Maize Crop Germplasm Committee
Hyatt Regency, Chicago, IL
10 December 2003 ; 1:00-5:00 p.m.
Discussion of language of Item 1 in the proposed additions to the priority list on the Maize Vulnerability Statement. The proposed language would appear as a bullet under recommendations. Randy Holey moved that the committee accept the language as is, using ‘cultural as ethnographic.’ Ed Coe seconded the motion, and it was approved by the committee.
Bill Tracy moved that the 4 th sentence of the 3 rd bullet be moved as edited to the Crop Vulnerability Statement.
Item 2 of the proposed additions to priority list was revised to read “Expand the effort to secure obsolete public and private Corn Belt Dent inbreds and information on the inbreds’ history and attributes. The sentence “Many companies recode public inbreds and it is important these codes be made transparent” was struck from the text.
Collection of inbreds. Jim Coors stated that public releases are no longer going into the NPGS system. Should Crop Science Registration regulations include an option to register germplasm without depositing? The answer was NO. We need to spend more effort ensuring that public releases are deposited. Application of IPR to public releases complicates this, but can be worked with.
Type collections to be incorporated into NPGS holdings. The future location of the maize racial type collection (approximately 1300 accessions) under the care of Major Goodman at NCSU was discussed. Because of the planned renovation of Williams Hall in 2005, seed storage space will be at a minimum. Dr. Goodman indicated that there are also 60-70 Mexican accessions that have not been increased that were obtained via Jesus Sanchez. Candice Gardner moved to transfer the collections to NCRPIS and Ed Coe seconded the motion. Margaret Smith amended the motion that the collection be transferred to the NCRPIS maize curator, Mark Millard, by April. Randy Holley added that a proposal for regeneration handling should be prepared by the next meeting which is executable within five years, and seconded the motion. The motion carried. Mark Millard and Dr. Taba will work together to ensure that materials are duplicated between CIMMYT and the NPGS in the U.S. Dr. Taba indicated that the Latin American collaborators are also interested in these materials and are willing to plant them. Mark Millard indicated that cross-checking identity will take time. If Major can supply him with some seed prior to transfer, it would enable Mark to make early progress. Mark and Dr. Taba will work together to ensure that the materials are duplicated between CIMMYT and the NPGS.
Bill Tracy asked about the future of the isozyme collection. Dr. Goodman indicated that an isozyme survey was made of all Latin American maize races. Identified alleles were inserted in segregating populations. A small fraction of these are in a homozygous state. Discussion ensued on the relative merit of saving these populations. Marlin Edwards asked how many mapping populations were made per allele (?) Major said that no inventories exist per se, but at least two multiple marker stocks were generated to express extreme variance. Marlin committed to regenerating the multiple marker material in a Monsanto winter nursery, than transferring the materials to Marty Sach’s genetic stocks collection in Urbana. The information on allelic sequence diversity in these materials is of interest; these enriched regions should be preserved as bulks. Major indicated that associated documentation and packet annotation is variable.
The range of the western bean cutworm has firmly expanded into western IA and some parts of southwestern MN. Rearing methods to enable manual infestations do not exist; difficulties exist with obtaining feral eggs from laboratory-reared adults. The insect’s nutritionsal requirements are not well-understood. It is anticipated that WI will be infested within five years.