel plots (caged and open) are being used monitor possible gene flow with no evidence of this occurring in any covered cages. In 2020, sentinel plots have been placed in Central Ferry to monitor potential GE gene flow there, as this might be an alternative GE-free site for alfalfa regeneration. 

Carol Miles motioned to approve the 2019 minutes as is, Charlie Brummer seconded, and the motion was unanimously approved. 

Business meeting: ARS Site reports

NGRL, Beltsville, MD – Gary Kinard

Quinn Sinnott retired in August 2019 after more than 30 years of service as the GRIN Database Administrator. New IT Specialist, Benjamin Haag, who started in April 2019 and benefitted from overlapping with Quinn. There are four positions currently vacant in NGRL, including a Botanist position in the Plant Exchange Office (PEO). Most, if not all, of these positions will be filled in 2020. The deadline for submitting proposals to the Plant Exploration and Exchange Program in FY 2021 is July 24, 2020. The NGRL anticipates releasing a new version of the GRIN-Global public website in June or July 2020. 

WRPIS, Pullman, WA – Brian Irish

Presented an organizational chart showing currently four vacancies at the SY level including RL position. Pointed out that the W6 funds support 6 full-time employees (full crew - currently). Important to recognize WRPIS’s Curator, Dr. Clare Coyne, for her selection and honor of becoming a Fellow of the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA). The trend shows an increasing number of accessions (since 2010) at WRPIS with a number oscillating at about 100,000 accessions in the past few years. The number of germplasm distributions over the past ten years has shown a steady increase in the number of order items. Infrastructure additions this year include a refrigerated shipping container located on the grounds of the Central Ferry research farm. Saber Glass, Pullman FFM, has been working closely with WSU administration on securing additional land lost to the airport expansion a few years ago. It should be noted that a large dehumidifier that helps regulate seed storage conditions in Pullman is will need to be replaced soon (at a cost of $3-400,000). In 2019 a project to re-clad and update infrastructure of one of two screenhouses was undertaken and completed in early 2020 with a crop of peas growing in it currently. 

NSGC, Aberdeen, ID – Harold Bockelman

The National Small Grains Collection (NSGC) presently holds 147,996 accessions of the small grains collection (wheat, barley, oat, rye, triticale, rice, and related wild species), an increase of 102 in the past year. This number includes more than 10,000 accessions of mapping populations with GSHO (Genetic Stock – Hordeum) and GSTR (Genetic Stock – Triticum) numbers, which will not be maintained for perpetuity. NSGC distributed 27,500 accession samples in 594 separate requests in the past 12 months. Site continues efforts to capture voucher images of spikes, panicles, and seeds. Evaluations of NSGC wheat landrace accessions are continuing for reaction to the Ug99 stem rust race in Kenya. We continue to coordinate the assembly of the Stem Rust Nursery in Kenya in cooperation with the Kenya Agricultural & Livestock Research Organization, CIMMYT, and wheat and barley breeders in public and private programs throughout the U.S. 

NCGR, Corvallis, OR – Kim Hummer

3,007 active accessions, 73 genera and 799 taxa of 683 species of temperate fruit, nut, and specialty crops were conserved. Obtained 272 new accessions and 546 new inventory items in CY 2019. Shipped 6,605 items. Collaborated with staff of NCGR-Davis to backup genetic resources of hazelnuts in Parlier, and butternuts and kiwifruit in Corvallis, Oregon. Determined a Rubus phylogeny using target capture sequencing. Detected Black currant reversion virus infection in black currant (Ribes nigrum) collection; worked with APHIS to develop a national response plan for this disease. Used interstem grafts to evaluate pear germplasm for dwarfing potential. Correlated pear mother tree architecture traits with dwarfing potential. Analyzed genetic diversity and population structure of American wild southeastern blueberry germplasm in the NCGR collection- Identified true-to-type Florida-4B using parentage analysis and provided evidence of its hybrid status (V. darrowii and V. fuscatum). Demonstrated the diagnostic potential of a current marker for Phytophthora crown rot in the University of Florida breeding program but not in other diverse germplasm preserved at the NCGR. 

NCGR, Davis, CA – John Preece

Limited land space makes it difficult to add to the collections. During the winter of 2019/2020, about 90 Prunus seedlings were received from APHIS quarantine and planted in the field at Wolfskill. NALPGRU distributions are in the form of seed, green cuttings/propagules, tissue or rooted plants depending on the crop and the nature of the request and are filled and shipped year-round. Overall distributions decreased after 2015 due to a change in policy regarding non-research requests but are beginning to increase again slightly (Fig. 1). In FY 2019, 79% of orders were sent to domestic cooperators (Fig. 2), and these were sent mainly to universities (Fig. 3). 

NLGRP, Ft. Collins, CO – Gayle Volk

Two management units were combined into one unit titled Agricultural Genetic Resources Preservation Research Unit, with two sections: Plants (seed, clonal, microbe) and National Animal Germplasm Program. Five scientists work for the Plants Unit, while two scientists work for the Animal Unit. 81% of NPGS Seed collections are backed-up at NLGRP. 76% of Pullman (W6) germplasm is backed-up at NLGRP. Seeds of Success (SOS) is 94% backed-up at NLGRP. NLGRP and W6 are cleaning up passport data for the Seeds of Success data in GRIN with the help of Can Carver (W6), located in Fort Collins. Some NLGRP clonal collaborations in the western region include: Riverside, citrus shoot tips and date palm pollen; Davis, Prunus pollen, grape and mulberry shoots tips; Corvallis, mint and strawberry shoots tips; Hilo, starting breadfruit and coffee cryopreservation research. A training program in plant genetic resources management and use has been established with funding from a NIFA higher Education Challenge Program Grant: CSU, USDA, and ISU (Gayle Volk and Pat Byrne). Training materials will be freely available through new site associated with GRIN-Global. 

TPGRD, Hilo, HI – Carol Mayo-Riley/Ryan Domingo

Hilo repository maintains 14 designated clonal germplasm collections with 1,200 accessions representing 61 genera and 145 species in 38 acres of fields, greenhouses and a tissue culture laboratory. Coffee is the latest addition to our designated germplasm crop. Fifty-seven requests for 381 items were filled. Experiments have been conducted to optimize the source of explant material and final size of explant to obtain PMWV-free pineapple explants. Papaya seeds were distributed to University of Florida for cooperative field trial. In addition, papaya accessions were provided for breeding cold tolerant papaya and development of a blemish free commercial papaya tolerant to Papaya Ringspot Virus (PRSV). Foreign distributions included: guava seeds of three accessions sent to Malawi, Bvumbwe Agricultural Research Station for field trials. Backup of the cacao and avocado collection continues; all avocado introductions received by the repository in Hilo were tested and found to be free of Laurel Wilt (Raffaelea lauricola) and Sun Blotch Viroid. Thus far, a total of 8 accessions of papaya and 6 accessions of breadfruit were sent to Ft. Collins to develop cryopreservation protocols. Coffee and cacao Crop Germplasm Committee (CGC) is being established through the Office of National Programs. 

NCGRCD, Riverside, CA, Marylou Polek

Prior to 2008, international distributions typically accounted for approximately 2/3 of distributions. Since that time, the pattern has reversed and approximately 2/3 of distributions are now domestic. This shift is due to the large increase in Citrus huanglongbing (HLB) and stearoyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) research in the United States. Furthermore, there has been a significant increase in seed requests for HLB and ACP-associated research projects. Researchers conducting cultivar improvement using molecular technologies such as CRISPR, require seed embryos. Most international distributions are also for clean source budwood, as NCGRCD supports clean stock programs in countries that do not have a sanitization program. Distributions of nucleic acid are becoming more common, especially as restrictions on movement of citrus leaf tissue have increased; CY 2019 saw the largest distribution of nucleic acid in the history of the unit. In CY 2019, date palm germplasm distributions consisted of sending pollen from 14 accessions to Gayle Volk, USDA-ARS NLGRP for cryopreservation research. In May 2019, the NCGRCD was appropriated a permanent budget augmentation of $700,000. 

