Location: Plant Germplasm Introduction and Testing Research
Project Number: 2090-21000-037-024-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Dec 1, 2024
End Date: Nov 30, 2025
Objective:
The overall objective is to create a cost-effective high-quality method for collecting multi location trait data on diverse germplasm maintained by the National Plant Germplasm system, by engaging volunteer growers as civic scientists.
Objectives:
1. Software development to meet scientist and curator requirements for data collection and management application
2. Large scale pilot trial to test the MVP (Minimum Viable Product), where seeds are shared with volunteer growers for data collection.
3. Data analysis to prove accuracy of the method, where generated data is checked for quality, curated and uploaded in the GRIN database for public access.
Approach:
Milestones 1: Software Development.
Cooperator will utilize a full-stack software engineer, mobile developers, a UI/UX designer, a data architect, and plant breeder to enhance the platform's backend (improving data model and trait ontology), API, and frontend. This will include finalizing screens and wireframes using Figma and refining the relational database ontology in MySQL. Cooperator will employ feature-based sprints organized into epics, delivering specified milestones every 4 weeks. Sprint management and bug tracking will use the Clickup development tracking tool.
The project will be hosted on AWS Cloud. Post-public release, three platforms will support development: development server, UAT/testing server, and production/live server.
Surveys and interviews with genebank managers and volunteer growers will be conducted in fall and winter, with additional feedback collection at trial conclusion, to optimize user experience and refine platform design and functionality.
Milestones 2: Collaborative Trial Testing 150 Accessions.
Trial Design: We will conduct three trials, one per USDA NPGS location (Bean, Ornamental, and Vegetable). We aim to engage 1,000 growers and evaluate at least 150 accessions across these three crops. Each grower will plant and assess approximately three lines from a broader entry list and each entry will be planted by to up to 30 growers.
Logistics: Each of the three genebank locations will provide bulk packed seed to the cooperator, who will handle dispatch and shipping of seeds to volunteer growers.
Data Collection via Mobile Phone: Our participatory data collection model builds on the cooperator’s validated approach and research from the past five years. Growers will collect trait data, comments, tagged pictures (by trait, time, and location), and management information through the app.
Communication: Grower communication will be conducted entirely through the application’s feed by all stakeholders. Given the involvement of hundreds of volunteers, potential communication challenges will be addressed through an initial live-recorded webinar. This session will demonstrate project goals and methods, followed by a Q&A session with volunteers and trial managers.
Milestone 3: Data Analysis
This phase will ensure the quality of participatory trial data using tools like the Plackett-Luce and ClimMob R packages, alongside Python and R ecosystems for statistical analysis. Accuracy will be assessed against replicated trials grown by the genebanks and employing Kendall’s tau agreement to compare participatory trial yields with those from replicated trials.
The insights gained will inform the development of educational materials and seminars aimed at germplasm managers interested in crowdsourced characterizations, potentially hosted on platforms like GRIN-U.