IV. CULTIVARS AND GERM PLASM

USDA-ARS NATIONAL SMALL GRAINS GERMPLASM RESEARCH FACILITY

P.O. Box 307, Aberdeen, ID 83210, USA.

National Small Grains Collection wheat germplasm evaluations.

H.E. Bockelman, D.M. Wesenberg, C.A. Erickson, B.J. Goates, and S. Nieto, National Small Grains Germplasm Research Facility, USDA­ARS, University of Idaho Coöperating, Aberdeen, Idaho.

The USDA-ARS National Small Grains Collection (NSGC) is one of the several components of the National Plant Germplasm System. The NSGC is a working collection in contrast to the base collection at the National Seed Storage Laboratory (NSSL) at Fort Collins, Colorado. The numbers of accessions in the NSGC are summarized in Table 1.

The systematic evaluation of wheat accessions in the NSGC and other elite germplasm continued to be coordinated or conducted by National Small Grains Germplasm Research Facility (NSGGRF) staff at Aberdeen during 1997. Maintenance and evaluation of NSGC small grains germplasm, including quarantine entries, also continued at Maricopa, Arizona in 1996-97 under the supervision of S. Nieto. Cooperative NSGC wheat evaluations continued for reaction to Hessian fly; BYDV; stripe, leaf, and stem rust; powdery mildew; and dwarf bunt, as well as ploidy analysis of Triticum species. Evaluation for RWA reaction is essentially complete. The Aberdeen staff has been involved directly in the entry of NSGC evaluation data into the GRIN system and the evaluation of growth habit of NSGC wheat accessions. Under the direction of H.E. Bockelman, the NSGC staff distributed more than 25,000 NSGC accessions in 1997 and more than 26,000 in 1998 to scientists in the U.S. and worldwide.

Specific cooperative agreements or fund transfers within ARS involving coöperative evaluations and related research for all small grains involve several University and ARS projects in at least 15 states. Fund transfers concerned with wheat germplasm evaluations involve Pullman, WA (Line), West Lafayette, IN (Ratcliffe), Manhattan, KS (Hatchett and Eversmeyer), Davis, CA (Qualset), and Stillwater, OK (Webster).

A specific cooperative agreement entitled 'Evaluation of Wheat Germplasm for Resistance to Karnal Bunt Disease' was initiated in 1996 with CIMMYT. Dr. Jesse Dubin, Dr. G. Fuentes Davila, and Dr. S. Rajaram are the CIMMYT investigators on the project. The project is designed to evaluate the reaction of established spring wheat varieties, elite spring wheat germplasm, and selected NSGC accessions to Karnal bunt disease. Initial evaluations involved spring and facultative wheat. A 200-entry 1996-97 Karnal Bunt Evaluation Trial, composed of 199 spring and facultative wheat varieties and selections and Betzes barley was planted in Mexico for evaluation of resistance to Karnal bunt disease. A similar nursery composed of 300 entries is being evaluated in the 1997-98 season by CIMMYT. Research is being performed at CIMMYT facilities at Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico. The wheats include proprietary varieties developed by AgriPro, Arizona Plant Breeders, Northrup King, Pioneer HiBred International, Inc., Resources Seeds, Inc., Western Plant Breeders, and World Wide Wheat (Seeds West), as well as cultivars and selections developed in the public sector in California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, California/Australia, CIMMYT/California, Pioneer/North Dakota Research Foundation, USDA-ARS/Idaho, USDA-ARS/Minnesota, Washington/Idaho/USDA-ARS, and Washington/Oregon. Market classes currently being considered include durum, HRSW, SWSW, and HWSW. A summary of Karnal bunt evaluation data for both the 1996-97 and 1997-98 Karnal Bunt Evaluation Trial was distributed to cooperators. Additional copies of the summary report are available upon request. A similar evaluation nursery was assembled for the 1998-99 season.

Descriptors appropriate for wheat have been established in collaboration with the Wheat Crop Germplasm Committee. Field evaluation data are recorded on such descriptors as growth habit, number of days from planting to anthesis (heading), plant height, spike or panicle density, lodging, straw breakage, shattering, and awn and glume characteristics, including color. Special nurseries are grown for that purpose at Aberdeen, ID, and Maricopa, AZ.