General Discussion:

Ian Ray thanked Gayle Volk and Pat Byrne for their initiative to train the next generation of germplasm managers. Also, during the general discussion, Scot Hulbert was asked to comment on the Multistate Research Fund (MRF) portion of the budget. The committee supported Scot Hulbert’s earlier recommendation that the 2021 budget be approved as shown. Given that FY2021 is the last year of the current 5-year multistate plan, a new 5-year plan and budget will need to be submitted by January 15, 2021. Note: a new proposed FY2021-2025 plan/budget will have been submitted for consideration of continued support and be available at the time of this meeting next year. In this regard, Brian Irish, Ian Ray, and Scot Hulbert will work towards leading this new writing plan/budget effort which will be forwarded to the committee for review and comment prior to the January 15, 2021 deadline. 

Business meeting: State reports.

For the complete Sites and State reports, past the following URL into your browser: https://www.nimss.org/projects/attachment/18196

California, Charles Brummer

The California state report was moved to general discussion. See below. 

Colorado, Patrick Byrne

A total of 2,475 germplasm accessions was delivered in Colorado in 2019, constituting 126 orders to 52 unique addressees. Orders were shipped from the following 14 locations in 2019: COR, DAV, GEN, GSOR, MAY, MIA, NC7, NE9, NR6, NSGC, OPGC, S9, SOY, and W6. When broken down by recipient institution, by far the largest recipient was USDA’s National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation (NLGRP) in Fort Collins, accounting for 55% of accessions shipped. Other federal agencies received 6% of the accessions. Universities received 22.7% of the germplasm, consisting of two large shipments to the University of Colorado and many small shipments to Colorado State University. Companies accounted for 12.2% of accessions, led by Cargill, which develops canola varieties at its Fort Collins location. Pat Byrne of Colorado State University received seed of maize, teosinte, and sunflower accessions to use in virtual and in-person tours of field plots demonstrating plant breeding principles. 

Idaho, Joe Kuhl

In 2019, 1,385 accessions were requested in Idaho from the National Plant Germplasm System. A total of 79 orders were placed from Idaho in 2019. The major user groups (assessed by the number of accessions requested) in 2019 were once again USDA scientists (primarily based in Aberdeen, Idaho) accounting for 40% of total accessions, while University of Idaho and private entities accounted for 35% and 25% of total accessions, respectively. The number of orders placed in 2019 by private, University and governmental entities was 40, 19, and 20, very similar to 2018 when 31, 14 and 18 orders were placed, respectively. Overall, USDA-ARS Aberdeen Plant Pathologist, Gordon Tyler, placed the largest request(s) with seven orders totaling 541 accessions, primarily for cereal rust and bunt research. Of the 1,385 accessions requested, there were 32 genera and 62 species. 

Montana, Michael Giroux

Twenty-three recipients received a total of 633 plant germplasm accessions in Montana during the last year. The biggest users were Montana State University wheat and pulse breeding programs. The biggest use by far was for varietal development. Germplasm user type included, MSU 10 Varietal development, Private company 7 Varietal development/ direct use for production, USDA 3 Host for insect biocontrol agents/varietal development and homeowner 3 Fruit and clover production. 

Nevada, Melinda Yerka

Thirteen (10 in 2017, 15 in 2018) individuals from Nevada placed 30 orders (17 in 2017, 39 in 2018) and received 193 accessions from the NPGS in 2019. Researchers at UNR continue to be the primary institutional users (96 accessions of 193). 

New Mexico, Ian Ray

Twenty individuals from New Mexico placed 35 orders and received 371 accessions from the NPGS in 2019. New Mexico State University was the largest user of this germplasm (55% of accessions), followed by the general public (42% of accessions), and the University of New Mexico (3% of accessions). Forty percent of these materials were utilized for research related to agronomy, bioremediation, botany, genetics, physiology, plant pathology, and taxonomy, while 33% were used for educational and demonstration programs, 11% for variety development, and 16% did not specify intended use of the germplasm. Ray, Ian and Kaur, Harpreet of New Mexico State University, received 10 Medicago/alfalfa accessions for use as standard checks to determine fall dormancy response and resistance to Fusarium wilt for advanced breeding lines. Another 79 diploid alfalfa accessions were received and are being evaluated for biomass productivity relative to commercial tetraploid varieties. 

Oregon, Shawn Mehlenbacher

Oregonians continue to use the NPGS system extensively. Users include state and federal researchers as well as private seed companies and private individuals. Oregon is a major user in the western region, along with California and Washington.  Shawn A. Mehlenbacher, of the Department of Horticulture at Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR uses germplasm for new sources of eastern filbert blight (EFB resistance continue to be investigated. Resistant accessions are crossed with susceptible selections, and the resulting seedlings exposed to EFB under a structure topped with diseased branches. 

Utah, Kevin Jensen

Utah state in 2019 had 12 NPGS orders requested by the University personnel and 16 private orders. Germplasm Activities for Nate Abbott - Order # 312542, 312543, 312545 (wide variety of Begionia species) which is being used for public education, demonstrations at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium a nonprofit aquarium in Draper Utah. 

Washington, Carol Miles

In 2019, 128 Washington State residents requested a total of 9,146 germplasm samples from 12 National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) repositories or stations and received germplasm in 234 orders. Recipients were with universities, USDA (17), private research groups (6), commercial firms, seed companies and nurseries (24), and non-profit organizations (5), as well as 31 private individuals. Most requested materials were Pisum (1,429), Spinacia (963), Triticum (798), Medicago (640), Lactuca (521), Citrullus (477), and Solanum (471). The germplasm material was used in diverse scientific disciplines such as agronomy, anthropology, archaeology, botany, genetics, horticulture, plant pathology, entomology, and soil science, and contributed significantly to scholastic and economic activity in the State of Washington. 

Alaska, Dan Barney

Eleven individuals from Alaska placed 15 orders and received 120 accessions from the NPGS in 2019. In general, these materials were utilized for varietal evaluations and varietal development with a focus on cold hardiness and adaptability to Southcentral Alaska in the Anchorage, Matanuska-Susitna Valley, and Kenai Peninsula areas and Interior Alaska in the Fairbanks area. 

Hawaii, Ahmad Amjad

In 2019, 303 items were sent to 15 recipients in Hawaii. There was a 100% satisfaction in the packaging and germination of the received germplasms. Most of the germplasm received were ordered for research purposes to increase diversity and evaluate suitability to Hawaii’s condition. In general, the overarching goal of the germplasm requests were to release them, if they appear to be useful and suitable for Hawaii. All receipts expected economic benefits (by increasing yield or reducing production cost), but on long-term bases since most of the lines are used in evaluation or breeding trials. 

Arizona, Lisa Taylor (WRPIS)

In 2019, 41 requestors from Arizona received 2,826 accessions in 63 orders from the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS). Most orders were placed for research purposes (59%) while the remaining were for educational (13%), home gardening (4%) or undisclosed purposes (24%). Research purposes included genetic studies, botanical or taxonomic investigations, plant pathological investigations, and varietal development. Materials requested for educational purposes were used in classroom instruction and for public education and demonstrations. The most requested genus was Triticum and accounted for 74% of all order items. Brassica (5%), Capsicum (4%), and Malus (3.5%) were the most requested genera after Triticum. 

Wyoming, Lisa Taylor (WRPIS)

In 2019, 15 requestors from Wyoming received 207 accessions in 26 orders from the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS). All orders were for 40 accessions and 19 were for 10 accessions or less. Most orders were placed for research purposes (65%) while the remaining were for educational (31%) or undisclosed purposes (4%). Research purposes included varietal development, genetic studies, and weed science or taxonomic investigations (Figure 1). Requestors received 36 different accessions in the form of seed, bulbs, and live plant material.

For the complete Site and State Reports, paste the following URL into your browser:  https://www.nimss.org/projects/attachment/18196

RTAC Nominations for Vice-Chair and Secretary

Ian Ray will remain chair in 2021. 

Nominations were taken for vice-chair and secretary.  Kevin Jensen was nominated for Vice chair and Amjad Ahmad was nominated for secretary. Carol Miles motioned to approve these nominations and Joe Kuhl seconded, and the motion was unanimously approved. 

Open discussion/New Business

A brief discussion occurred about how to best convey germplasm related information back to stations/curators. Several mechanisms are already in place, and curators were very open to any additional feedback. 

