The 2010 ASHS Annual Conference
4038:
The USDA/ARS Rhubarb Collection
4038:
The USDA/ARS Rhubarb Collection
Monday, August 2, 2010
Springs F & G
The U.S. Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service’s (USDA/ARS) National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) is directed to acquire, characterize, preserve, document, and distribute plant germplasm important for food and agricultural production. The Arctic and Sub-arctic Plant Genetic Resources Unit of the USDA/ARS, in association with National Clonal Germplasm Repository in Corvallis, Oregon, is housed at the University of Alaska – Fairbanks Matanuska Experiment Farm in Palmer, Alaska. The Palmer site is the primary rhubarb (Rheum L.) repository for the NPGS and consists of 3 species and 66 accessions. Information on ASPGRU rhubarb germplasm can be found via the NGPS Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN; http://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs). The Western Regional Plant Introduction System in Pullman, Washington acts as the back-up site for the rhubarb collection. The collection is maintained clonally at a spacing of 1.8 m between rows and 1.8 m between plants. Soil is tilled in the spring and weeded regularly throughout the season. Irrigation is applied as needed via overhead sprinkler irrigation. Pesticides are also applied as needed. Seed stalks are removed as they appear to avoid cross pollination and seed set. The collection is screened annually for Turnip Mosaic Virus (TuMV) using indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blots with a monoclonal antibody specific to the potyvrus group. Any diseased plants are removed from the collection and discarded. In the late fall, winter preparation includes the removal of vegetative matter from the plants. Accessions of the ASPGRU rhubarb collection are available for research purposes. Crowns can be divided and distributed in the spring just after foliation begins (May/June) or fall prior to dormancy (September/October). Requests for limited propagation material for research can be made via GRIN.
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