ARS | Publication request: DISTRIBUTION OF PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES TO NEW USERS

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: August 9, 2002
Publication Date: August 9, 2002
Citation: Pederson, G.A. Distribution of plant genetic resources to new users. Agronomy abstracts (cd-rom) 202.

Technical Abstract: For over 50 years, the Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit, Griffin, GA, has conserved plant genetic resources and distributed them in response to research requests. Seed requests were often by plant breeders from all over the world for yield evaluations, disease resistance screening, or various selection programs. Plant breeders were well aware of germplasm collections so little advertisement of seed availability was needed. Times are changing. The number of breeders running traditional selection programs has been reduced. Requests for plant genetic resources from Griffin in the last 10 years, however, have stayed relatively constant. An average of 370 users request 17,5000 accessions per year with over 68% of users each year being new users. New customers request genetic resources not only for traditional uses, but a whole range of nontraditional uses. These nontraditional uses range from educational displays at amusement parks and schools to archaeobotanical studies of world agricultural origins to gourmet food studies to paintings by botanical and fiber artists to research on fish control. Future efforts to advertise and market the free availability of U. S. plant genetic resources to the world should emphasize both traditional and nontraditional users.