California, Charles Brummer – State Report:

In California during 2019 ~14,000 accessions were requested with 579 orders.  

A comprehensive discussion, introduced by Charlie Brummer, ensued on the how state reports might be improved to provide feedback to W6 and WRPIS. One purpose of the W6 RTAC is to document the needs of W6 and WRPIS and provide justification for individual western states to provide funding to W6 and WRPIS annually. A larger perspective was that such funding helps keep WRPIS/NPGS healthy and responsive to state needs. 

FOR DETAILS OF THIS DISUCSSION PLEASE REFER TO THE ATTACHED FULL MEETING MINUTES/REPORT. 

2021 meeting date/site

Logan, UT was nominated for the 2021 meeting site (pending COVID-19/Pandemic developments). Kevin Jensen agreed to host the meeting and will suggest a date for the committee’s approval. The committee voted unanimously to approve the 2021 location in Logan, UT.

 Resolutions  

1: The W6 Regional Technical Advisory Committee (W6 RTAC) thanks Brian Irish, Carla Olson, Lisa Taylor, the staff of the USDA-ARS WRPIS in Pullman, WA and the W6 RTAC officers for their efforts in organizing and hosting the 2020 annual meeting with teleconference and Zoom options. 

2: The W6 RTAC thanks Gayle Volk, Pat Byrne, and Barbara Hellier for their leadership in developing multiple training resources to benefit the plant breeding and genetics community.  We also thank USDA-NIFA for their support of the educational challenge grant that supported development of some of these resources.

3: The W6 RTAC wishes to offer our sincerest gratitude to Jinguo Hu for his dedicated leadership over the past 12 years towards supporting the WRPIS. His leadership at annual meetings and follow-up regarding TAC recommendations demonstrated the positive collaboration and working relationship between USDA and land grant colleges throughout the western region.  It has been a real pleasure working with such an innovative, friendly, and courteous colleague. Jinguo has been a wonderful leader and we will greatly miss him.  He instilled trust, respect and cooperation among the committee and unit members. The W6 RTAC wishes him all the best in his retirement. 

4:  The W6 RTAC supports and appreciates ARS leadership efforts to move forward with refilling the vacancy left by Dr. Hu’s retirement so that vital crop plant germplasm collection, characterization, and utilization efforts will continue.

Shawn Mehlenbacher moved to adjourn the meeting; Charlie Brummer seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 

Meeting adjourned at 4:23 p.m.

Accomplishments

<p>The Western Regional Plant Introduction Station (WRPIS) is one of four regional plant introduction stations in the United States. Activities at WRPIS focus on acquisition, preservation, characterization, evaluation, documentation and distribution of assigned plant species and their associated information along with conducting mission-related research. The W6 Regional Multistate Research Project associated with the Station contributes considerable funding (~12% of the total operating budget) to support its mission. Funds are managed through the State Agricultural Experiment Station (SAES) and originate from the Hatch Multistate Research Fund (MRF) provided by the National Institute for Food and Agriculture. The global crop plant research community continued to show significant interest in the WRPIS germplasm collections. In 2019, 37,055 seed sample packets were distributed to 795 requesters residing in each of the 49 U.S. states and in 38 countries.</p><br /> <p>As of May 18, 2020, the WRPIS holds 100,667 accessions belonging to 1,072 genera, 4,603 species (5,249 taxa) in the WRPIS collection. The WRPIS is responsible for 16.9% of the active NPGS accessions. A total of 1,723 new accessions were acquired including 1,592 native plant accessions collected by the Seeds of Success (SOS) project, 40 <em>Pisum</em> accessions from the Millennium Seed Bank Project of the Kew Royal Botanical Gardens, 13 Pisum accessions from the Russian Federation, 65 expired IPR/CSR accessions from NCGRP and 13 other miscellaneous accessions.</p><br /> <p>A total of 37,055 seed samples packets were distributed to 795 requestors with addresses in 49 domestic states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 37 foreign countries. 74% (27564 packets) were distributed to the U.S. and 26% (9491 packets) were distributed to foreign countries. Requesters in all domestic states except Nevada received germplasm samples from WRPIS during the reporting period. A total of 6856 packets from WRPIS went to the 12 of 13 Western states.&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>A total of 7,031 observation data points on 2,122 accessions were uploaded into the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN)-Global database. These data points were for 31 established descriptors of 6 different crops. Collaborators contributed 25% and WRPIS staff provided 75% of the evaluation data. In addition, 1,967 voucher images were uploaded to GRIN-Global with most of them being seed, flower, and leaf images. This information can be accessed by researchers worldwide via GRIN-Global and the internet.&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>Supported by a U.S. Alfalfa Farmer Initiative (USAFRI &ndash; &lsquo;Checkoff&rsquo;) grant, inoculation protocols were optimized for spring black stem and leaf spot disease on alfalfa seedlings in the greenhouses. Continued work screening for disease resistance in the collection has led to selection of disease resistant germplasm that can be used in alfalfa improvement.&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>The spatial and environmental patterns of two progenitor species of domesticated pea in the Mediterranean Basin and in the Fertile Crescent in relation to the past and current climate was explored in a collaborative project. Based on genome-wide analysis, <em>P. fulvum</em> was identified as a well-supported species, while the diversity of wild <em>P. sativum</em> subsp. <em>elatius</em> was structured into five geographically positioned clusters. These findings help set research and discussion priorities and provide geographical and ecological information for germplasm -collecting missions, as well as for the preservation of extant diversity in <em>ex situ</em> collections.&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>In collaboration with WSU&rsquo;s Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, <em>Phaseolus </em>Curator Ted Kisha analyzed 120 heirloom bean accessions for protein, extractable phenolics and non-extractable proanthocyanidins. There were 2 to 3-fold differences even within Red and Black market of beans classes. Much of the data has been entered into the GRIN-Global database associated with specific bean germplasm accessions.&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>In collaboration with Shanghai Agrobiological Gene Center, the germination and viability of 255 NPGS lettuce accessions was tested at several temperatures (21&deg;C, 28&deg;C and 35&deg;C) over a 40-hour period. All accessions germinated well at 21&deg;C and displayed significant difference in germination at higher temperatures. Distinct metabolome changes during lettuce seed germination in response to thermal stress was revealed by untargeted metabolomics approach. Many of the accessions surveyed germinated well at the higher 35&deg;C temperatures and might be useful for lettuce breeding programs developing cultivars suitable for extended summer production in temperate or tropical climates when soil temperatures are higher than the optimal.&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>In 2019 advanced alfalfa populations continue to be evaluated for drought and salt tolerance in greenhouse and field trails. In these populations, molecular marker-trait association identified a group of genetic loci associated to drought and salt stressors. Most loci associated identified in this work coincide with previously reported quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with biomass under drought and high salinity in alfalfa. A Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) search using their flanking sequences revealed homology to several annotated genes with functions in stress tolerance. With further validation, these markers may be useful in marker-assisted breeding of alfalfa.</p>

