Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

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

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.

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).  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.

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.

Thurber’s Needlegrass is a key restoration species in the Great Basin and surrounding areas. Research Agronomist investigated the genecology of Thurber’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’s needlegrass in the Western United States.

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.

Desgroux, A., V. L’Anthoëne, M. Roux-Duparque, J.P. Rivière, G. Aubert, N. Tayeh, A. Moussart, P. Mangin, P. Vetel, C. Piriou, R.J. McGee, C.J. Coyne,  J. Burstin, A. Baranger, M. Manzanares-Dauleux, V. Bourion and M.L. Pilet-Nayel.  2016. Genome-wide association mapping of partial resistance to Aphanomyces euteiches in pea. BMC Genomics 17:124. DOI: 10.1186/s12864-016-2429-4.

Dugan, F.M. 2016. From Farmer Al Falfa to the hopperdozer: Medicago sativa in North American folkways. Economic Botany 70:394-404.

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.

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.

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.

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 164:65–68.

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.

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–SSR markers in lentil using public database information. The Crop Journal, 4(5), pp.425-433.

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.

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.

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. & Merr.) A. Love) in the Western U.S. PLoS ONE 11(2): e0148982. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0148982.

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’s agro-ecological zones. Frontiers in Plant Science 7:1093. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01093.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Smýkal, P., R.K. Varshney, V.K. Singh, C.J. Coyne, C. Domoney, E. Kejnovský and T. Warkentin. 2016. From Mendel’s discovery on pea to today’s plant genetics and breeding. Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 129(12), pp.2267-2280.

Toklu, F., C.J. Coyne, S. Aşıklı, O. Aydın, T. Karaköy, H. Özkan. 2016. Evaluation of Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Collection for Agromorphological and Seed Mineral Concentration. Fresenius Environmental Bulletin 25:1143-1152.

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.

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.

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.

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: 116–124. DOI: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2015.11.009.

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.

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.

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. 4:377–383.