Duration: 10/01/2026 to 09/30/2031

Administrative Advisor(s):

NIFA Reps:

Non-Technical Summary

Plant genetic resources (aka, germplasm) are the foundation behind plant breeding and the development of modern agricultural crop production that sustains us. The genetic diversity in large and diverse plant germplasm collections is the source of useful new characteristics like disease and pest resistance, drought and heat tolerance and nutritional quality and flavor, among many others. These collections have been assembled over decades from many regions around the world. Active management to preserve and make these living (often as seeds) and irreplaceable resources available long term is undertaken by genebanks like the Western Regional Plant Introduction Station in Pullman, WA. The genebank’s holdings include over 100,000 unique entries of more than 5,000 cultivated and wild species related to crops like beans, peas, lentils, lettuce, beets, garlic, alfalfa, and forage/turf grasses. Research focuses on improving efficiency in conservation and assessing the collections to identify their valuable characteristics. The collections and information on their origins as well as how they might be usefu are made publicly available free of cost. In-house research is also conducted with collaborators to develop improved crop varieties. Equally important, as a service, the Pullman genebank has distributed hundreds of thousands of samples from the collections for research and education purposes and plans to continue to do so. Undoubtedly, the impact of the genebank and its holdings has been substantial as they have been used to improve science, agricultural economic prosperity and consumer availability.

Statement of Issues and Justification

The need, as indicated by stakeholders

The Western Regional Plant Introduction Station (WRPIS) (aka, Plant Germplasm Introduction and Testing Research Unit [PGITRU]) of the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) is one of four unique sites in the U.S. dedicated to conserving and promoting the use of vitally important plant genetic resources (PGR) for agricultural research. Founded in 1947 in Pullman, WA, as a joint undertaking by Washington State University (WSU) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the WRPIS genebank has a long history of acquisition, maintenance, characterization, evaluation, and distribution of PGR and their associated information. The long-term support from the Western Regional (W6) Multistate Hatch-funded Research Project, along with direct USDA ARS federal appropriations, has provided financial backing for WRPIS. NPGS, current WRPIS collections hold a significant proportion of the U.S. (101,307 accessions and 4,996 species representing 16% of the NPGS) and world’s germplasm representing cultivated crops and their wild relatives. Primary collections include cool season food legumes (e.g., pea, lentil, faba bean and chickpea), turf and forage cool season grasses (e.g., fescue and bluegrass), temperate forage legumes (e.g., alfalfa and clover), Phaseolus beans (e.g. dry, lima, and snap), horticultural crops (e.g., lettuce, sugarbeets, and garlic) and U.S. natives used in rangeland improvement and restoration along with many other important plant species.

The continual demand for these diverse collections and their associated information helps demonstrate their utility. Most of the germplasm distributions are intended for plant breeders and other scientists for research and education purposes at Land-Grant Universities, other public and private research institutions, USDA programs, non-profit organizations and private industry (e.g. seed companies). Due to a Congressional mandate, distributions are provided free-of-cost to users. Access to information affiliated with germplasm is openly available via the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN)-Global (GG) database. From 2020 to 2024, global PGR users have requested and received 170,418 distributions in over 4,250 separate requests from WRPIS (~30% and ~15% increases from previous 5-year cycle). Distribution to and utilization of germplasm by researchers and educators in the 13 states of the Western Region in that same timeframe included 1,021 (~20% of total) requests and 36,824 (~24% of total) items.

Support for research and service efforts provided by the WRPIS team comes from its many stakeholders. As Byrne and co-authors (Byrne, 2018) point out, the only way to meet the NPGS mission is to garner critical stakeholder support and to effectively coordinate with collaborators across institutions (e.g., USDA-ARS, universities, non-profit and, private sectors). Achieving goals is often challenging, and as the November 2023 released “National Strategic Germplasm and Cultivar Collection Assessment and Utilization Plan” indicates, genebanks are falling behind on their critical core activities. The plan outlines the need for increased investment in personnel, equipment, and infrastructure to prevent further regression. Work is unique and often required to be performed “in house”, but relying on local and regional collaborations to address areas like regenerations, characterizing, evaluating, phenotyping, genotyping and even plant breeding are key. Support for WRPIS originates from both federally appropriated funds and this multi-state program, and any reduction in resources would be accompanied by a re-prioritization of objectives to focus on what is most primordial – conserving the germplasm, thereby  preserving the genetic diversity inherent in the collected germplasm. This realignment would come at the expense of many other important tasks.

The current proposed project aligns with the national and international agricultural sustainability goals and action plans. These include, among others, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Sustainable Development Goal 2.5.1 addressing conservation of PGR for food and agriculture and the USDA National Program 301 Action Plan. At the same time, the project is an active collaborative partnership in finding solutions to key agricultural and ecological issues addressed in the stakeholder-derived document entitled, “The Western Perspective and the Western Agenda”. In this regard, WRPIS provides support and synergy to food and forage production, food security, and horticultural industries, as well as for conservation and restoration of natural resources in the Western Region and beyond.

The importance of the work, and what the consequences are if it is not done

Agriculture and PGR help sustain the world, as they play key roles in the production of food, fiber, forage, fuel, ornamentals, medicinal and industrial, and restoration uses. Improving agricultural efficiency and producers’ profitability while protecting the environment are lofty goals that must be met. Plant breeding and other research fields rely heavily on the diversity of discoverable traits and genetic sequences in PGR collections. Plant genetic resources drive innovations as they backstop basic research, can be used to develop new crops or to find new uses for existing crops (e.g., recent interest in plant-based proteins) and are often used to develop improved varieties. These collections also provide key sources of variation for today’s agricultural crop production systems that frequently lack diversity. Many crop germplasm collections, including wild relatives, are being evaluated as potential sources of traits for adaptation. Modern biotechnological approaches in areas of genomics and gene editing have prompted renewed interest in the use of highly diverse germplasm collections for trait discovery. Innovations in basic and applied plant science research at public, private and non-profit organizations nationally and internationally are often spurred by access to these genetic resources.

Plant breeders rely on the diversity in PGR collections for the identification and incorporation of traits conferring disease and insect resistance, nutritional qualities, yield, and abiotic stress tolerance (e.g., drought, heat, salinity) to produce crops with improved resiliency and nutritional content. Excellent examples of traits in the WRPIS germplasm collections  include research screening for Aphanomyces root rot reaction in pea and the identification of a landrace accession, PI 180693, with resistance. This led to improved germplasm bred and released to aid farmers in management of this important plant pathogen (Coyne, 2024). Leafhopper insect resistance was identified in alfalfa germplasm accessions and has been bred into commercial varieties, reducing the need for insecticides and improving yield and quality (Irish, 2024). Improved disease resistance to Verticillium wilt has been bred into iceberg lettuce cultivars; this trait was sourced from WRPIS germplasm bolstering the $1.4 billion lettuce industry in California and Arizona (Hellier, 2024). Germplasm from WRPIS contributed to improved quality and flavor in fresh table beets (Goldman, 2023). Idaho, Washington, California and Colorado have significant dry bean production. The ‘Fortuna’ tepary bean cultivar that combines disease resistance, heat and drought tolerance and fast cooking time, was developed with WRPIS germplasm in its pedigree (Porch, 2024). The Western Region is a national and world leader in agricultural production, and many of the WRPIS collections are key crops that support these industries.