Publications

<ol><br /> <li>Ahmed, S., Byker, C., Miller, P. 2019. Sustainability Dimensions of a North American Lentil System in a Changing World. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems: v. 3</li><br /> <li>Anderson, J, Kantar, MB, Bock, D, Chaw Grubbs, K, Schilling, E, Rieseberg, L. 2019. Skim-Sequencing Reveals the Likely Origin of the Enigmatic Endangered Sunflower <em>Helianthus schweinitzii</em>. Genes, 10 (12), 1040; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes10121040</li><br /> <li>Aradhya, M.K., D. Velasco, J.‐R. Wang, R. Ramasamy, F. M. You, C. Leslie, A. Dandekar, M.‐C. Luo, and J. Dvorak. 2019. A fine‐scale genetic linkage map reveals genomic regions associated with economic traits in walnut (J<em>uglans regia</em>). Plant Breeding 138, no. 5: 635-646.</li><br /> <li>Attavar, A., L. Tymon, P. Perkins-Veazie, and C.A. Miles. 2020. Cucurbitaceae germplasm resistance to verticillium wilt and grafting compatibility with watermelon. HortScience <a href="https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI14631-19">https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI14631-19</a>.</li><br /> <li>Bali, S., K. Vining, C. Gleason, H. Mojtahedi, C.R. Brown, V. Sathuvalli. 2019. Differential gene expression analysis provides insights into salicylic acid mediated resistance response to <em>Meloidogyne chitwoodi</em> derived from the Mexican wild potato species <em>Solanum bulbocastanum</em>. BMC Genomics DOI:10.1186/s12864-019-6257-1</li><br /> <li>Bassil, N.V. 2019. David Grandison Fairchild: Plant hunter extraordinaire and father of foreign plant introduction. Journal of American Pomological Society.73:139-144</li><br /> <li>Bauchet G.J., K. Bett, C. Cameron, J.D. Campbell, E.K.S. Cannon, S.B. Cannon, J.W. Carlson, A. Chan, A. Cleary, T.J. Close, D.R. Cook, A.M. Cooksey, C. Coyne, S. Dash, R. Dickstein, A. Farmer, D. Fernandez-Baca, S. Hokin, E.S. Jones, Y. Kang, M.J. Monteros, M. Mu&ntilde;oz-Amatriain, K. Mysore, C.I. Pislariu, C. Richards, A. Shi, C. Town, M. Udvardi, E.B. von Wettberg, N.D. Young, P. Zhao. 2019. The future of legume genetic data resources: challenges, opportunities, and priorities. Legume Science 1:e16. DOI: 10:1002/leg3.16.</li><br /> <li>Briar, S. S., Carr, P. M., Miller, G. G., Menalled, F. O., Miller, P. R. 2019. Current status and soil biology impacts of organic conservation tillage in the U.S. Great Plains. Organic Farming: New Advances Towards Sustainable Agricultural Systems. Springer International Publishing AG. eBook: p. 11-23</li><br /> <li>Briar, S. S., Carr, P., Graming, G., Menalled, F., Miller, P. 2019. Current status and soil biology impacts of organic conservation tillage in the U.S. Great Plains. Organic Farming: New Advances Towards Sustainable Agricultural Systems. Springer International Publishing</li><br /> <li>Brownstein, K. J., Tushingham, S., Damitio, W. J., Nguyen, T., and Gang, D. R. 2020. An ancient residue metabolomics-based method to distinguish use of closely related plant species in ancient pipes. Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fmolb.2020.00133">https://doi.org/10.3389/fmolb.2020.00133</a></li><br /> <li>Carter, K., Zurn, J.D., Bassil, N.V., Finn, C.E., Hummer, K.E. 2019. The importance of being 'Boysen': Examining genotypic variation with simple sequence repeat markers. Journal of American Pomological Society. 73:47-52.</li><br /> <li>Chaludavi SR, Young P, Thompson K, Barhi BA, Gajera B, Naryanan S, Krueger R, Bennetzen JL. 2019. <em>Phoenix</em> phylogeny, and analysis of genetic variation in a diverse collection of date palm (<em>Phoenix dactylifera</em>) and related species. Plant Diversity, 12-2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pld.2018.11.005 41(5):330-339</li><br /> <li>Chater, J.M., D.J. Merhaut, and J.E. Preece. 2020. Chapter 46 - Diagnosis and management of nutrient constraints in pomegranate. In: A.K. Srivastava, A.K. and C. Hu (Eds). Fruit Crops. Diagnosis and Management of Nutrient Constraints. Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherlands. pp. 509-519.</li><br /> <li>Coyne C.J., L. Porter, G. Boutet, Y. Ma, R.J. McGee, A. Lesn&eacute;, A. Baranger, M.-L. Pilet-Nayel. 2019. Confirmation of Fusarium root rot resistance QTL Fsp-Ps 2.1 of pea under controlled conditions. BMC Plant Biology 19:98.</li><br /> <li>Dai, Z., F. Wu, Z. Zheng, R. Yokomi, L. Kumagai, W. Cai, J. Rascoe, M. Polek, J. Chen, X. Deng. 2019. Prophage Diversity of &ldquo;<em>Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus</em>&rdquo; strains in California. Phyopathology 109 (4): 551-559. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-06-18-0185-R.</li><br /> <li>Diaz-Lara, A., D. Golino, J.E. Preece, and M. Al Rwahnih. Development of RT-PCR degenerate primers to overcome the high genetic diversity of grapevine virus T. Journal of Virological Methods: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jviromet.2020.113883">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jviromet.2020.113883</a>.</li><br /> <li>Dugan, F. M., S. L. Lupien, and B. C. Hellier. 2019. Infection by <em>Fusarium proliferatum</em> in aerial garlic bulbils is strongly reduced compared to rates in seed cloves when both originate from infected bulbs. Crop protection. 116:43-48.</li><br /> <li>Finn, C.E., Strik, B., Mackey, T.A., Jones, P., Bassil, N.V., Martin, R.R. 2019. &lsquo;Echo&rsquo; ornamental reflowering blueberry. HortScience. 54(2):368-370. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI13646-18.</li><br /> <li>Finn, C.E., Strik, B., Yorgey, B., Peterson, M.E., Jones, P., Lee, J., Bassil, N.V., Martin, R.R. 2019. &lsquo;Hall&rsquo;s Beauty&rsquo; thornless trailing blackberry. HortScience. 54(2):371-376. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI13678-18.</li><br /> <li>Freed, G., Schlatter, D., Paulitz, T. and Dugan, F. 2019. Mycological insights into wetland fungal communities: the mycobiome of <em>Camassia</em> in the Pacific Northwest. Phytobiomes Journal, 3(4): 286-299.</li><br /> <li>Gaskin, J.F., Andres, J.A., Bogdanowicz, S.M., Guilbault, K.R., Hufbauer, R.A., Schaffner, U., Weyl, P., Williams III, L.H. 2019. Russian-olive (<em>Elaeagnus angustifolia</em>) genetic diversity in the western United States and implications for biological control. Invasive Plant Science and Management. DOI: 10.1017/inp.2019.16.</li><br /> <li>Goenaga, Ricardo, Brian Irish, and Angel Marrero. 2019. Yield and Fruit Quality Traits of Two Plantain Cultivars Grown at Two Locations in Puerto Rico Under Black Leaf Streak Pressure. HortTech. 29: 958-966. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH04425-19</li><br /> <li>Gradziel, T. B. Lampinen, and J.E. Preece. 2019. Propagation from basal epicormic meristems remediates an aging-related disorder in almond clones. Horticulturae. 5(28). doi:10.3390/horticulturae5020028 www.mdpi.com/journal/horticulturae</li><br /> <li>Graebner, R.C., C.R. Brown, R.E. Ingham, C.H. Hagerty, H. Mojtahedi, R. Quick, L.L. Hamlin, N. Wade, J.B. Bamberg and V. Sathuvalli. 2018. Identification of sources of resistance to <em>Meloidogyne chitwoodi</em> from wild potato species. Am. J. Potato Res. doi: 10.1007/s12230-018-9674-9</li><br /> <li>Greene, S., D. Carver, C.K. Khoury, B.M. Irish, P. Olwell and L. Prescot. 2019. Seeds of Success: Collateral Benefits to Agricultural Crop Improvement, Research, and Education. Crop Sci. 59: 2429-2442. doi: 10.2135/cropsci2019.06.0372</li><br /> <li>Gul A, Diepenbrock CH, Breseghello F, Minella E, Munkvold JD, Paterson AH, Kucek LK, Souza E, La Rota M, Yu L-X, Yu J-K, Ma Z, Van Deynze A, Rutkoski J, Heffner EL, da Silva J, Sanchez JI. 2019. Mark E. Sorrells: Plant Breeder, Geneticist, Innovator, Mentor: In Plant Breeding Review Vol 42:1-38. Editor: Irwin Goldman. Wiley.</li><br /> <li>Hardigan, M., Poortan, T., Acharya, C., Cole, G., Hummer, K.E., Bassil, N.V., Edger, P., Knapp, S.J. 2018. Domestication of temperate and coastal hybrids with distinct ancestral gene selection in octoploid strawberry. The Plant Genome. 11(3):180049. https://doi.org/10.3835/plantgenome2018.07.0049.</li><br /> <li>Harms, N., Shearer, J., Cronin, J., Gaskin, J.F. 2019. Geographic and genetic variation in susceptibility of <em>Butomus umbellatus</em> to foliar fungal pathogens. Biological Invasions. DOI: 10.1007/s10530-019-02109-3.</li><br /> <li>Hazzouri K, Gros-Balthazard M, Flowers JM, Copetti D, Lemansour A, Lebrun M, Masmoudi K, Ferrand S, Dharm MI, Fresquez S, Rosas U, Zhang J, Talag J, Lee S, Kudrna D, Powell RF, Leitch IJ, Krueger R, Wing R, Amiri KM, Purugganan MD. 2019. Genome-wide association mapping of date palm fruit traits. Nature Communications 10:4680 (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12604-9).