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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » National Clonal Germplasm Repository » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #274884
Title: Beyond botany to genetic resource preservation: the S. P. Vander Kloet Vaccinium L. collections

Author
item Hummer, Kim
item JAMIESON, ANDREW - Aafc Lethrdge Research Center
item NEWELL, RUTH - Acadia University

Submitted to: Botany
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/11/2011
Publication Date: 7/16/2012
Citation: Hummer, K.E., Jamieson, A.R., Newell, R. 2012. Beyond botany to genetic resource preservation: the S. P. Vander Kloet Vaccinium L. collections. Botany. 90(5):337-346.

Interpretive Summary: Dr. S. P. Vander Kloet, botanist, traveled the world examining and obtaining specimens to redefine blueberry species names. Besides his botanical papers, his legacy includes pressed plant specimens and living plant and seed collections. These collections reside at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Research Centre, Kentville, Nova Scotia, the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Center and Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens, Acadia University, the Canadian Clonal Genebank, Harrow, Ontario, and the US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Clonal Germplasm Repository, Corvallis, Oregon, United States. Dr. Vander Kloet’s collections included representatives of wild Heath family plants with special emphasis on collections of North American and sub-tropical species. These collections are represent a lifetime of dedicated research. Some of the seeds from his collection have now been deposited not only in American genebanks (in Canada and the United States), but also in the World Genebank in Svalbard, Norway, for long term conservation for the service of humanity. His wild germplasm will continue to be available for development and breeding of new blueberries by breeders throughout the world.

Technical Abstract: Dr. S. P. Vander Kloet, botanist, traveled the world examining and obtaining specimens to redefine infrageneric taxonomic units within Vaccinium L., family Ericaceae. Besides his botanical treatises, his legacy includes herbarium voucher specimens and ex situ genetic resource collections including a seed bank and living plant collections at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Research Centre, Kentville, Nova Scotia, the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Center and Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens, Acadia University, the Canadian Clonal Genebank, Harrow, Ontario, and the US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Clonal Germplasm Repository, Corvallis, Oregon, United States. Dr. Vander Kloet’s collections included representatives of wild Ericaceae with special emphasis on collections of North American and sub-tropical endemic Vaccinium species. These reference collections are significant and represent a lifetime of dedicated research. Representatives of his heritage collections have now been deposited not only in American genebanks (in Canada and the United States), but also in the World Genebank in Svalbard, Norway, for long term conservation and future evaluation of Vaccinium for the service of humanity. The bequest of his wild collected germplasm will continue to be available to facilitate utilization of an extended Vaccinium gene pool for development and breeding throughout the world.