Project Number: 5348-21000-028-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Mar 19, 2013
End Date: Mar 18, 2018

Objective:
Objective 1: Conserve, acquire, regenerate, back-up, and distribute genetic resources and associated information for cool season food and forage legumes, grasses, common beans, oilseeds, vegetables, beets, ornamentals, medicinal crops and related wild species. Objective 2: Conduct genetic characterizations and phenotypic evaluations of genetic resources of the preceding crops and related wild species for priority genetic and agronomic traits. Apply the preceding knowledge to genetic resource acquisition, management, and marker-trait association studies of selected taxa. Sub-objective 2A: Apply existing and newly developed DNA genetic marker technology to phylogenetic and genetic diversity analyses of priority crops, emphasizing core subsets of Phaseolus, Beta, Allium, Carthamus, Pisum, Vicia, Cicer, Lens, and temperate grass species. Incorporate characterization data into the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN-Global) and/or other databases. Sub-objective 2B: Update and apply phenotypic descriptors for Allium, Beta, Lactuca, Pisum, Cicer, Phaseolus, Carthamus, and priority native and other cool season grasses. Incorporate phenotypic data into GRIN Global and/or other databases. Sub-objective 2C.1: Assess genetic (molecular) and phenotypic variation of reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea, L.) and apply that information to curating the collection. Sub-objective 2C.2: Genecology of bottlebrush squirreltail, Thurber's needlegrass, and basin wildrye. Sub-objective 2D: Develop mapping populations and genomic resources of Pisum, Lens, Cicer and Vicia, for developing markers suitable for marker assisted selection of those crops. Objective 3: Identify pathogens causing emerging diseases associated with the preceding genetic resources, investigate interactions among these plant taxa and the pathogens, and devise and apply pathogen management strategies. Objective 4: Conduct initial pre-breeding programs for underutilized agronomic traits, and release genetically-enhanced populations for selected crops. Sub-objective 4A: Pre-breeding Safflower for improved oil concentration and high oleic fatty acids in winter safflower. Sub-objective 4B: Incorporate genes for improved nutritional content into faba bean pre-breeding populations.

Approach:
Regenerate, conserve, and distribute more than 92,000 accessions of cool season food and forage legumes, grasses, common beans, oilseeds, vegetables, beets, ornamentals, medicinal crops and related wild species, and associated information by following the established protocols and procedures. Ship high quality seed samples to National Center for Germplasm Resources Preservation at Ft. Collins, CO and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway for long-term security back-up. Conduct collaborative plant expedition and collection trips to acquire samples to fill gaps in NPGS collections, and to meet stakeholder needs. Apply existing and newly developed genomic tools and technologies to characterize phylogenetic relationship and genetic diversity of priority crop collections. Evaluate the phenotypic variation of economic traits of specialty crops independently or collaboratively. Upload characterization/evaluation data into the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN-Global) and/or other databases. Survey production fields, identify pathogens causing emerging diseases with morphological-cultural and molecular techniques, investigate interactions among these host plants and their pathogens, and devise and apply pathogen management strategies to maintain the health of the assigned genetic resources. Use both classical plant breeding methods and modern marker-assisted selection (MAS) to enhance the nutritional attributes and the resiliency to abiotic stress of safflower and faba bean. Publish research results and release improved germplasm to the user community.