</li><br /> <li>Heinitz, C.C., J. Uretsky, J.C.D. Peterson, K.G. Huerta-Acosta, and M.A. Walker. 2019. Crop Wild Relatives of Grape (<em>Vitis vinifera</em>) Throughout North America. p. 329&ndash;351. In North American Crop Wild Relatives, Volume 2. Springer, Cham.</li><br /> <li>Heinitz, C.C., S. Riaz, A.C. Tenscher, N. Romero, and M.A. Walker. Survey of Chloride Exclusion in Grape Germplasm from the Southwestern United States and Mexico. Crop Sci. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20085</li><br /> <li>Hummer, K.E., Williams, K.A., Bushakra, J. 2019. North American crop wild relatives of temperate berries (<em>Fragaria</em>, <em>Ribes</em> L., <em>Rubus</em> L., and <em>Vaccinium</em> L.). In: Greene S., Williams K., Khoury C., Kantar M., Marek L., editors. North American Crop Wild Relatives, Volume 2. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. p.283-327. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97121-6_9.</li><br /> <li>Irish, Brian M., Ricardo Goenaga, Sirena Montalvo, Bernardo Chaves-Cordoba and Inge Van den Bergh. Host Response to Black Leaf Streak and Agronomic Performance of Banana Genotypes in Puerto Rico. HortScience. 54: 1808&ndash;1817. 2019. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI13876-19</li><br /> <li>Jacygrad, E., J.E. Preece, W.J. Palmer, R. Michelmore, and D. Golino. 2020. Phenotypic segregation of seedling UCB‑1 hybrid pistachio rootstock. Trees 34: 531-541.</li><br /> <li>Jarolmasjed, S., S. Sankaran, A. Marzougui, S. Kostick, Y. Si, J.J. Quir&oacute;s, and K. Evans. 2019. Multispectral and hyperspectral sensing for high-throughput phenotyping of fire blight disease symptoms in apple. Frontiers in Plant Science &ndash; Technical Advances in Plant Science doi: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00576.</li><br /> <li>Jarvis-Shean, K., Archer, L., Leslie, C., Aradhya, M., Kluepfel, D., Preece, J.E., and Brown, P. 2019. Preserving and enhancing the usefulness of the USDA-NCGR walnut collection for breeding. Walnut Research Reports 2018. California Walnut Board. pp.45-52.</li><br /> <li>Jobson, E. M., Johnston, R. E., Oiestad, A. J., Martin, J. M., Giroux, M. 2019. The impact of the wheat Rht-B1b semi-dwarfing allele on photosynthesis and seed development under field conditions. Frontiers in Plant Science: v. 10 i. 51</li><br /> <li>Johnson, E.P., J.E. Preece, M. Aradhya, and T. Gradziel. 2020. Rooting response of <em>Prunus</em> wild relative semi-hardwood cuttings to indole-3-butyric acid potassium salt (KIBA). Scientia Horticulturae 263:109144.</li><br /> <li>Khoury, C.K., D. Carver, H.R. Kates, H.A. Achicanoy, M. van Zonneveld, E. Thomas, C. Heinitz, R. Jarret, J.A. Labate, K. Reitsma, and others. 2020. Distributions, conservation status, and abiotic stress tolerance potential of wild cucurbits (<em>Cucurbita</em>). Plants, People, Planet 2(3): 269&ndash;283.</li><br /> <li>Khoury, CK, Barchenger, DW, Carver, D, Barboza, G, van Zonneveld, M, Jarret, R, Bohs, L, Kantar, MB, Uchanski, M, Mercer, K, Nabhan, GP, Bosland, PW, Greene, SL. 2019. Crop wild relatives of chile pepper (<em>Capsicum</em>): Distributions, conservation status, and implications for adaptations to abiotic stresses Diversity and Distributions. 26(2): 209-25. doi.org/10.1111/DDI.13008</li><br /> <li>Kostick, S., J. Norelli, and K. Evans. 2019. Novel metrics to classify fire blight resistance of ninety-four apple cultivars. Plant Pathology. doi.org/10.1111/ppa.13012</li><br /> <li>Kreplak J., M.-A. Madoui, P. C&aacute;pal, P. Nov&aacute;k, K. Labadie, G. Aubert, P. Bayer, K.G. Kishore, R.A. Symes, D. Main, A. Klein, A. B&eacute;rard, I. Fukova, C. Fournier, L. d&rsquo;Agata, C. Belser, W. Berrabah, H. &Scaron;imkov&aacute;, H.T. Lee, A. Kougbeadjo, M. T&eacute;r&eacute;zol, C. Huneau, C .J. Turo, N. Mohellibi, P. Neumann, M. Falque, K. Gallardo-Guerrero, R. McGee, B. Tar&rsquo;an, A. Bendahmane, J.-M. Aury, J. Batley, M.-C. Le Paslier, T.H.N. Ellis, T. Warkentin, C. J. Coyne, J. Salse, D. Edwards, J. Lichtenzveig, J. Macas, J. Doležel, P. Wincker, J. Burstin. 2019. The reference genome of the first model for genetics, <em>Pisum sativum</em> Nature Genetics 51:1411&ndash;1422.</li><br /> <li>Krueger R. 2019. The so-called &ldquo;fleck&rdquo; diseases of citrus. Topics in Subtropics Newsletter. 19:5-11.</li><br /> <li>Lee, S., Park, H., Kim, B., Lee, J., Gaskin, J.F., Kim, Y. 2019. An unexpected genetic diversity pattern and a complex demographic history of a rare medicinal herb, Chinese asparagus (<em>Asparagus cochinchinensis</em>) in Korea. Nature Scientific Reports. 9:9757.</li><br /> <li>Liu X.-P., Hawkins C., Peel M., Yu L.-X. 2019. Genetic loci associated with salt tolerance in advanced breeding populations of tetraploid alfalfa (<em>Medicago sativa</em>) using genome-wide association studies. The Plant Genome, doi:10.3835/plant genome2018.05.0026.</li><br /> <li>Martin, J., Hogg, A. C., Giroux, M. 2019. Registration of wheat lines carrying novel mutagenesis-derived Puroindoline alleles. Journal of Plant Registrations: v. 13 p. 455-460</li><br /> <li>Mart&iacute;nez-Castillo, Jaime, Ren&eacute;e S. Arias, Rub&eacute;n H. Andueza-Noh, Matilde M. Ortiz-Garc&iacute;a, Brian M. Irish, Brian E. Scheffler. 2019. Microsatellite markers in Spanish lime (<em>Melicoccus bijugatus</em>, Sapindaceae), a neglected Neotropical fruit crop. Genet. Resour. Crop. Evol. Doi: 10.1007/s10722-019-00815-4.</li><br /> <li>Marzougui A., C. Zhang, Y. Ma, R.J. McGee, C.J. Coyne, D. Main, S. Sankaran. 2019. Advanced imaging for quantitative evaluation of Aphanomyces root rot disease resistance in lentil. Frontiers in Plant Science 10:383.</li><br /> <li>Mathon, C., J.M. Chater, A. Green, D.J. Merhaut, P.A. Mauk, J.E. Preece, and C.K. Larive. 2019. Quantification of punicalagins in commercial preparations and pomegranate cultivars, by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 99:4036-4042. (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jsfa.9631).</li><br /> <li>Mccoy, J., Young, J.H., Nifong, J.M., Hummer, K.E., De Noma, J.S., Avendano- Arrazate, C.H., Greene, S.L., Kantar, M.B. 2019. Species for medicinal and social use with an emphasis on <em>Theobroma cacao</em> (cacao), <em>Nicotiana tabacum</em> L. (tobacco), <em>Actaea racemosa</em> L. (black cohosh), and <em>Humulus lupulus</em> L. (hops). In: Greene S., Williams K., Khoury C., Kantar M., Marek L., editors. North American Crop Wild Relatives, Volume 2. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. p. 645-692. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97121-6_9.</li><br /> <li>Milczarek, R.R., P.S. Liang, T. Wong, M.P. Augustine, J.L. Smith, R.D. Woods, I. Sedej, C.W. Olsen, A.M. Vilches, R.P. Haff, and J.E. Preece. 2019. Nondestructive determination of the astringency of pollination-variant persimmons (Diospyros kaki) using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 149, pp.50-57.</li><br /> <li>Miles, C. and P. Devi. 2019. Establishing new tea plants. Report to Washington State Nursery Grant Program.</li><br /> <li>Mndolwa, E., S. Nchimbi-Msolla, T. G. Porch, and P. N. Miklas. 2019. GGE biplot analysis of yield stability for Andean dry bean accessions grown under different abiotic stress regimes in Tanzania. African Crop Science Journal 27:413-425.</li><br /> <li>Mohamoud YA, Mathew LS, Torres MF, Younuskunju S, Krueger R, Suhre K, Malek JA. 2019. Novel subpopulations in date palm (<em>Phoenix dactylifera</em>) identified by population-wide organellar genome sequencing. BMC Genomics 20:498.</li><br /> <li>Molnar, T.J., S. Mehlenbacher, P. Engel, and J. Capik. 2019. Multiple sources of eastern filbert blight resistance provide breeding utility in New Jersey. J. Amer. Pomol. Soc. 73(3): 178-192.</li><br /> <li>Montanari, S., Bianco, L., Allen, B., Martinez-Garcia, P., Bassil, N.V., Postman, J.D., Chagne, D., Evans, K., Dhingra, A., Troggio, M., Neale, D. 2019. Development of a highly efficient Axiom&reg; 70K SNP array for <em>Pyrus</em> and evaluation for high-density mapping and germplasm. BMC Genomics. 20:331. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-019-5712-3.</li><br /> <li>Mugabe D., C.J. Coyne, J. Piaskowski, P. Zheng, Y. Ma, R.J. McGee, D. Main, G. Vandemark, H. Zhang, S. Abbo. 2019. QTL analysis of cold tolerance in chickpea. Crop Science 59:573-582.</li><br /> <li>Neyhart, J. L., Sweeney, D., Sorrells, M., Kapp, C., McFarland, A., Kephart, K., Sherman, J., Stockinger, E. J., Fisk, S., ... Smith, K. P. 2019. Registration of the S2MET Barley Mapping Population for Multi-Environment Genomewide Selection. no. Journal of Plant Registrations/Crop Science Society of America: v. 13 i. 2 p. 270-280</li><br /> <li>Ortiz-Uribe N, Salomon-Torres R, Krueger R. 2019. Date palm status and perspective in Mexico. Agriculture 9, 46; doi:10.3390/agriculture9030046</li><br /> <li>Padhi, E.M.T., N. Maharaj, S. Lin, D. Mishchuk, E. Chin, K. Godfrey, E. Foster, M. Polek, J.H.J. Leveau, C. Slupsky. 