2008 Annual Report 1a.Objectives (from AD-416) Collect seeds of low-maintenance turf grass germplasm. 1b.Approach (from AD-416) Staff from FRRL will join staff from N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry (VIR) to collect seeds of low-maintenance turf grass plant species at promising sites in Eurasia. Seeds will be collected in the field and brought back to VIR for cleaning and cataloging. Seed export permits and Phytosanitary Certificates will be obtained from the Russian Government to allow seed to be exported to the U.S. Seed will be processed in Beltsville, MD, for quarantine procedures and shipped to FRRL, where it will be evaluated for potential low-maintenance turf grass applications in the western U.S. 3.Progress Report A Non-Funded Specific Cooperative Agreement was established, signed, and implemented with the N.I. Vavilov Research Institute of Plant Industry (VIR) in St. Petersburg, Russia. A germplasm collection trip was approved by the USDA Germplasm Exploration Fund, and selected for funding to support the travel of a U.S. scientist to participate in a VIR expedition to collect seed of low-maintenance turf grasses in northern Russia during August and September 2008. The team will target species in the genera Agrostis, Festuca, Koeleria, Poa, and Puccinellia for collection. Promising forage grasses and legumes that occur along the collection route will also be collected when opportunities arise. Monitoring methods used include emials, conference calls and written reports.