2019 ASHS Annual Conference

The NCGR-Corvallis is one of about 30 federal facilities in the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System dedicated to preserving economically important crops and their wild relatives. This genebank opened in May 1981, through a congressional funding mandate of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conserve hazelnuts, strawberries, hops, mint, pears, currants/gooseberries, raspberries/blackberries, blueberries/cranberries, and other related crops. The objectives of the unit are to collect, maintain, distribute, and evaluate genetic resources for these crops. The collection now includes more than 12,000 accessions. About half are seedlots and half are living plants. Clonal collections are conserved in 35 acres of field plantings, and as potted plants in about 30,000 square feet of screen/greenhouses. Seeds are stored in freezers at -20^o C. These living plant collections are some of the most extensive in the world for each genus, and represent diverse wild species as well as heritage cultivars. Since 1981, the NCGR has annually distributed between 6,000 and 10,000 samples (cuttings, plants or seeds) to plant breeders and researchers around the world. The NCGR staff collaborates with international scientists on better characterizing these valuable resources. Important service activities and research findings include:

• Maintenance of >12,000 diverse living plant and seed accessions for global horticultural research.
• Development of molecular markers for horticultural/botanical identity and diversity.
• Evaluation of flowering, fruiting, and plant characteristics for each accession.
• Evaluation of disease and pest resistance of strawberries, raspberries, pears, quince, hops, and hazelnuts.
• Description of new species and reports on species range extensions.
• Improvement of culture media for in vitro growth and medium-term cold storage of fruits and nut plants.
• Development of protocols for cryopreservation of dormant buds for long-term conservation.
• Determination of the phylogeny, biogeography, and taxonomy of assigned fruit, nut, and specialty crops.

Base funds have been unchanged for the past decade, though administrative costs and collections have expanded. New diseases and pests increasingly threaten each crop. Despite these challenges, the Corvallis genebank provides reference living plant materials for hundreds of international scientists and plant breeders each year. NCGR continues to guard the integrity of horticultural germplasm for future generations