2019. Metabolome and microbiome signatures in the roots of citrus affected by Huanglongbing. Phytopathology: https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/PHYTO-03-19-0103-R</li><br /> <li>Preece, J.E. 2020. The USDA-ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Tree Fruit, Nut Crops, and Grapes, Davis, CA. J. American Pomological Soc. 74:111-116 6</li><br /> <li>Preece, J.E. and Aradhya. M. 2019. Temperate nut crops &ndash; chestnut, hazelnut, pecan, pistachio, and walnut. In: Greene, S., Williams, K., Khoury, C., Kantar, M.B., and Marek, L. (eds.) North American Crop Wild Relatives, Volume 2: 417-449.</li><br /> <li>Quick, R.A., L. Cimrhakl, H. Mojtahedi, V. Sathuvalli, M.J. Feldman, C.R. Brown. 2020. Elimination of Tobacco rattle virus from viruliferous <em>Paratribhodorus allius</em> in greenhouse pot experiments through cultivation of Castle Russet. Journal of Nematology DOI: 10.21307/jofnem-2020-011</li><br /> <li>Rapo, C.B., Schaffner, U., Eigenbrode, S.D., Hinz, H.L., Price, W., Morra, M., Gaskin, J.F., Schwarzlaender, M. 2019. Feeding intensity of insect herbivores is associated more closely with key metabolite profiles than phylogenetic relatedness of their potential hosts. PeerJ. 7:e8203. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8203.</li><br /> <li>Salom&oacute;n-Torres R, Ortiz-Uribe N, Valdez-Salas B, Rosas-Gonz&aacute;lez N, Garc&iacute;a-Gonz&aacute;lez C, Ch&aacute;vez D, C&oacute;rdova-Guerrero I, D&iacute;az-Rubio L, Haro-V&aacute;zquez MP, Mijangos-Montiel JL, Morales-Maza A, Mahadevan P, Krueger R. 2019. Nutritional assessment, phytochemical composition and antioxidant analysis of the pulp and seed of Medjool date grown in Mexico. PeerJ 7:e6821 http://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6821</li><br /> <li>Salomon-Torres R, Sol-Uribe JA, Valdez-Salas B, Garcia-Gonzalez C, Krueger R, Hernandez-Balbuena D, Norzagaray-Plascencia S, Garcia-Vazquez JP, Ortiz-Uribe N. 2020. Effect of four pollinating sources on nutritional properties of Medjool date (<em>Phoenix dactylifera </em>L) seeds. MDPI Agriculture 10:45 doi:10.3390/agriculture10020045</li><br /> <li>Sandhu, D., Pudussery, M.V., Ferreira, J.F., Liu, X., Pallete, A., Grover, K.K., Hummer, K.E. 2019. Variable salinity responses and comparative gene expression in woodland strawberry genotypes. Scientia Horticulturae. 254:61- 69.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2019.04.071.</li><br /> <li>Schlautman, B., Zalapa, J.E., Covarrubias-Pazaran, G., Rodriguez-Bonilla, L., Hummer, K.E., Bassil, N.V., Smith, T. 2018. Genetic diversity and cultivar variants in the NCGR cranberry (<em>Vaccinium macrocarpon</em> Aiton) collection. Journal of Genetics. 97(5):1339&ndash;1351. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12041-018-1036- 3.</li><br /> <li>Timothy Gottwald, Gavin Poole, Thomas McCollum, David Hall, John Hartung, Jinhe Bai, Weiqi Luo, Drew Posny, Yong-Ping Duan, Earl Taylor, John da Gra&ccedil;a, MaryLou Polek, Frank Louws, and William Schneider. 2020. Canine olfactory detection of a vectored phytobacterial pathogen, <em>Liberibacter asiaticus</em>, and integration with disease control. PNAS: 117(7) 3452-3501.</li><br /> <li>Tyler Gordon, Rui Wang, Brian Bowman, Natalie Klassen, Justin Wheeler, J. Michael Bonman, Harold Bockelman, Jianli Chen. 2020. Agronomic and genetic assessment of terminal drought tolerance in two-row spring barley. Crop Science. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20040</li><br /> <li>Tyler Gordon, Rui Wang, David Hole, Harold Bockelman, J. Michael Bonman, Jianli Chen. 2020. Genetic characterization and genome-wide association mapping for dwarf bunt resistance in bread wheat accessions from the USDA National Small Grains Collection. Theoretical and Applied Genetics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-020-03532-0</li><br /> <li>Verma, S., Evans, K., Guan, Y., Luby, J., Rosyara, U., Howard, N., Bassil, N.V., Bink, M., Van De Weg, E., Peace, C. 2019. Two large-effect QTLs, Ma and Ma3, determine genetic potential for acidity in apple fruit: Breeding insights from a multi-family study. Tree Genetics and Genomes. 15:18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-019-1324-y.</li><br /> <li>Vetch, J. M., Stougaard, R. N., Martin, J. M., Giroux, M. 2019. Allelic impacts of TaPHS1, TaMKK3 and Vp1B3 on preharvest sprouting of Northern Great Plains winter wheats. Crop Science: v. 59 p. 140-149</li><br /> <li>Villar, J.L., Alonso, A.M., Juan, A., Gaskin, J.F., Crespo, M.B. 2019. Out of the Middle East: New phylogenetic insights in the genus <em>Tamarix</em> (Tamaricaceae). Journal of Systematics and Evolution. DOI: 10.1111/jse.12478.</li><br /> <li>Vining, K., Pandelova, I., Hummer, K.E., Bassil, N.V., Contreras, R., Neill, K., Chen, H., Parrish, A., Lange, B.M. 2019. Genetic diversity survey of <em>Mentha aquatica</em> and <em>Mentha suaveolens </em>Ehrh., mint crop ancestors. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 66:825-845. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-019-00750-4.</li><br /> <li>Volk, G.M., Henk, A.D., Richards, C.M., Bassil, N.V., Postman, J.D. 2018. Chloroplast sequence data differentiate Maleae, and specifically <em>Pyrus</em>, species in the USDA-ARS National Plant Germplasm System. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 66(1):5-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-018-0691-9.</li><br /> <li>Volk, G.M., M.M. Jenderek, C. Walters, R. Bonnart, A. Shepherd, D. Skogerboe, B.D. Hall, B. Moreland, R. Krueger and M. Polek. 2019. Implementation of Citrus shoot tip cryopreservation in the USDA-ARS National Plant Germplasm System. Acta Hortic. 1234. ISHS 2019. DOI 10.17660/ActaHortic.2019.1234.43. Proc. III International Symposium on Plant Cryopreservation Eds.: K. Thammasiri et al.</li><br /> <li>Walker, M.A., C. Heinitz, S. Riaz, and J. Uretsky. 2019. Grape Taxonomy and Germplasm. p. 25&ndash;38. In The Grape Genome. Springer, Cham.</li><br /> <li>Warne, T., Ahmed, S., Shanks, C. B., Miller, P. 2019. Sustainability Dimensions of a North American Lentil System in a Changing World. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems</li><br /> <li>Wei, S., Yang, X., Huo, G., Ge, G., Liu, H., Luo, L., Hu, J., Huang, D. and Long, P. 2020. Distinct Metabolome Changes during Seed Germination of Lettuce (<em>Lactuca sativa</em>) in Response to Thermal Stress as Revealed by Untargeted Metabolomics Analysis. International journal of molecular sciences, 21(4), 1481.</li><br /> <li>Yu L-X, Zhang F., Medina C. C., Lin S., Niu Y. Zhang T., Yang Q. Smith M., Hu J. 2019. Construction of high-density linkage maps and identifying candidate quantitative trait loci associated with verticillium wilt resistance in autotetraploid alfalfa (<em>Medicago sativa</em>). Plant Disease. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-08-19-1718-RE.</li><br /> <li>Zhang F, Kang J, Long R, Yu L-X, Wang Z, Zhao Z, Zhang T, Yang Q. 2019. High-density linkage map construction and mapping QTL for yield and yield components in autotetraploid alfalfa using RAD-seq. BMC plant biology 19:165 (page 1-12).</li><br /> <li>Zhang, H., Nyamesorto, B., Giroux, M., Yue, J., Chen, X., Huang, L. (2019) Registration of MNR434 and MNR527 wheat germplasm with new resistance to rusts. Journal of Plant Registrations: v. 13 p. 461-464.</li><br /> <li>Zhu T, Wang L, You FM, Rodriguez JC, Deal KR, Chen L, Li J, Chakraborty S, Balan B, Jiang CZ, Brown PJ, Leslie CA, Aradhya MK, Dandekar AM, McGuire PE, Kluepfel D, Dvorak J and Luo MC. (2019). Sequencing a <em>Juglans regia</em>&times; <em> microcarpa </em>hybrid yields high-quality genome assemblies of parental species. Horticulture Research. 6(1):55.</li><br /> <li>Zurn, J.D., Ho, T., Li, R., Bassil, N.V., Tzanetakis, I., Martin, R.R., Postman, J.D. 2019. First report of Blackcurrant reversion virus in <em>Ribes nigrum</em> germplasm in the United States. Plant Disease. 103:1051. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-03-18-0526-PDN">https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-03-18-0526-PDN</a>.</li><br /> <li>Zurn, J.D., Zlesak, D., Holen, M., Bradeen, J., Hokanson, S., Bassil, N.V. 2018. Mapping a novel black spot resistance locus in the climbing rose Brite Eyes&trade; (&lsquo;RADbrite&rsquo;). Frontiers in Plant Science. 9:1730. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.01730.</li><br /> </ol>