Many research projects, a few of which are highlighted below, depend on access to the WRPIS PGR collections. A Hatch Multistate Research Project (NE2210) focuses on “Improving Forage and Bioenergy Crops for Better Adaptation, Resilience and Flexibility” and relies heavily on WRPIS grass and legume species germplasm. Participants from WRPIS collaborate with the University of California, Davis (UCD) and WSU on several NIFA-funded research projects on alfalfa and on lima and nuña (Peruvian popping) beans held by WRPIS. Another large-scale and multi-institutional research project, the USDA Pulse Crops Health Initiative, recently led to the creation of genetic and genomic resources and tools for the improvement of peas (Bari et al., 2021). WRPIS also continues to collaborate on a long-term (>15 years) federal government Inter-Agency project called the Seeds of Success (SOS) aimed at the conservation and use of native PGR. This Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-led effort has led to the addition of close to 20,000 accessions to the WRPIS and NPGS holdings. These collections are cataloged, conserved and available for grazing land improvement and restoration research, especially targeting affected western landscapes.

Although plant breeders are WRPIS’s primary stakeholders, the need for access to PGR comes from many other areas. Core collections, genetic stocks, and model plant species are also important components of the collections at the WRPIS. These often are used to answer more basic plant science research questions and deliver outcomes that can be later applied in agricultural production systems. Some of these important subsets include Barrel medic (Medicago truncatula) one of the first plants with a fully sequenced and published genome that is used for functional genomics and legume nitrogen fixation research. Purple false brome (Brachypodium distachyon) T-DNA insertion lines clarify gene function in grass species and have led to improvement of related food crops like wheat, and biofuel crops. The WRPIS pea core collections are some of the most well characterized and are used in cultivar development and have specifically been used to research increased nutrition supporting the plant-based protein boom. Germplasm from WRPIS has been requested for many uses including, but not limited to, agronomy, anthropology, bioremediation, botany, taxonomy, genetics, physiology, entomology, plant pathology, ecology, restoration research, repatriation and for educational and demonstration programs.

Significant effort has gone into assembling and managing plant germplasm collections at  WRPIS. Some of the first plant introductions (PI) held in Pullman date back to the late 1800’s with extensive collection growth since then. Today’s collections are extremely diverse with 954 genera and 4,996 species representing many introduced cultivated crop species and their wild relatives. Active curation of these collections involves critical regeneration activities (e.g., germination, establishment, seed production, harvesting, cleaning, storing), but also characterization and evaluation of accessions. As collections have expanded, so have the capabilities for managing information. Substantial accession-associated passport, characterization (phenotypic/genotypic) and evaluation data can be freely and publicly accessed via GG. The long-term management of data associated with accessions is a critical effort as it often informs selection of accessions for research objectives. 

Access to the WRPIS PGR collections and information could be lost if support decreases. Access to the germplasm would be limited due to diminishing quantities and quality of germplasm stock, including seed and clonally propagated plant material, which require periodic propagation to maintain high viability. Further, any loss of germplasm in the collections likely would be permanent as germplasm often no longer exists where it was originally sourced. Notably, most WRPIS collections are not native to the U.S. and international access is becoming restricted. Consequences would be felt locally, regionally and globally, as a critical tool used in meeting increased and sustainable agricultural productivity would be lost. PGR have a significant positive impact on economic, environmental, and social aspects of our society, and if lost most likely cannot be recreated. Therefore, the collections held by the WRPIS need to be conserved in perpetuity to realize their potential.

The technical feasibility of the research

For over 75 years, WRPIS has been successful in its service and research missions. This achievement comes from fiscal, in-kind, and technical support, and the collective efforts of both federal and state entities. WRPIS relies on extensive laboratories, greenhouses, field and office space, much of which is provided as in-kind support from WSU. Approximately 5,000 ft² (~29,000 ft³) of dedicated cold storage facilities (4^oC and -18^oC), along with accompanying infrastructure for germplasm distributions, are at the core of WRPIS service functions. WRPIS relies on specialized technical equipment and facilities for germinating, threshing, and seed cleaning. Research farms, greenhouses, screenhouses and other vital resources that contribute to aspects of the day-to-day operations are also provided on the WSU campus in Pullman, WA, the Central Ferry, WA research farm, and the WSU Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center (IAREC) in Prosser, WA. A significant development has been the construction of a new USDA-ARS-funded and WSU-operated Plant Science building. Slated to open Spring 2026, it will house new state-of-the art laboratories and additional cold storage and freezer space for  WRPIS, and modern conference rooms and offices. 

The proposed project is attainable because the WRPIS counts on extensive, collective technical and advisory expertise. The WRPIS’s curatorial programs are led by dedicated scientific and technical personnel with many years of PGR management experience. The station’s research scientists support maintenance, characterization, evaluation, and genetic improvement activities. Administrative and information technology support, along with research farm staff, also play key roles in the WRPIS mission. Research, service and clerical support also comes from the Administrative Advisor and their corresponding university office. Consultative roles come from the Regional Technical Advisory Committee (RTAC) and 10 Crop Germplasm Committees (CGC). The RTAC state representatives play an important role in determining the use and impact of PGR at WRPIS. This committee is comprised of state representatives from Western Region land-grant universities with research programs associated with and dependent on WRPIS genetic resources. Members of the CGCs include public and private stakeholders with diverse PGR subject matter expertise.

Managing critical information associated with NPGS genetic resources is accomplished with GG software. This relational database software was developed by NPGS and international collaborators to specifically manage passport, inventory, taxonomy, characterization, evaluation, and distribution data, along with digital images and genebank workflows. Characterization and evaluation data collected on WRPIS germplasm can be generated in-house or via collaborations. Much of this information is produced by Western Region and other collaborating scientists who provide data back to WRPIS curatorial programs to be made publicly available. Software enhancements by NPGS software development teams continue to increase system capacity and functionality; WRPIS helps implement these.

The WRPIS also counts on support from sites like the USDA National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation (NLGRP) in Fort Collins, CO, which holds a safety backup inventory for over 90% of WRPIS PGR. As germplasm enters the WRPIS collections, or as older seed inventories are regenerated, safety backup samples are deposited with NLGRP. The NLGRP also coordinates backup samples at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, in Longyearbyen, Norway, for the appropriate species. The National Germplasm Resources Laboratory (NGRL) in Beltsville, MD assists by hosting GG data and the software development team. The NGRL also coordinates plant germplasm collection and exchanges through its Plant Exchange Office (PEO) and aids in the safe introduction of quarantined germplasm from other countries.

The advantages of doing the work as a multistate effort

The proposed collaborative project has a long, successful history of implementation with wide-ranging impacts on the Western Region, the nation, and the world. Support for this Multistate Research Project has come from the 78-year partnership between WSU, agInnovation-West, and the NPGS. Of benefit to the community is the guaranteed access to diverse plant germplasm collections by those with research or education objectives.

Centralized management of genetic resources in one location for the region avoids potential duplication of efforts and infrastructure. Although the WRPIS main administrative unit is in Pullman, the ability to conduct regenerations, characterizations and evaluations at multiple sites (i.e., Pullman, Central Ferry, Prosser) and other Western Region states (i.e., backup clonal collections in Parlier, CA and Corvallis, OR) means that relevant data is applicable to similar crop growing environments. Given its co-location on the WSU campus and proximity to the University of Idaho in Moscow, ID, research collaborations with these institutions are common. In addition, current and future partnerships will continue with established networks in public and private organizations across the west. Many WRPIS scientists frequently engage with other regional, national and international efforts to organize collection trips and to provide data, analyses and research outputs that benefit entire germplasm stakeholder communities.

Since this is a regional multistate project, the RTAC plays an important role in advising and providing a channel for communicating individual, regional, and state needs in the context of WRPIS project management. They can also help prioritize mission critical activities and educate other stakeholders on the importance of the collections.

