I. l Publication of Chemical Mutagenesis in Plants.
In an effort to consolidate and make available references to recent literature dealing with chemical mutagenesis in plants, the Environmental Mutagen Information Center is producing an indexed bibliography entitled Chemical Mutagenesis in Plants. This publication will contain nearly 3,000 references, most published since 1969, and will cite reports of original research, reviews, abstracts, symposia and book chapters. References were selected from several hundred journals covering a large part of the world's literature and encompass two main areas of research - the use of plant systems in detecting chemical mutagenicity and the use of chemical mutagens in mutation breeding. Indexes of authors, organisms, chemicals and assay systems will refer the user to pertinent references in the bibliography.
A separate section of this publication will contain an indexed bibliography of literature dealing with the mutagenicity of compounds synthesized by plants.
As used in this publication "Plants" includes all divisions of the plant kingdom except the fungi.
Questions concerning availability should be sent to:
Mike Shelby, Ph.D.
Environmental Mutagen Information Center
Oak Ridge National Laboratory P.O. Box Y, Building 9224
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830 U.S.A.
I. 2 Call for waxy Endosperm Mutants in Barley.
We have initiated a genetic analysis of the waxy locus in barley. One long range objective of this investigation is to study intragenic recombination at this locus for the purpose of determining the nature of induced mutations. We would appreciate receiving seed samples of induced or spontaneous waxy endosperm mutants. Please include the following information with the seed sample.
(1) Nature of mutation, i.e., spontaneous or induced (details of the
treatment), year of isolation and by whom.
(2) Parent cultivar and association marker genes.
(3) Any information on the genetic analysis of the mutant.
Receiving seed of and information about existing waxy endosperm mutants will greatly facilitate our studies and enable us to compare them with mutants being induced in our stocks.
A. Kleinhofs and R.A. Nilan
Department of Agronomy and Soils and Program in Genetics
Washington State University
Pullman, Washington 99163, U.S.A.
I. 3 The National Seed Storage Laboratory
Our agricultural history is replete with losses of valuable germplasm. It is to prevent such future losses that the National Seed Storage Laboratory was established.
Preservation of germplasm is accomplished through the collection of seeds of known value. All agronomic, horticultural, forest, and esthetic types are qualified for storage, but only seeds are stored. Research men may submit obsolete varieties, current varieties, breeding lines, and genetic stocks. Once in the Laboratory, the seeds become the property of the Federal government and are available to research men in the United States when the Laboratory is the only known source.
The crop characteristics of the seeds stored are recorded on accession cards and through our computer program it is possible to locate seeds that have certain crop characteristics.
During periodic intervals over the years, the seeds are tested for germination
in the germination laboratory. In the event that deterioration does occur,
contracts will be made with some seed-producing agency to replenish the
stocks with seeds obtained from controlled plantings of present stocks.
In addition to the preservation of germplasm, research work related
to seed longevity is carried out.
The Laboratory provides backup storage for the working stocks in the four Regional Plant Introduction Stations as well as the working stocks in world collections, such as wheat, oats, barley, buckwheat, flax, soybeans, rice, sorghum, and tobacco.
Anyone who has varieties of breeding lines which he feels should be included in the germplasm collection in the National Seed Storage Laboratory is invited and encouraged to send a list of such materials to the Director (L.N. Bass) who will check the submitted lists against the Laboratory's inventory and then request seed of those items not already in storage. Forms for providing the necessary documentation information will accompany the seed request.
Louis N. Bass
National Seed Storage Laboratory USDA - ARS
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, Colorado 80523 U.S.A.
I. 4 D.W. Robertson's reprints are available.
Some of Dr. D.W. Robertson's reprints of the papers on barley genetics are still available. Anyone interested in receiving reprints should write to T.E. Haus or T. Tsuchiya, Department of Agronomy, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, U.S.A.
T.E. Haus
T. Tsuchiya
I. 5 Back number of Barley Genetics Newsletter.
Back numbers of all Barley Genetics Newsletter (Vol. 1 to 5) are available
at a price of five U.S. dollars ($5.00) per copy. Persons or libraries
interested in receiving a copy or copies are requested to send payment
or write a letter to:
Dr. T. Tsuchiya
Department of Agronomy
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, Colorado 80523 U.S.A.
Persons or libraries in the countries which have currency exchange problems should ask for an arrangement for receiving the copy without payment.
All communication should be written in English and addressed to T. Tsuchiya, NOT just Department of Agronomy.
Editors of BGN
I. 6 Call for contributions to Barley Genetics Newsletter, Volume 7, 1977.
Barley Genetics Newsletter Vol 7 will be published in April 1977. Please send your manuscripts on or before January 31, 1977.
Rules and regulations for preparing the manuscript are the same as the reported in BGN 5: 2-4, and previous issues.
Editors ask contributors to do the following:
1. Correspondence regarding the Barley Genetics Newsletter should be
separated from other items to avoid confusion.
2. Please prepare your manuscript in the similar way to papers published
in previous issues of BGN.
3. Please type tables on a separate sheet. Some complicated tables
should be typed in final form, so that we can use them without retyping.
This will prevent making mistakes and help editors very much; proof reading
of complicated tables is time consuming.
4. MANUSCRIPT SHOULD BE PROOF-READ BEFORE IT IS SUBMITTED TO THE
EDITORS.
5. ERRATA: Even though the editors have spent a considerable amount
of time in correcting typographical errors, there probably are still some
mistakes and errors present. Some of the mistakes and errors were in the
original manuscripts. We ask each contributor of an article to read his
or her own paper carefully and inform us of any errors or mistakes the
author may find. Sometimes one may be able to find errors more easily in
someone else's paper than his own. We need your assistance in identifying
those errors and mistakes We would appreciate your cooperation on this
matter for the improvement of BGN.
Editors