Impact Statements

1. During the year the WRPIS also plays roles in mentoring and the education of students at all levels. The WRPIS hires many temporary/seasonal employees/interns (close to 40) to work in the laboratories, greenhouses and/or in the fields aiding service and research projects. In addition, scientific staff mentor high school and undergraduate interns under different programs (e.g., USDA’s Office of Diversity and Outreach) as well as graduate students (most from WSU) to encourage participation and training of the next diverse agricultural workforce generations.

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Report Information

Participants

Amjad, Ahmad University of Hawaii, Manoa, HI. alobady@hawaii.edu
Barney, Dan ARS (retired) Palmer, Alaska. dbarney53@outlook.com
Bockelman, Harold ARS NSGC, Aberdeen, ID. Harold.Bockelman@ars.usda.gov
Bretting, Peter ARS National Programs, Beltsville, MD. Peter.Bretting@ars.usda.gov
Brummer, Charles University of California, Davis, CA. ecbrummer@ucdavis.edu
Coyne, Clare ARS WRPIS, Pullman WA. clarice.coyne@usda.gov
Domingo, Ryan ARS PBARC. ryan.domingo@usda.gov
Giroux, Michael Montana State University, Bozeman, MT. mgiroux@montana.edu
Greene, Stephanie ARS NLGRP, Fort Collins, CO. stephanie.greene@usda.gov
Heinitz, Claire ARS NCGR, Davis & NALPGRU Parlier, CA. claire.heinitz@usda.gov
Hellier, Barbara ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA. barbara.hellier@usda.gov
Hulbert, Scot Washington State University, Pullman, WA. scot_hulbert@wsu.edu
Hummer, Kim ARS NCGR, Corvallis, OR. kim.hummer@usda.gov
Irish, Brian ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA. Brian.irish@ars.usda.gov
Jensen, Kevin ARS FRRL, Logan, UT. Kevin.Jensen@ars.usda.gov
Kinard, Gary ARS NGRL, Beltsville, MD. Gary.Kinard@ars.usda.gov
Krueger, Robert ARS NCGR, Riverside, CA. robert.krueger@usda.gov
Kuhl, Joseph University of Idaho, Moscow, ID. jkuhl@uidaho.edu
Matsumoto, Tracie ARS PBARC. tracie.matsumoto@usda.gov
Matteri, Robert ARS PWA Office, Albany, CA. Robert.Matteri@ars.usda.gov
Mayo-Riley, Carol ARS PBARC, Hilo, HI. carol.mayoriley@usda.gov
Mehlenbacher, Shawn Oregon State U., Corvallis, OR. shawn.mehlenbacher@oregonstate.edu
Miles, Carol Washington State University, Mount Vernon, WA. milesc@wsu.edu
Morris, Geoffrey Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO. Geoff.Morris@colostate.edu
Nyberg, April ARS NCGR, Corvallis, OR. april.nyberg@usda.gov
Olson, Carla ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA. Carla.Olson@usda.gov
Ray, Ian New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM. iaray@nmsu.edu
Stapleton, Ann USDA NIFA. Kansas City, MO. Ann.Stapleton@usda.gov
Taylor, Lisa ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA. lisa.taylor@ars.usda.gov
Vandemark, George ARS WRPIS, Pullman, WA. George.Vandemark@usda.gov
Yerka, Melinda University of Nevada Reno, Reno, NV. myerka@unl.edu

*List is also attached/provided in the meeting minutes.