Likely impacts from successfully completing the work

Success of the proposed project will continue to benefit agricultural research and educational stakeholder communities by providing access to valuable PGR diversity and information. Optimized protocols for regenerating, as well as for testing and eliminating diseases from germplasm, will help preserve genetic resources long-term and increase availability. The proposed plans include the strategic additions, making ‘new’ unexplored germplasm and genetic diversity available.

In-house and external collaborative germplasm characterizations and evaluations (see Methods below for more details) will provide substantial data associated with accessions. Access to this data benefits end-users by helping stakeholders refine germplasm request choices, improving the efficiency of distributions and their research and breeding goals. Genotyping PGR collections can be used to study population structure and identify redundancies for consolidation. Genotypic data will also identify potential gaps to target new germplasm acquisitions. At the same time, marker associations could precisely identify genic regions and haplotypes associated with or conferring traits of interest and help advance productivity and quality of plant breeding efforts. Past W6 project achievements have clearly demonstrated impact by providing continued access to, and use of, WRPIS PGR and associated information to stakeholder communities (Attachment 1 & 2). These activities emphasize and justify the project’s importance. Beneficiaries include breeders, plant science, and other research communities, and agricultural producers. Furthermore, having continued access to safe, nutritious, high-quality agricultural goods benefits all.

Related, Current and Previous Work

The WRPIS was established in 1947 as a collaborative effort by WSU and USDA and backed fiscally by federal appropriations and regional Hatch-Multistate funding to support PGR management. A significant proportion (~16%) of all NPGS plant germplasm holdings, important to agriculture and landscape restoration, are conserved by and WRPIS (https://www.ars-grin.gov/). Collections focus on important cultivated crops, their wild relatives and ecologically important native plant species that include cool season food legumes (e.g., pea, lentil, faba bean and chickpea), turf and forage cool season grasses (e.g., fescue and bluegrass, as well as many other turf, ornamental, forage, and rangeland species), temperate forage legumes (e.g., alfalfa and clover), common beans (Phaseolus spp.), horticultural crops (e.g., lettuce, sugarbeets, and garlic, and many others), and U.S. natives used in restoration.

Relationships to other national germplasm projects were explored by performing a detailed search using the NIFA Enterprise Search portal and by using the terms ‘plant genetic resources’ or ‘plant germplasm’ in combination with ‘conservation’. When limiting the search with the same terms to USDA ARS and Hatch-funded projects, the Boolean search returned several projects. Listed projects were, in one way or another, related to or in support of the NPGS plant germplasm collections conservation and use. Many of the projects are affiliated with long-standing research programs, predominantly associated with germplasm evaluation and breeding efforts (Byrne, 2018), at Western Region Land-Grant Universities (e.g., WSU, Montana State University, University of California, New Mexico State University). In all searches, the three other NPGS collaborative regional multisite projects affiliated with NPGS plant introduction stations (Ames, IA; Geneva, NY; and Griffin, GA) were returned. These sites have similar overall missions, but each conserves unique priority crop germplasm, genera, and wild relatives assigned to those locations based on their economic impact to the corresponding regions, adaptation, and ability to thrive in those environments (e.g., maize in the North Central Region).

Information associated with germplasm accessions in collections is extremely valuable and must be carefully collected, transferred and curated to add value (Arend et al., 2022; Weise et al., 2020). The NPGS and WRPIS make passport, taxonomic, characterization and evaluation data readily available through, the publicly accessible GG interface. The current platform, developed in an international collaboration (USDA ARS, Bioversity International and the Global Crop Diversity Trust) is a scalable, robust tool for managing accession-associated data (Postman, 2010). Data and other information available via GG continue to expand with viability tests, regeneration information, CGC-derived (https://www.ars-grin.gov/CGC) descriptor data (Bioversity_International, 2007), and digital voucher images. Information in GG also currently includes a limited number of genotyping datasets, mostly associated with cool season food legumes (Cheng et al., 2015; Hellwig et al., 2020b; Holdsworth et al., 2017; Ma et al., 2020) and evaluation datasets for specific crops/genera. Although some capabilities currently exist for hosting genotypic data in GG (Volk, 2008), expanded capabilities are being developed to host or to interoperate with other genomic database providers. Larger more intricate phenotyping and genotyping datasets using WRPIS germplasm continues to amass and data stewardship going forward is going to become much more important (Arend et al., 2022). Data in GG is publicly accessible, and germplasm requests are made after a user registers and provides a justification for their needs. After vetting, germplasm is provided free of cost for bona fide research and/or educational purposes.

National and international demand for germplasm continues to be high (Byrne, 2018; Rubenstein and Heisey, 2022) with some fluctuation year-to-year in distribution numbers. The number of WRPIS distributions was more than 170,418 order items (e.g., seed packets/propagules) over the past 5 years, averaging just over 34,000 items per year (Attachment 1). Key beneficiaries of germplasm distributed from WRPIS and NPGS include public, private and non-profit research organizations in Western Region states, which receive thousands of items each year (Attachment 2). Complexities in interpretation and application of the Standard Material Transfer Agreement associated with the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), which protects countries’ sovereign rights over their germplasm, will most likely continue to complicate distribution of internationally collected accessions (Ebert et al., 2023). Despite this, distributing germplasm is a basic WRPIS function and will continue as such into the foreseeable future.

Collections at WRPIS have continued to grow since establishment, although the rate has slowed. In the past ten years, collections grew by about 4,200 accessions with current holdings at 101,528 active accessions that represent almost 5,000 species (Attachment 3). The BLM-led SOS program has added significant acquisitions of native crop wild relatives (CWR) and restoration species to WRPIS collections (Barga et al., 2020; Greene et al., 2019). Some of these are re-distributed to other NPGS genebank sites, hence the fluctuation in total numbers from year to year. Other germplasm was acquired via targeted collections of native CWR including thicket beans (Phaseolus polystachios) in 2022 and wild tepary beans (Phaseolus acutifolius) in 2023 and 2024 (Debouck et al., 2025). Two additional national collecting trips in 2023 and 2024 focused on gap filling of crop wild relatives of lettuce (adding 5 accessions), plus 30 accessions of curlycup gum weed (Grindelia squarosa) important as a medicinal and possible industrial crop. A core collection of 192 accessions representing the genetic diversity of natural populations of barrel medic (M. truncatula) was donated from French collaborators (Ronfort et al., 2006). The NPGS Plant Exchange Office has been essential in fiscal and logistical support for some of these recent collecting trips.

Much of the germplasm conserved by WRPIS was introduced to the U.S. (Khoury et al., 2016) and its value continues to increase as germplasm exchanges and international plant exploration have become much more difficult. Here too, complexities in interpretation and application of rules associated with the ITPGRFA will most likely continue to complicate international access (Ebert et al., 2023). Because of this, it is important to emphasize that many of these collections are irreplaceable! Due to limited international access, WRPIS acquisitions in the future might come from a more domestic focus (Dohle S., 2019; Harrison M.L., 2019; Khoury et al., 2013). As an example, the Phaseolus program has recently acquired heirloom-like dry bean varieties with bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) resistance and improved yield bred at UC, Davis (Parker et al., 2021; Parker et al., 2021; Parker et al., 2021; Parker et al., 2021; Parker et al., 2021) with piqued interest from western breeders and seed company stakeholders. Curators continue to assess crop vulnerabilities as they help determine what germplasm is threatened, aiding in determining acquisition priorities (Kowenstrot et al., 2025; Morris et al., 2023).

