ARS | Publication request: GERMPLASM FOR NEW CROPS AND NEW PRODUCTS FROM THE NORTH CENTRAL REGIONAL PLANT INTRODUCTION STATION

Submitted to: Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops Conference
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: June 26, 1997
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: The North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station (NCRPIS) in Ames, Iowa holds extensive plant germplasm collections valuable in developing and improving new crops and new products. The NCRPIS is a major component of the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service's (USDA-ARS) National Plant Germplasm System and is cooperatively supported by the USDA-ARS, the twelve Agricultural Experiment Stations of the north central states, and Iowa State University. Central goals of the National Plant Germplasm System are to preserve useful biodiversity and associated information and to make that diversity freely available for research to users world-wide. A curatorial team at the NCRPIS manages diverse populations of primarily cross-pollinated agronomic and horticultural crops and their wild and weedy relatives. Most of this germplasm requires controlled pollination, and the NCRPIS has developed expertise in the use of insects and other methods to accomplish this. Our collections comprise more than 41,000 different accessions of about 325 genera, including potential new oil crops (Calendula, Camelina, Crambe, Cuphea, Euphorbia, and Vernonia), pseudocereals and vegetables (Amaranthus and Chenopodium), and sources of medicinal and specialty chemicals (Echinacea and Tanacetum). The diversity represented in our collections of established crops, such as Brassica, Helianthus, and Zea, can also aid in developing new uses and products. Information describing our collections is now made available through the Germplasm Resources Information Network, which can be accessed via the Internet at http://www.ars-grin.gov/.