Research (Dr. Mark Roh)
It was suggested using the hybrid formula, P. densiflora × P. sylvestris for Pinus sylvestris var. sylvestriformis rather than an infraspecific taxon of either parental species based on the study of chloroplast DNA simple sequence repeats (cpDNA SSR). The origin of A. crenata seedlings with non-variegated foliages from a progeny of a mother plant with variegated foliage and red berries (VM) resulted from cross-pollination between VM as a maternal source and A. crenata with regular foliages as a paternal source as verified utilizing sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers.
Service
The Woody Landscape Plant Germplasm Repository (WLPGR)
1) We continued forward with the planned move from our former home of 10 years at the former Plant Introduction Facility in Glenn Dale Maryland to South Farm in Beltsville, Maryland. Our new mailing address is:
WLPGR FNPRU
U.S. National Arboretum
10300 Baltimore Ave
Bldg 010A Rm 233
Beltsville, Maryland 20705
The repository is in the final stages of moving the existing field collection at Glenn Dale to South Farm however it is just beginning the process of setting up a production facility. We finished grading for the polyhouses and the houses will hopefully be installed this summer by us between meetings and other travel. We will also install the required deer fence. The facility will include: a propagation greenhouse (or polyhouse) suitable for cutting and seed production, 2 production polyhouses 30’ X 100’ a Pot-in-Pot production facility capable of handling 500 trees and supply and equipment storage.
2) We continued to actively seek and collect new germplasm with a focus on the Russian Far East including additional collections around Vladivostok and the Primorye Region as well as the Sakhalin and Kurile Islands and the Republics of Georgia and Azerbaijan. We also have established and are beginning and aggressive U.S. collections program.
3) We continued collaborating with the American Public Garden Association (APGA) on the development of the North American Plants Collections Collaborative (NAPCC). This on going project is meant to establish a network of North American botanical gardens and arboreta to coordinate and improve the collective living plant collections of North America and enhance the conservation and availability of plant germplasm for current and future use.
4) We hosted a two day meeting by the Woody Landscape Plant Crop Germplasm sub committee (WOODY CGC) to review the overall program of the Woody Landscape Plant Germplasm Repository as well as the Woody CGC full committee in June.
5) At the encouragement of the Woody CGC I submitted a proposal to fund a 1 year curatorial assistant ($20,200) to help review the remaining as well as the historic germplasm at the Glenn Dale Station. The proposal was accepted
(notification was made on May 2 2006) and funded for $17,000. Alan Koontz was hired and is currently working on the project.
6) We organized and hosted a week long conference between the botanical communities of the United States and Russia in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania from September 19 to 23. The attendance included 35 Russian scientists from all regions of their country and 42 American Scientist.
7) We integrated all WLPGR data into the data base used by the National Arboretum (BGBASE) for better access and inclusion of the NA D.C. campus germplasm records as well as better use of support staff for records management. We plan to continue to work on merging GRIN with BGBASE in order to make all our records accessible.