2012 Annual Report 1a.Objectives (from AD-416): To obtain germplasm of bioenergy crops for conservation in the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System. 1b.Approach (from AD-416): Germplasm needed for research on bioenergy crops will be collected in areas from which little or no germplasm is currently available in ex situ collections. Explorations in foreign countries will be conducted in collaboration with host country scientists, and collecting permits will be obtained as required by national laws. Germplasm will be collected in the form of seeds, rhizomes, or divisions, and will be documented with locality, latitude and longitude, elevation, plant description, and growing environment. Herbarium voucher specimens will be made as appropriate. Samples of germplasm and associated documentation will be deposited in the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System and in a germplasm collection of each host country. A detailed report for each trip, including information on all samples obtained, will be provided to ARS. 3.Progress Report: A plant exploration to collect germplasm of Miscanthus (a perennial grass with high biomass production) in Russia was conducted. Germplasm was shared between the N.I. Vavilov Research Institute of Plant Industry in Russia and the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System.