Research Accomplishment Reports 2007

Plant Genetic Resources Conservation and Utilization

T.D. Phillips
Department of Plant and Soil Sciences

 

Project Description

This project follows the use of plant genetic resources maintained at Griffin, GA in the southern region of the USA. Accessions of many economically important crop species and relatives provide an invaluable resource for researchers and plant breeders working with them. The following activities involving S9 germplasm and related research occurred in 2007.

Norman Taylor continued to work on red, white, and kura clover breeding projects. He recently acquired collections of buffalo clover from Davidson County, NC and from a white-flowered population in Perry County, Indiana. He is increasing seed of a tetraploid red clover, among others, for release in the near future.

Todd Pfeiffer and Morris Bitzer continued work on sweet sorghum breeding and seed production. Pfeiffer has screened the PI collection and evaluated the top lines at several locations in KY in 2007. In 2006 a hybrid sweet sorghum was released jointly by the University of Kentucky and the University of Nebraska ('KN-Morris').A genetic study of castor oil profile is underway by a graduate student in David Hildebrand's lab.

Tim Phillips has planted a trial to evaluate the winter hardiness of some of the warm season grasses in the S9 collection.

Impact

Better utilization and documentation of the value of germplasm housed at the Southern Regional PI station will result from the activities of this project. Improved visibility of the value of this genetic material should help secure stable funding for the maintenance and related distribution and evaluation of the collections.

Publications

Ellison, N.W., Liston, A., Steiner, J. J., Williams,W. M., and Taylor, N. L.. 2006. Molecular phylogenetics of the clover genus (Trifolium-Leguminosae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 39:688-705.