Location: Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research
2018 Annual Report
Objectives
The long-term objective of this project is to maintain and enhance NSGC as a worldwide resource of small grains germplasm for the research community. Specifically, during the next five years we will focus on the following objectives. Objective 1. Efficiently and effectively acquire genetic resources of small grains and their wild relatives; maintain their safety, genetic integrity, health and viability; and distribute them and associated information worldwide. 1A. Acquire crop wild relatives of wheat, barley, rice, and oat that are under-represented by taxonomy or geography and other threatened small grains germplasm. 1B. Maintain and back-up NSGC accessions. 1C. Regenerate NSGC accessions on a continuing basis with priorities determined by seed inventory and viability. 1D. Distribute on request NSGC accessions and information that meet the specific needs of researchers worldwide. Objective 2. Develop more effective genetic resource maintenance, evaluation, and characterization methods and apply them to priority small grains genetic resources; screen for host-plant resistance to virulent diseases, such as the Ug99 wheat rust strain. Record and disseminate evaluation and characterization data via GRIN-Global and other data sources. 2A. Assess putative duplicate accessions for barley and wheat. 2B. Characterize resistance to bunt and stem rust in NSGC wheat accessions. 2C. Collect remaining priority characterization data and record in GRIN-Global. Objective 3. With other NPGS genebanks and Crop Germplasm Committees, develop, update, document, and implement best management practices and Crop Vulnerability Statements for small grains genetic resource and information management. 3A. Review and update NSGC standard operating procedures for all aspects of curation and implement best management practices in coordination with other NPGS sites. 3B. Engage with small grains Crop Germplasm Committees (CGCs) to update crop vulnerability statements and identify germplasm acquisition and evaluation priorities of interest to the respective committees.
Approach
Objective 1. Acquisition priorities include the wild relatives of Triticum, Hordeum, Avena, and Oryza to fill species and ecogeographic gaps in the crop collections. Highest priority will be primary genepool relatives of these genera, identified in collaboration with the Crop Germplasm Committees (CGCs). These gaps will be addressed by collection expeditions and exchanges with other genebanks. Seed of NSGC accessions are held in medium-term storage under controlled temperature (5-6o C) and relative humidity (25%). Detailed inventory records are maintained in GRIN-Global. Seed will be provided to NLGRP for safety back up. Accessions in need of regeneration will be grown at several locations as follows: Aberdeen, Idaho in fields of the University of Idaho Research and Extension Center and in USDA-ARS greenhouses; Parlier, California at the USDA-ARS National Arid Land Plant Genetic Resource Unit; and Stuttgart, Arkansas at the USDA-ARS Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center. Accessions will be scheduled for regeneration based on a priority matrix. Viability tests are scheduled every five years. Standard procedures for GRIN-Global Order Processing will be followed. Distributions outside of the U.S. will follow phytosanitary requirements of the recipient country, including import permits, phytosanitary certificates, and additional declarations. USDA-APHIS will be consulted regularly for the latest information on seed export. Seed shipments to other countries will be coordinated with the National Germplasm Resources Laboratory (NGRL), Plant Exchange Office. Noxious weeds will be distributed under a USDA-APHIS permit. Accessions that fall under the International Treaty for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture will follow appropriate guidelines and will include agreement to the Standard Material Transfer Agreement by the recipient. Objective 2. Molecular markers and morphological traits will be used to develop a method to assess variation within and between NSGC wheat and barley accessions. After establishing the method, the barley and wheat collections will be sampled to measure the degree of duplication within each. Using the data from this study, verified duplicate accessions may be combined. Using genome wide association and bi-parental mapping approaches, genes for bunt and stem rust resistance will be sought within the NSGC wheat collection. Markers associated with novel resistance to the Ug99 stem rust group of races will be validated in various genetic backgrounds. Remaining priority characterization data will be collected and recorded in GRIN-Global. Objective 3. SOPs for all aspects related to acquisition, maintenance, regeneration, characterization, evaluation, and distribution will be reviewed, updated, and compiled into a complete NSGC operations manual of procedures. Through meetings and discussions with the small grains CGCs the priorities of these research communities will be identified and reflected in crop vulnerability statements and NSGC descriptors. Ongoing dialogue with the CGCs will be maintained.
Progress Report
This report documents progress for project 2050-21000-033-00D, which started in February 2018 and continues research from project 2050-21000-029-00D "Genetic Resource Management of National Small Grains Collection and Associated Information."
The National Small Grains Collection (NSGC) presently holds 146,225 accessions of the small grains (wheat, barley, oat, rye, triticale, rice and related wild species). Seed distributions to scientists are proceeding according to expectations with more than 700 requests fulfilled in FY18. Scientists from foreign countries continue to make up about one-third of the requests. This work supports Objective 1.
Progress was made on Sub-objective 2B. NSGC staff prepared 3,898 wheat and barley entries for testing in Kenya in cooperation with the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization. Entries contributed by more than 45 cooperators were repackaged in sowing order, treated with fungicide, and shipped to enable on-time sowing at the test site in Njoro, Kenya. Before shipment, permits and phytosanitary certificates were obtained. Populations for stem rust resistance gene discovery are being advanced in a greenhouse and field testing of selected entries is underway in St. Paul, Minnesota and Njoro, Kenya. With respect to bunt disease of wheat, progress was made in analyzing data in a genome wide association study from trials conducted previously. Loci for resistance to bunt were identified from NSGC accessions on chromosomes 1BL, 2AS, 2BS, 3AS, 3AL, 3DL, 4BS, 5BL, 6AS, 6AL, 6BS, 6BL, 6DS, 6DL, 7AS, 7AL, and 7BL, and some of these may prove to be novel. These results assist with our understanding of the genetics of bunt resistance and in developing resistant cultivars.
Accomplishments