Regeneration is a critical step in managing WRPIS collections in the long term as viability and/or health of PGR declines or stocks are depleted with distributions. In the past five years WRPIS curatorial programs have regenerated thousands of accessions using crop or species-specific best management practices. Programs face challenges while developing appropriate procedures especially for diverse non-cultivated crops species. Despite hurdles, improved protocols for managing native milkvetch (Astragalus spp.) focusing on germination, field establishment, and insect pollinators have been developed (Hallwachs et al., 2025). Ongoing work in garlic, Allium sativum, has focused on developing efficient and higher throughput methods to clonally propagate collection accessions in a virus-free manner  (Benke et al., 2023). Strategies have been developed to prevent possible pollen transmission from genetically engineered (GE) sources of alfalfa (Kesoju et al., 2019; Kesoju et al., 2021) by increased vigilance of alfalfa regenerations in insect-proof coverings.

Characterization and evaluation of WRPIS collections are extensive and often implemented in wide-ranging collaborations – a few of the more recent examples are included below. Research on assessing genetic diversity in annual medic germplasm used a recently developed 3K alfalfa SNP panel (Zhao et al., 2023) as proof of concept and to aid in taxonomic identification. In alfalfa, most of the collection was screened with improved disease reaction protocols against spring black stem and leafspot (SBS) in pre-breeding efforts to improve cultivar resistance  (Irish et al., 2026). Extensive phenotypic data was generated for native milkvetch (Hallwachs et al., 2025) and sulfur-flower buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum) (Johnson et al., 2023) germplasm during regeneration and common garden experiments. These data will aid in seed regeneration and help with selection of germplasm for restoration. For the cool season food legumes (CSFL), much of the research focused on assessing nutrition with two projects quantifying proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and amino acids in a significant number of accessions (Mugabe et al., 2023; Sari et al., 2024) while another investigated the effects of elevated temperatures on chickpea nutrition (Jha et al., 2025). In lentil, collaborations produced information on sources of aphid resistance (Das et al., 2022). The ‘Staygreen’ hypervariable intron was used to discriminate among pea accessions, helping assign correct taxonomy and elucidating genetic relationships (Weeden et al., 2023). In rhubarb, the WRPIS horticulture program participated in research on characterizing juice quality and morphological traits along with microsatellite markers to estimate genetic diversity (Kowenstrot et al., 2025). Lettuce (Lactuca spp.) research focused on the revision of the genus at the section level and on modifying and updating methods for morphological characteristic data collection. It also centered on evaluation of supervised machine learning for use in high-throughput methods for identifying accessions accurately. Wild and landrace bean (Phaseolus) accessions were screened and 13 were found to contain resistance to two highly virulent races of anthracnose (races 2047 and 3481) (Awale et al., 2024). In addition, 19 bean germplasm accessions also showed resistance to soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines) populations (Poudyal et al., 2025). Temperate grass collections are some of the most diverse taxonomically and largest collections at WRPIS. One of the excellent cooperations has been with scientists with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Plant Material Center (PMC) in Pullman, WA who have been assessing Indian ricegrass, Eriocoma hymenoides (formerly Achnathrum hymenoides) for agronomic traits. Established in 2022, there are about 200 accessions in a space-plant nursery with 10 plants per accession. Here, germplasm is evaluated for cold tolerance and persistence, shattering, growth habit, seed size and yield with some promising germplasm likely to be used in selections and releases. In another example, germplasm perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) from WRPIS was used in measuring performance and making selections under limited irrigation by plant breeder colleagues with the USDA ARS Forage Range Research Laboratory in Logan, UT (Robins and Bushman, 2023).

Associating germplasm phenotypic information to the genic regions linked or responsible for specific traits could be useful in downstream breeding. To this point, marker trait associations have been developed for several important WRPIS crops. An alfalfa program dedicated to enhancing forage productivity and quality using molecular approaches has continued to research aspects of protein and fiber digestibility (Lin et al., 2025) and agronomic traits (Lin et al., 2023). The CSFL program has recently finished research to locate high-protein genes and pathways in peas, addressing the need for plant breeding to develop improved alternate sources for plant-based proteins (Uhdre et al., 2025). The chickpea collections are being explored for their agronomic, pest and disease resistance and nutritional traits using molecular breeding approaches using pangenome sequencing to study CWR and promote their use in breeding (Khan et al., 2024). Nutritional traits in chickpeas were also investigated with genome wide association studies (GWAS) across a larger number of the collection accessions (Mugabe et al., 2023; Sari et al., 2024). Also with cooperators, reaction to Aphanomyces root rot in 330 pea accessions caused by Aphanomyces euteiches has been assessed and genetic determinants explored with GWAS with a research publication being drafted.

In CSFL, project personnel continue to work closely with WSU colleagues and other researchers on implementing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and autonomous ground rover (e.g., EarthSense, TerraSentia) with multiple spectral sensors for image capture and analyses. These approaches are being used in CSFL to estimate biomass from aerial imagery and yields using pod counting (McGuire et al., 2021) as a proxy with the ground robot. As these high-throughput approaches are refined, options to apply these technologies to other crops and evaluations will be explored

WRPIS continues to advance the improvement of some of the important crops managed in the genebank. In a multi-site and multi-year collaboration, a group of public researchers evaluated, selected, and crossed alfalfa germplasm to develop improved pre-bred populations aimed at broadening the genetic base of North American cultivated alfalfa (Medina et al., 2025). In alfalfa, in-house efforts have also focused on developing pre-bred germplasm with increased resistance to SBS and improved agronomic performance (Irish et al., 2026). WRPIS plans are to continue effective collaboration with the NRCS PMC on evaluation, selection and release of improved cultivars used in the Western Region landscapes for restoration, cover crops and natural habitat restoration.

Annual meetings of the RTAC have been held virtually (during the COVID-19 pandemic) or hybrid, with on-site venues rotating through different Western Region states with NPGS sites. Every second to third year the meeting is held in person on the WSU campus with visits to WRPIS, its staff and facilities. These meetings bring together expertise from the representatives of the 13 Western Region states to discuss project implementation, services, research and stakeholder germplasm and information use. RTAC members – often with Land-Grant Universities and/or State Agricultural Experimental Stations – are themselves primary stakeholders who have vested interests in the NPGS/WRPIS collections and make use of germplasm accessions in their research (Faruq et al., 2024; Medina et al., 2025; Vinarao et al., 2024). A select number of NPGS participants representing Western Region and other NPGS sites (e.g., NLGRP) also participate, providing comments and guidance. The state and NPGS site reports are discussed, and improved effectiveness and efficiencies are developed and adopted, where feasible, based on stakeholder and RTAC membership feedback. Feedback also happens during annual field days, five of which were held in 2025, where stakeholders interact with WRPIS (Attachment 4). Lastly, industry stakeholders are often consulted for advice on operations and are ardent supporters (see letters of support; Attachment 5).

Objectives

1. Support regional, national and global agricultural and natural resource industries by making edible legume, horticultural, oilseed, turf, forage and native plant germplasm, as well as their associated information, readily available to users.
   
2. Optimize conservation and management to provide high quality plant genetic resources/propagules for distribution and/or for long-term conservation.
   
3. Add to collection holdings by including germplasm with desirable traits, by filling possible gaps, and by focusing on CWR and U.S. native germplasm.
   
4. Generate, obtain, and provide access to key horticultural or agronomic characterization and evaluation for germplasm collections. USDA/WSU
   
5. Genotype germplasm collections to clarify taxonomy, estimate genetic diversity and population structure, and/or to identify marker/trait associations.
   
