Location: Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory
Project Number: 8042-22000-327-009-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement
Start Date: Oct 1, 2023
End Date: Sep 30, 2025
Objective:
The objective of this agreement is to provide services and resources to the USDA APHIS PPQ staff co-located with ARS staff. Additionally, it will enhance and help maintain the resources related to the USDA US National Fungus Collections.
Approach:
ARS will provide access to curated collections and an extensive library of taxonomic literature in the U.S. National Fungus Collections for use as reference specimens and literature for identifying fungal specimens intercepted at ports-of-entry and collected from domestic sources, and international surveys. In addition ARS will increase the number of records available in the database of fungi on plants around the world and provide accurate scientific names of plant-quarantine significant fungi. Additional resources are made available to APHIS such as accurate fungal names, specimen data from U.S. National Fungus Collections, database of literature, including entry of new references, and deposition of specimens in the U.S. National Fungus Collections. Data are continuously added to the World Fungi Database that now exceeds 700,000 reports of fungi on plant hosts throughout the world. ARS will also utilize contractor services to maintain and enhance the US National Fungus Collections Fungal Databases now made available through cloud services at USDA National Agriculture LIbrary.