Data obtained from evaluations of NSGC germplasm are entered in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) system by the NSGGRF staff in coöperation with the ARS National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. GRIN is a database containing the characteristics and availability of all genetic resources included in the National Plant Germplasm System. The Database Manager is J.D. Mowder, Beltsville, Maryland. The NSGGRF staff interacts with the GRIN system in recording NSGC orders (seed requests), entering a variety of data, and conducting information searches. No evaluations have been conducted to date for descriptors such as drought tolerance, salt tolerance, winter hardiness, Cephalosporium stripe, flag smut, leaf blight, loose smut, snow mold, take-all, tan spot, WSMV, and protein.

Triticum descriptors with data currently on the GRIN system are summarized in Table 2.

Similar evaluations are currently underway for other major NSGC components, including barley, oats, rice, and triticale. Other important cooperative projects, especially involving wheat, include the Specific Cooperative Agreement Acquisition, Evaluation, and Conservation Strategies for Small Grains Genetic resources (University of California, Davis - C.O. Qualset). B.J. Goates annually conducts evaluations of wheat germplasm for bunt resistance at Aberdeen, Idaho and Logan, Utah.

The authors wish to acknowledge the important contributions of the NSGGRF staff in this effort, with special thanks to Glenda B. Rutger, Scott McNeil, Judy Bradley, Carol S. Truman, Kathy E. Burrup, Dave E. Burrup, Kay B. Calzada, and Mark A. Bohning.

Wheat genetic stocks collection.

An Hang.

A major portion of the E.R. Sears Wheat Genetic Stocks Collection has been transferred to the USDA-ARS National Small Grains Germplasm Research Facility at Aberdeen, Idaho. These stocks consist of various aneuploids of Chinese Spring wheat, including: monosomic, trisomic, tetrasomic, nullisomic-tetrasomic, ditelosomic, double monotelosomic, dimonotelosomic, monotelodisomic, double ditelosomic, and various addition, substitution, and translocation lines. A list of these stocks and seed are available upon request to Dr. An Hang, USDA-ARS, P.O. Box 307, Aberdeen, ID 83210.

National Small Grains Collection activities.

H.E. Bockelman.

Cultivar name clearance. Breeders in the United States are encouraged to have proposed names for new cultivars checked for duplication, trademark, and other possible infringements. The National Small Grains Collection will be glad to assist you. Send the proposed name to Harold E. Bockelman, USDA-ARS-NSGC, P.O. Box 307, Aberdeen, ID 83210, Fax 208-397-4165, E-mail nsgchb@ars-grin.gov. If desired, more than one name can be submitted, listed in order of preference. This will save considerable time if a conflict is found with the first name. Available records (GRIN, CI/PI cards, and variety files) here at Aberdeen are checked for conflicts with the proposed name. If a conflict is found (previous use of the name for that crop), the breeder is requested to submit a different name. If no conflicts are found, the requested name is forwarded to the Agricultural Marketing Service where the proposed name is checked for possible conflicts in trademarks The Agricultural Marketing Service does not guarantee that its finding is the final word, because their files may not be complete and/or unregistered trademarks may exist. This clearance procedure generally requires about 4 weeks.

Elite germplasm requested. Breeders are encouraged to consider submitting their elite lines for inclusion in the National Small Grains Collection. Of special interest are lines that have been in uniform nurseries but are not to be released as cultivars. Historically, uniform nurseries been the testing grounds for the most advanced, elite germplasm from the various public and private breeding programs. Entries in uniform nurseries and other breeding materials that are never released as cultivars are still of potential value to breeders, pathologists, entomologists, and other researchers. Breeders should submit 200-500 g of untreated seed to the NSGC (address P.O. Box 307, Aberdeen, ID 83210). Seed from outside of the United States should be sent to the USDA Plant Germplasm Quarantine Center (address Bldg. 580, BARC-East, Beltsville, MD 20705) with enclosed forwarding directions. Provide a description of the germplasm, including: donor (breeder, institution); botanical and common name; cultivar name and/or other identifiers (breeder line or selection number); pedigree; descriptive information (of important traits and special characteristics); and growth habit. Assignment of a PI number and inclusion in the NSGC makes the germplasm available for research purposes to bona fide scientists in the U.S. and worldwide. Please note that a different procedure applies if you are obtaining Crop Science registration. Follow directions provided by the crop registration committee.

Guidelines for exporting seed. All seed sent to a foreign country should be inspected and receive a phytosanitary certificate.