6. Document WRPIS plant germplasm collection use and its impact, especially in and for the Western Region.
   

Methods

Managing diverse germplasm collections is complex (Clark et al., 1997). WRPIS tries to follow best practices outlined in developed guidelines such as the Genebank Standards for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Engels, 2003; FAO, 2013). Guidance also comes from the evolving Manuals of Operating Procedures for the NPGS and WRPIS. Most WRPIS germplasm is stored as seed at 4^oC and low relative humidity where it can be accessed for distribution. Original seed inventories, or germplasm with low seed quantities queued for regeneration, are stored at -18^oC. Germplasm is distributed free of charge, based on justified requester need (research and/or education), according to developed NPGS distribution policies and congressional mandates. Requests are submitted online through the public GRIN-Global (GG) website, and curators assess eligibility. In 2017 the U.S. became a full party member to the ITPGRFA and January 1, 2024, the NPGS adopted the use of the Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA) (Brink and van Hintum, 2019; Ebert et al., 2023) for all international requests.

Long-term effective conservation includes the use of management activities that are often specific to crops and curatorial programs. Seed lots are routinely tested for viability using germination assays (Rao et al., 2006; Solberg et al., 2020; Walters et al., 2007). Going forward, priorities for germinations will focus on testing accessions that are not backed up and lack viability information. The team will explore options for extending testing intervals based on new research (Wijnker et al., 2025). As resources permit, specific germplasm collections (e.g., garlic, pea and Phaseolus sp.) are tested for viral diseases that impact plant health and possible distribution. WRPIS curatorial programs will continue to work with NLGRP on effectively backing up germplasm (currently at 90%). Efforts will continue to focus on optimizing techniques for CWR and U.S. native plant species for which ideal storage and regeneration techniques are not available (Walters, 2015) and on longer-term storage conditions (e.g., cryopreservation) clonal germplasm that is difficult to back up (Liu et al., 2017; Volk et al., 2004). WRPIS will continue to maintain backup collections with the Svalbard Global Seed Vault through NLGRP.

Accession-associated information will consistently be improved with efforts focusing on passport, characterization and evaluation of data content, quantity, and quality. Passport data for newly acquired PGR coming into WRPIS (e.g., SOS program) includes accurate georeferenced information with locality data. Descriptor, characterization, and evaluation data, along with digital images, will continue to be uploaded in GG. Possibilities for GG hosting larger genotyping datasets (e.g., SNP or sequence data) being generated by WRPIS and collaborators, or for interoperability with databases hosting information continues to be explored. WRPIS personnel will work closely with collaborators to receive, summarize, format, and include datasets in GG.

At times germplasm is not available for distribution due to low quantities or because viability has declined. In addition, as new germplasm is acquired, it is often in low quantities – for example U.S. native Phaseolus spp. (Debouck et al., 2025). For these reasons, germplasm is routinely queued for regeneration (Brown et al., 1997; Clark et al., 1997) (Attachment 6). The WRPIS collections require specific and optimized protocols for efficient regeneration. These efforts strive to maintain genetic integrity by preventing the following: mixing and mislabeling of accessions, natural/artificial selection, genetic drift, erosion, or gene flow in original populations. This is accomplished by meticulous labeling, using described effective population sizes (Johnson et al., 2024; Johnson et al., 2002), implementing appropriate isolation distances (FAO, 2013), and/or using insect-proof cages to grow self-pollinated species or single accessions for cross-pollinated species.

In most cases, seed is sown in greenhouses early in the year and field transplanted with ~100 plants per plot. For cool season grasses that are highly heterogeneous and wind pollinated, a 50 m distance between accessions per species is used to prevent gene flow. Approaches that focus on harvesting from an equal number of inflorescences per plant are a practical way to reconstitute original populations (Johnson et al., 2004). Similar measures to prevent genetic mixing are used for several horticultural crops including lettuce and sugarbeets, where plants are isolated in cages, by distance or physically in greenhouses. Isolation distances and use of insect proof cages are especially important strategies in preventing gene flow and adventitious presences of GE traits in alfalfa regenerations. Alfalfa is an outcrossing species pollinated by insects with GE production close to the regeneration site. Additional approaches for mitigating potential gene flow and adventitious presence in NPGS collections have been developed. For alfalfa, sentinel plots are routinely established and subsets of seed lots tested to assess gene flow to regeneration field sites  (Mezzalama et al., 2010; Tiwari and Randhawa, 2010). Other collections include wild perennial species that may require more than one growing season to mature and produce seed. Field regenerations are carried out on one of three research farms with plants most adapted to each of those growing conditions: cool season legumes/grasses in Pullman, temperate forage legumes in Prosser, and many other species adapted to warmer irrigated conditions in Central Ferry.

All bean (Phaseolus spp.) and pea (Pisum spp.) germplasm is regenerated in greenhouses to effectively manage insect pests that transmit viruses (e.g., Bean common mosaic virus) that may be seed-transmitted (Nordenstedt et al., 2017; Roberts et al., 2003). Alternate sites with ideal environments where native bean collections come from are being explored for regeneration. The idea of regenerating some photoperiod sensitive bean germplasm at counter season nurseries in the tropics is also being evaluated. Rhubarb and garlic are examples of clonally propagated crops with garlic needing yearly plantings because of its short storage life. For all regenerations, common cultural practices are implemented including appropriate irrigation and fertilization along with insect pest and disease management.

The major acquisition phase for crops managed by WRPIS is in transition, with fewer accessions being added and strategic acquisitions focusing on CWR (Debouck et al., 2025; Khoury et al., 2013; Volk, 2020). In consultation with CGCs and other stakeholders, updated Vulnerability Statements will identify taxa, missing genetic diversity, or germplasm with useful traits. All germplasm acquired will follow national and international rules governing PGR including rules of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the ITPGRFA. Acquisitions from collecting trips will have standardized multi-crop passport descriptors. Currently, a single trip is being planned to focus on U.S. native Phaseolus acutifolius and other drought and heat tolerant wild beans of the arid southwest where gaps in coverage of these CWR exist. WRPIS looks to continue its long-term SOS collaboration, receiving priority genera and species of U.S. plant species. Donations and exchanges are also possible, where germplasm, advanced lines or varieties have been developed in improvement programs.

As intellectual property rights expire on varieties deposited and held at the NLGRP, they are incorporated into active germplasm collections. Again, our strategy will be guided by incorporating only germplasm that adds to gap filling or adds unique traits not represented in the current collections. Going forward, it will be imperative to monitor these acquisitions prior to incorporation for potential GE traits and to follow protocols and ARS developed guidance to maintain genetic purity of publicly held germplasm (Mezzalama et al., 2010; Tiwari and Randhawa, 2010). WRPIS crops with deregulated transgenes (e.g., alfalfa and beet) will need to be managed appropriately.

Most WRPIS germplasm is characterized by using standard crop-specific descriptors and digital images (e.g., flower, pods) taken during regenerations. Additionally, as DNA sequencing costs have diminished, genotyping substantial portions of collections to properly identify germplasm taxonomically, define population structure, develop core subsets, correct mislabeling, rationalize redundancies and  identify useful alleles and germplasm for breeding is becoming feasible (Belzile et al., 2020; Fu, 2023; Mascher et al., 2019). Large-scale, replicated evaluations and genotyping projects are often conducted in collaborations with extramural funding that complement WRPIS resources. A few of these projects are briefly described below.