Brief Summary of Minutes

Full reports for each state can be found through the W6 Homepage under the Outline/Attachments tab or this link:  https://www.nimss.org/projects/attachment/18196

Accomplishments

<p>The Western Regional Plant Introduction Station (WRPIS) is one of four regional plant introduction stations in the United States. Activities at WRPIS focus on acquisition, preservation, characterization, evaluation, documentation and distribution of assigned crop and wild relative plant species and their associated information along with conducting mission-related research. The W6 Regional Multistate Research Project associated with the Station contributes considerable funding (~12% of the total operating budget) to support its mission. Funds are managed through the State Agricultural Experiment Station (SAES) and originate from the Hatch Multistate Research Fund (MRF) managed by the National Institute for Food and Agriculture. The global crop plant research community continued to utilize extensively WRPIS germplasm collections. In 2020, 36,790 germplasm samples (e.g., seed packets) were distributed in 746 orders to each of 47 U.S. states and to 28 countries. Also, in 2020, a new 5-year W6 Regional Multistate Research Project proposal was drafted, submitted, and approved with minor revisions by the Multistate Review Committee.</p><br /> <p>At the beginning of 2021, there were 99,877 accessions belonging to 955 genera, 4,360 species (4,988 taxa) in the WRPIS collections with the site accounting for ~17% of the active NPGS accessions. In 2020, a total of 36,790 seed samples packets were distributed in 975 orders to 577 unique requestors with addresses in 47 domestic states and the District of Columbia, and 28 foreign countries. 76% percent (28,092 packets) were distributed to the U.S. and 24% (8,878 packets) were distributed internationally. A total of 5,508 packets from WRPIS went to the 13 Western states in 196 orders. Requesters in most domestic states received germplasm samples from WRPIS during the reporting period, with a total of 5,508 packets (i.e., order items) from WRPIS going to the 13 Western states.</p><br /> <p>The collections hosted by the WRPIS continue to increase, although acquisition rate has slowed over the past few years. The reduced rate of acquisitions has been due in part to difficulties in acquiring non-native germplasm because of restricted access and because of difficulties associated to the COVID 19 Pandemic. In addition, many of the crop collections are currently well represented and WRPIS capacity for adding germplasm is being reached. Going forward, strategic additions focusing on crop wild relatives and gaps in holdings will be targeted. In 2020, 883 accessions were acquired including 766 native plant accessions collected by the Seeds of Success (SOS) program.</p><br /> <p>Additional service activities benefiting WPRIS germplasm stakeholders included the addition of accession-associated information into the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN)-Global database as well as backing up and viability testing of seed inventories. A total of 456 observation data points on 456 accessions were uploaded into the GRIN-Global database. These data points were for 8 established descriptors of 3 different crops. Collaborators contributed 3% and WRPIS staff provided 97% of the evaluation data. In addition, 2,651 voucher images were uploaded to GRIN-Global with most of them being seed, flower, and leaf images. Seed viability records uploaded to GRIN-Global totaled 813 during the reporting period. The National Laboratory for Genetic Resource Preservation (NLGRP) in Fort Collins, CO tested 755 accessions, and 58 were tested by the Horticultural Crops curatorial program. A total of 1,270 seed inventories were shipped to the NLGRP for secured backup.</p><br /> <p>Although many of the activities of the WRPIS are service oriented, research addressing important stakeholder needs were also conducted in 2020. For example, the Native Plants and the Horticultural Crops Programs investigated effects of different stratification regimes and seed temperatures on optimized seed germinations in five native <em>Astragalus</em> (milkvetch) species. Generally, results indicated a 2-week stratification and cooler temperatures produced optimal germinations for these species. The WRPIS Lentil Core Collection was screened for disease reaction to Aphanomyces root rot, an important soilborne disease affecting production areas on the Pacific Northwest, with resistant germplasm identified. Significant marker trait associations identified in genome-wide association studies allowed for breeder-friendly kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP) marker development for use in markers assisted breeding efforts. A collaborative team, led by Alfalfa Geneticist Long-Xi Yu, mapped genetic loci associated with alfalfa verticillium wilt resistance in a biparental population and identified candidate genes. Candidate gene sequence variants were used to develop several breeder-friendly markers. Research also on alfalfa and its wild relatives focused on screening large sets of germplasm for disease reaction to spring black stem and leaf spot, an important fungal plant pathogen for which no good disease resistance is found in modern cultivars. The research produced improved inoculation and scoring procedures, more clearly defined host range within <em>Medicago,</em> and allowed for resistant selections to be made for improved populations.</p><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p>

Publications

<ol><br /> <li>Agarwal, C., W. Chen, C.J. Coyne, and G. Vandemark. 2020. Identifying sources of resistance in chickpea to seed rot and seedling damping-off caused by metalaxyl-resistant <em>Pythium ultimum</em>. Crop Science <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20424">https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20424</a> </li><br /> </ol><br /> <ol start="2"><br /> <li>AshtariMahini, R. A., Kumar, A., Elias, E. M., Fiedler, J., Porter, L., McPhee, K. E. 2020. Analysis and identification of QTL for resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in pea (<em>Pisum sativum</em>). no. Frontiers in Genetics: v. 11 p. 14 </li><br /> </ol><br /> <ol start="3"><br /> <li>Attavar, A., L. Tymon, P. Perkins-Veazie, and C.A. Miles. 2020. Cucurbitaceae germplasm resistance to verticillium wilt and grafting compatibility with watermelon. HortScience, 55(2):141-148. </li><br /> </ol><br /> <ol start="4"><br /> <li>Baggett, John P.; Tillett, Richard L.; Cooper, Elizabeth A.; Yerka, M. 2021. <em>De novo </em>identification and targeted sequencing of SSRs efficiently fingerprints <em>Sorghum bicolor </em>sub-population identity. PLOS ONE 16(3): e0248213.<strong> <br /></strong></li><br /> </ol><br /> <ol start="5"><br /> <li>Bamberg, J., K.A. Lombard, J. Palta, B.A. Workmaster, and A. Atucha. 2020. Survival of <em>Solanum jamesii </em>Tubers at Freezing Temperatures. American Journal of Potato Research, 97, 497-50 </li><br /> </ol><br /> <ol start="6"><br /> <li>Bandillo, N., Stefaniak, T., Worral, H., Franck, W., Chen, C., Kalil, A., Wunsch, M., Pasche, J., Forster, S., McPhee, K. E. 2020. Registration of ND Crown Chickpea. Journal of Plant Registrations. </li><br /> </ol><br /> <ol start="7"><br /> <li>Bandillo, N., Stefaniak, T., Worral, H., Jain, S., Ostlie, M., Schatz, B., Rickertsen, J., Wahlstrom, C., Miller, M., ... McPhee, K. E. 2020. Registration of &lsquo;ND Dawn&rsquo; large yellow pea. Journal of Plant Registrations. Journal of Plant Registrations </li><br /> </ol><br /> <ol start="8"><br /> <li>Bradshaw, M., E. Goolsby, C. Mason, and P.C. Tobin. 2021. Evolution of disease severity and susceptibility in the Asteraceae to the powdery mildew <em>Golovinomyces latisporus</em>: major phylogenetic structure couples with highly variable disease severity at fine scales. Plant Disease, 2021; 105 (2): 268 DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-06-20-1375-RE </li><br /> </ol><br /> <ol start="9"><br /> <li>Callaway, T.D. and A. Singh-Cundy. 2019. HD-AGPs as speciation genes: Positive selection on a proline-rich domain in non-hybridizing species of <em>Petunia</em>, <em>Solanum</em>, and <em>Nicotiana</em>. 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Impact Statements

1. Although the COVID19 Pandemic has slowed student mentoring some, the WRPIS continued to rely heavily on both undergraduate and graduate students. The WRPIS hires many temporary/seasonal employees/interns (close to 40) to work in the laboratories, greenhouses and/or in the fields aiding service and research projects. In addition, scientific staff mentor and host high school and undergraduate interns under different programs including through the USDA’s Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity and through Minority Serving Institutions (i.e., Columbia Basin College). WRPIS, scientists also serve on graduate student’s (mostly from WSU) committees. These activities are all in efforts to encourage participation and training of the next diverse agricultural workforce generations.

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