With Breeding Insight and other established USDA ARS/academic collaborators there are plans to use genotyping and phenotyping tools to advance germplasm conservation efforts and breeding in alfalfa. A Diversity Array Technology (DArTag) marker panel was developed for alfalfa germplasm (Zhao et al., 2023) and will be used to genotype the full ~4,000 alfalfa germplasm collection. The genotype data will be used to survey variation, calculate relationships, and identify a core subset for following phenotyping evaluations. The core will be evaluated for abiotic stress tolerance following standard greenhouses protocols and field-transplanted for phenotyping (e.g., flower color, growth habit) and marker trait associations. Working closely with collaborators, the BrAPI compliant Field Book application (Rife and Poland, 2014) will be used for data collection. This research will help estimate population structure, correct taxonomic assignments, eliminate redundancies, and find gaps for acquisitions. The characterized accessions in collections can also be used to identify subsets of variation for in-house and stakeholder pre-breeding. In addition, several recent characterization and evaluation projects have generated significant amounts of data (phenotype, genotype, and images) which need to be summarized and linked to accessions in GG.

As described earlier, the Indian ricegrass collections are currently being evaluated phenotypically, with plans for genotypic characterization. Protocols are being developed to assess native grasses supported by genomic resources and resequencing diverse subsets in partnership with the Pullman PMC. This work will help understand genetic diversity relationships in the collection to aid in the collection’s management. Also, in collaborating with NRCS, a nursery established in 2023 with candidate native plants has contributed several species for advancement into seed production pipelines, including Clarkia species. These are promising candidates due to their demand, suitability for mechanized harvest, seed maturity, and strong seed yield. Future work will address agronomic practices for Clarkia seed production and mechanized harvest, as well as evaluations of genetic resources for traits linked to establishment, competitiveness, and adaptability. Clarkia species are promising for use in grassland/forest restoration and providing ecosystem services and pollinator habitat (Callie et al., 2025). These evaluations serve as a framework for deployment of PGR from the SOS collection to address challenges to restoration such as the availability of native seed. Collaboration with US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, CO is advancing evaluations of rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa), a keystone species that supports wildlife, exhibits high diversity, and demonstrates remarkable evolutionary adaptations. Common gardens have been established at several sites, including the WRPIS farm in Central Ferry, to dissect genetic basis of adaptation, study range expansion, and analyze genotype × environment interactions. These trials are also helping define seed zones (Johnson et al., 2023) to improve restoration success on degraded lands.

During regenerations, most of the horticultural crop collections are routinely characterized. Sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris) germplasm will continue to be evaluated (>30 accessions/year), in coordination with the sugar beet research community, for disease resistance to Cercospora leaf spot, rhizomania, Rhizoctonia root rot, and curly top virus. Additional evaluations examining cyst nematode, root aphid, and root maggot (Chu et al., 2025) are planned for sugarbeet if funding is secured. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) fingerprinting of the garlic collection (Li et al., 2022) will be conducted to examine biodiversity and help identify redundancy and novelty. Analyses will also be performed on the garlic collection to identify virus presence and associated pressures affecting vigor and sustainability using qPCR (Nam et al., 2015).

Digital images, descriptor, and trait measurements will be collected during scheduled field regenerations for CSFL germplasm. Ongoing near infrared spectrophotometry (NIRS) scans of accession seed will aid dissecting and understanding the genetic architecture of mineral nutrients in pea (Sari et al., 2024) and other legumes. The CFSL program will use high throughput phenotyping (HTP) technologies (e.g., UAV imaging) to study drought tolerance in bitter vetch (Vicia ervilia), an ancient forage and seed crop, collection using GWAS. A three-year field study using two plantings of 114 accessions, 4 replications, in a RCBD, one under drip irrigation and rain-fed conditions will be used. Drought tolerance will be assessed using phenomic data collected from UAV sensors (RGB, multi-spectral, and thermal) compared to harvest indices (seed yield, biomass, nitrogen content, and water use efficiency). CSFL is also collaborating with the WSU on two other GWAS projects funded by the USDA Pulse Crops Health Initiative: ChickpeAI and PulseHeat. ChickpeAI will use a three-year field study of 500 chickpea accessions using phenomics using the autonomous ground rover with RGB and Lidar sensors on UAVs for precision yield component data followed by NIR seed quality analyses. PulseHeat is a lentil heat tolerance study of 700 WRPIS accessions in field plantings using phenomics, like the bitter vetch drought study, harvest indices and seed quality traits, adding thermal sensing. The pea, lentil, and chickpea collections will continue to be genotyped using GBS approaches to determine population structure and marker trait associations. SNP genotypes available from previous studies for pea, lentil and chickpea core collections are now being used in GWAS studies (Mugabe et al., 2023; Sari et al., 2025; Sari et al., 2024; Uhdre et al., 2025). With cooperators, breeding values using genomic prediction models for agronomic traits will be determined for 300 pea accessions. 

To enhance phenotypic data collection in the grass and safflower collection, GoPro® cameras are being utilized during regenerations to capture important agronomic and economic traits such as plant height and biomass accumulation. These measurements, collected by video and processed into point clouds using structure‑from‑motion algorithms, will be ground truth-ed and enable model training and trait prediction (Roggiolani et al., 2025). Raw videos and images will be archived for accession records and retained for examination of novel traits of interest. The use of replicated check varieties across years will help correct variance estimates in relative performance comparisons between unreplicated plots during regeneration (Hartung et al., 2023). Checks also serve to compare accession performance for different end use qualities such as turf, forage, and traits important for native restoration and bioremediation.

The Phaseolus bean program will focus on updating GG data for the newly characterized and genotyped Phaseolus lunatus collection, which is part of an ongoing USDA NIFA Specialty Crops Research Initiative (SCRI) collaboration led by UC, Davis. Genotype data for P. lunatus is being generated using whole genome sequencing (WGS) approaches. The program will also continue to support collaborators in evaluating the nuña (Peruvian popping) bean which will involve trait evaluations for popability and lectin content and marker trait associations (Katuuramu et al., 2018). Additionally, the program will aid in pre-breeding efforts to try to introgress popping traits into adapted cultivars (Keith et al., 2025) as part of an ongoing SCRI project led by WSU. Following successful greenhouse regenerations, the bean program will attempt field characterizations for key traits such as growth habit, earliness, and photoperiod sensitivity, relative to commercial standards. If resources are available, this will become standard practice so that available germplasm also has more associated field data to help cooperators make informed decisions when requesting germplasm. Post regeneration bean seeds will continue to be screened using near NIRS as a proxy measure for seed nutrient traits.

Documenting distributions and their usefulness to requesters is important and provides a way to demonstrate germplasm value and impact. As germplasm is distributed, order numbers and requester information including name, affiliation, address, phone number and email address are logged into GG. Mandatory fields include general use category with optional fields for more comprehensive explanations and instructions. Packaging lists encourage recipients to inspect and provide feedback on germplasm quality, and to invite them to share findings, publications and collection data. Curators can choose to enter such information, providing value to future research efforts. In addition, the information will educate stakeholders on the need to preserve seed on their end and limit requests to prevent overtaxing NPGS resources.

Early in the calendar year, a report is generated for distributions from the NPGS/WRPIS to users located in the 13 Western Region states. This report is provided to individual state representatives on the RTAC to contact recipients for feedback. Germplasm recipients respond to questions on condition of the requested material upon arrival and its germination, growth, development and other observations. Additional information is requested on how the material was used (e.g., used in breeding) and outcomes resulting from use of the germplasm, or new varietal releases and/or publications. Responses from germplasm recipients are then compiled by state representatives into a summary report. Options have been explored, and might continue, for automating feedback through a GG portal and summarizing of this information by using artificial intelligence tools.

The highlights from these state reports, along with activity reports from other Western Region and national NPGS sites that regularly participate in the RTAC, are shared during the annual meeting. The written reports, and corresponding digital copies, are then submitted by individual state representatives and participating NPGS sites to the RTAC and complied into meeting minutes uploaded to the National Information Management and Support System (NIMSS) database. Other key participants include Administrative Advisor, USDA administrators from National Programs and Pacific West Area, the Station Coordinator, select WSU/USDA project staff and other relevant NPGS projects in the Western Region/nation. The RTAC assesses the project’s service and research components and its impact, providing recommendations based partly on stakeholder input from reports and their expertise to WRPIS and administrators on improving efficiencies.

Measurement of Progress and Results

Outputs

• Output 1: Continued access to quality/quantity PGR and associated information is the most important of the WRPIS products. Continued public access to the diverse collections, along with expanded online associated information will contribute key support towards innovative agricultural and restoration research that impacts the region and the world. Comments: The project will continue to be mostly service oriented with its core mission focused on long-term conservation, management, and promoting the use of agriculturally important PGR. Research activities will include characterizations, evaluations, and incorporate emerging technologies (e.g., HTP/genotyping) to meet the project’s core mission.
• Output 2: Optimized protocols for germplasm regeneration, storage and conservation are incomplete or don’t exist for CWR and restoration species. Protocols will be developed, expanded, or optimized and made public keeping germplasm publicly accessible. Comments: - Storage parameters determined for Kraschenninikovia lanata - Accurate species identification in Lactuca spp. using modern techniques - Optimized pre-germination protocols for bean regenerations developed
• Output 3: WRPIS will improve its PGR collection representation via strategic germplasm acquisition. Increased diversity and access to newly acquired germplasm will provide stakeholders with previously unavailable diversity. Comments: - Native restoration/CWRs through the SOS program acquired - Germplasm with expired intellectual property and valuable traits incorporated - Wild beans from the arid southwest including tepary (P. acutifolius) added
• Output 4: WRPIS germplasm subsets will be characterized/evaluated in-house or via external collaborations. Information on highly heritable characters, and significant horticultural, agronomic or restoration traits, will be collected and made accessible. Enhanced germplasm will also be developed and made available. Comments: - Alfalfa germplasm evaluated for disease resistance and improved germplasm released - Indian ricegrass evaluated for agronomic traits with improved selections - US native pollinator-friendly Clarkia germplasm evaluated for commercialization traits - Common garden data generated for keystone rubber rabbitbrush germplasm - Sugarbeet germplasm evaluated for biotic and abiotic stressors - Garlic collection screened for viruses with molecular diagnostic approaches - Mineral nutrition data generated for many of the CSFL collections using NIR - Bitter vetch characterized for drought tolerance in field evaluations using HTP - Yield components researched in chickpea germplasm using phenomics - Heat tolerance data generated for lentil using phenomics and thermal sensing - Improved beans developed during regenerations using exotic germplasm - Information generated for popability/lectin content for Peruvian popping beans
• Output 5: Taxonomy, genetic diversity, and population structure will be defined for PGR lacking this information. This information will aid in management, including targets for acquisition and rationalization. WRPIS research programs will develop new techniques to identify genetic markers that are linked to horticultural, agronomic or restoration traits, or that are useful for developing prediction models for plant breeding. Comments: - Alfalfa germplasm genotyped, core collection defined, and taxonomy clarified - Clonal garlic collections (~300 accessions) genotyped with SSR markers - Phaseolus lunatus and nuña bean germplasm genotype data generated for GWAS - Genetic architecture of pea protein and mineral nutrient concentrations determined - Phenotype and GBS data used for GWAS in pea, bitter vetch, lentil, and chickpea
• Output 6: Impacts will be shown for PGR and associated information managed and provided by WRPIS. Large distributions of germplasm and information will continue to be made to Western Region stakeholders. The impact will be supported by a WRPIS site-specific annual report, as well as a compiled annual report, meeting minutes, and recommendations for the W6 project.

Outcomes or Projected Impacts

• A primary beneficiary of the PGR at WRPIS has been the regional and national public and private plant breeding programs. The impact of access to PGR and their associated information is generally difficult to quantify, especially regarding future benefits. The continued use and increased demand seen in the past few years for PGR conserved and distributed by the WRPIS is one way to quantify its value. A few examples of how PGR from WRPIS have impacted these breeding programs, producers, and ultimately consumers were provided in the justification section of this proposal. Currently, PGR are evaluated for many important horticultural and agronomic traits with specific research on reactions to disease, insect pests and abiotic stressors along with nutrition and yield of all crops including alfalfa, cool season food legumes, beans and horticultural crops.
• Evaluation of U.S. native plant species continues, focusing on characteristics that aid on seed regeneration and those that may play roles in commercialization (good agronomic traits – no seed shattering and easy to harvest) so they can be used in successful establishment and restoration efforts.
• The collections are also being used in basic research with model plant species (e.g., Medicago truncatula and Brachypodium distachyon) playing important roles in large scale genotyping and sequencing projects that emphasize understanding genetic control of traits and their functions.
• PGR from WRPIS play an important role in providing plant science research and education opportunities and have been used in systematics and taxonomic training.
• Increased access to new germplasm added to the collections benefits plant breeding efforts by providing traits/genes not previously available.
• Well-characterized and evaluated germplasm, along with access to these accession-associated traits, allows users to be more efficient by focusing on specific germplasm subsets. Identifying markers linked to traits of interest (e.g., disease, abiotic stressors, yield, and/or quality) will enhance breeding efficiency. Well-characterized and evaluated germplasm, along with access to these accession-associated traits, allows users to be more efficient by focusing on specific germplasm subsets. Identifying markers linked to traits of interest (e.g., disease, abiotic stressors, yield, and/or quality) will enhance breeding efficiency.

Milestones

(2027):Significant annual milestones for WRPIS priority assigned crop/genera include: 1) distribution of thousands of WRPIS assigned germplasm and associated information to national/international requesters; 2) annual accession regenerations (>1,000) for WRPIS assigned germplasm; 3) thousands of seed germination tests monitoring inventory viability; 4) continued collaboration to back up germplasm at the NLGRP and Svalbard; and 5) yearly updating and uploading accession-associated information into GG (e.g., inventory, images, evaluation data). Another routine milestone, as the SOS Interagency collaborations continue, will be to acquire, process and transfer to priority curatorial programs, ~500-1,000 U.S. native plant accession seed inventories annually and upload associated information. The RTAC meeting will be held yearly, with reports on WRPIS status, PGR distribution, use, and impacts along with implementation of suggestions for improvement. FY 2027 • Conduct routine germination assays for prioritized lists of accessions • Coordinate national and international distributions to stakeholders • Prioritize, queue and regenerate yearly curatorial program germplasm • Upload/link associated passport, regeneration, and phenotype/genotype to GG • Send backup germplasm destined to collaborators with NLGRP and Svalbard • Potential collection trip(s) to the Southwest U.S. to collect bean CWR (e.g., tepary) • Coordinate communications and RTAC meetings (Dec./virtual; July/in person) ---- preceding milestone bullets repeat every year for next 5-year cycle (2027-2031) • Request NPGS alfalfa germplasm collection for sowing and for leaf sampling • Send alfalfa samples for DNA extraction/genotyping with DArT and receive results • Collect data for third year NRCS collaboration and evaluations of ricegrass • Second year common garden data collection for native rubber rabbitbrush • Optimization of germination treatments/evaluations for native Clarkia species • As needed, directed bean germplasm crosses made with cultivars (pre-breeding) • Collaboration on lima bean evaluation/genotype data added to accessions in GG • Continue assessment of pea seed germplasm for nutrient qualities using NIR • ChickpeAI (chickpea) and PulseHeat (lentil) field experiments established • Throughout the year host field days/tours, students, stakeholders and visitors

(2028):• In collaboration, release regionally improved alfalfa germplasm • Perform population genetic analyses on genotyped alfalfa and generate core collection • Collect data for fourth year NRCS collaboration and evaluations of ricegrass • Third year common garden data collection for native rubber rabbitbrush • Greenhouse and field establishment experiments for native Clarkia species • Collect DNA and SSR fingerprint garlic collection accessions • As needed, directed bean germplasm crosses made with cultivars (pre-breeding) • Collaboration popping bean evaluation/genotype data summarized • First year field drought study with bitter vetch (irrigated and rain-fed) • ChickpeAI (chickpea) and PulseHeat (lentil) first year phenotype data collection

(2029):• Begin phenotypic evaluating alfalfa core subset for biotic/abiotic traits for GWAS • Make ricegrass selections with NRCS collaborators for next cycle of evaluations • Fourth year common garden data collection for native rubber rabbitbrush • First year agronomic evaluations for field-grown native Clarkia species • Collect DNA and SSR fingerprint garlic (Allium spp.) collection accessions • As needed, directed bean germplasm crosses made with cultivars (pre-breeding) • Collaboration popping bean evaluation/genotype data linked to GG accessions • Second year field drought study with bitter vetch (irrigated and rain-fed) • ChickpeAI (chickpea) and PulseHeat (lentil) second year phenotype data collection

(2030):• Finalize alfalfa core subset evaluations and produce peer-reviewed publication • First year of ricegrass selections in replicated germplasm evaluations • Summarize common garden data collection for native rubber rabbitbrush • Second year agronomic evaluations for field-grown native Clarkia species • Begin optimization of qPCR for virus screening in garlic collection • As needed, directed bean germplasm crosses made with cultivars (pre-breeding) • Third year field drought study with bitter vetch (irrigated and rain-fed) • ChickpeAI (chickpea) and PulseHeat (lentil) third year phenotype data collection

(2031):• Second year of ricegrass selections in replicated germplasm evaluations • Third year agronomic evaluations for field-grown native Clarkia species • Complete screening of garlic (Allium spp.) collection for viruses with qPCR • As needed, directed bean germplasm crosses made with cultivars (pre-breeding) • Summary of bitter vetch field drought data and genotype data for GWAS • ChickpeAI (chickpea) and PulseHeat (lentil) phenotype/genotype data summaries

Projected Participation

View Appendix E: Participation

Outreach Plan

WRPIS participates in outreach activities that promote knowledge and training. This is accomplished by publishing research in scientific peer-reviewed journals that are practical and informative. Information about WRPIS activities is also delivered via scientific presentations at professional societies, during invited or guest lecture presentations, during workshops, field days, and other outreach opportunities. Other research may be delivered via posters, factsheets, and custom PGR species card decks. Much characterization, evaluation, and other information associated with WRPIS collections is made available to users via the GG public website, the NIMSS database, USDA-ARS Unit website, or via other crop-specific websites. WRPIS routinely hosts several important user groups including CGC meetings, NPGS Plant Germplasm Operations Committee, and the W6 RTAC with field and facility tours.

Because WRPIS is located on the WSU Pullman campus, there are many student training opportunities. WRPIS has a long history of hosting students of all levels. Staff believe that playing an active role in training the next generation of PGR managers is critical (Volk et al., 2019a; Volk et al., 2019b). Visitors routinely include elementary students to juniors/seniors from regional schools. The large seed storage facilities and diversity in collections are very popular with these young and impressionable minds. WRPIS also hosts undergraduates for internships from universities around the country who are interested in hands-on training and agricultural careers. WRPIS scientists participate in graduate student (Masters/Ph.D.) research projects and committees. Being on campus also allows for hiring numerous hourly students throughout the year, especially during summer activities. Over the years, WRPIS has also hosted visiting scientists and many postdoctoral associates working collaboratively with staff to advance PGR management science and activities.

Organization/Governance

WRPIS personnel, include a Research Leader/Geneticist and a Research Geneticist (alfalfa) and five Service Scientists/Curators and are supported by both federal (~86%) and multistate Hatch funds (~14%). Federal appropriations cover USDA personnel and technical staff, with W6 funds supporting six full-time WSU staff (Attachment 7). In addition, WRPIS hires temporary employees (e.g., time-slip students) throughout the year, with peaks in summer months, to aid in accomplishing the mission. The USDA-ARS PGITRU Research Leader serves as WRPIS Station Coordinator and oversees project implementation. Five curators, scientists with service and research responsibilities, lead programs overseeing PGR management including the day-to-day activities for specific crops/genera (Attachment 8). The curatorial programs include 1) Grasses and Safflower; 2) Phaseolus (bean); 3) Horticultural Crops; 4) Cool-season Food Legumes, and 5) Temperate Forage Legumes. The two Research Scientists focus on investigations in support of effective PGR management or evaluating germplasm for marker development and enhancement. It is also imperative to highlight that much of the service and research proposed is achieved in collaboration with cooperators outside WRPIS which include other USDA and WSU researchers, and many other organizations and individuals. When secured, competitive extramural funding bolsters WRPIS productivity and allows for the hiring of postdoctoral associates and other technical staff.

The recommended Standard Governance for multi-state research activities includes the election of a Chair, a Chair-elect, and a Secretary for the Regional Technical Advisory Committee (RTAC). The RTAC is comprised of state representatives from the 13 western states and meets annually to assess service and research progress, analyze customer needs, and make recommendations to the station. Ex officio members include USDA-ARS National Program 301 Leaders for genetic resources, NPGS personnel at WRPIS and at other Western Region sites as well as other national NPGS sites that contribute to WRPIS mission (e.g., NLGRP, Fort Collins, CO). Annual meetings rotate through various western sites with alternate year meetings held at WRPIS. Currently, Dr. Ahmad Amjad of the University of Hawaii serves as the Chair, Dr. Donna Harris of the University of Wyoming, the Chair-elect, and Dr. Jakir Hasan, of the University of Alaska, is the Secretary of the W6 RTAC. Dr. Kevin Jensen (retired) of the USDA-ARS Forage Range Research Laboratory, in Logan, UT was the most recent past Chair. All officers are elected for a two-year term and rotate into the next higher responsibility role every two years, providing RTAC continuity.

Administrative guidance is also provided by an assigned Administrative Advisor (currently, Dr. Scot Hulbert, WSU - Associate Dean for Research) and a USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Representative (Drs. Christian Tobias and Jessica Shade, National Program Leaders). Dr. Per McCord, Associate Professor, Stone Fruit Breeding and Genetics, of the Department of Horticulture with WSU is the Principal Investigator and responsible for final proposal submission and reporting. Over the next five years, internal benchmarks and accountability systems will be used to assess progress and determine future project needs. In addition to the input from the W6 RTAC, Liaison Committee (WRPIS stakeholders and crop-affiliated organizations), WSU Administration and NIFA, guidance on project management will be sought from USDA ARS National Programs and Pacific West Area office leadership, from the USDA NPGS PGOC, from individual CGCs that represent crops managed by WRPIS, from germplasm and data recipients/stakeholders, and from feedback and suggestions from external review, as appropriate.

Literature Cited

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