IV. MAIZE GENETICS COOPERATION STOCK CENTER
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Maize Genetics Cooperation � Stock Center USDA/ARS/MWA - Soybean/Maize Germplasm, Pathology & Genetics Research Unit & University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign - Department of Crop Sciences |
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S-123 Turner Hall |
(217) 333-6631 [phone] (217) 333-6064 [fax] [email protected] [e-mail] http://www.uiuc.edu/ph/www/maize [URL] |
3,216 seed samples have been supplied in response
to 290 requests, for 2005. A total of 96 requests were received from 28 foreign
countries. More than 90% of our
requests were received by electronic mail or through our order form on the
World Wide Web. Popular stock
requests include the IBM RIL mapping populations, Hi‑II lines, ig1 lines, transposable element lines, Maize Gene
Discovery Project lines, and Chromatin stocks.
Approximately 10 acres of nursery were grown this summer at the Crop Sciences Research & Education Center located at the University of Illinois. Favorable weather in the early spring allowed the timely planting of our first crossing nursery. However, dry weather set in, and tender young seedlings in our second crossing nursery were devoured by red-winged blackbirds apparently seeking a source of water. Much of our second crossing nursery will have to be replanted next summer. Growing conditions were generally good, but we had to supplement scant rainfall with irrigation during the first part of the summer. Moderate temperatures and low plant stress resulted in a good pollination season.
Special plantings were made of several categories of stocks:
1. In the �Phenotype Only� collection, we have made available an additional 250 stocks in 2005.
2. Plantings were also made from donated stocks from the collections of Alice Barkan (photosynthetic mutants), Ed Coe (bu1, w3, and nec3 alleles), Hugo Dooner (transposed Ac lines), Jerry Kermicle (various r1 alleles), Robert Lambert (defective kernel mutants), Bruce May and Rob Martienssen (mn* mutants from the MTM project), Gerry Neuffer (EMS-induced mutants), Pat Schnable (glossy mutants), Margaret Smith (male sterile cytoplasm lines), Keith Slotkin (Mu killer), and others. We expect to receive additional accessions of stocks from maize geneticists within the upcoming year.
3. We conducted allelism tests of several categories of mutants with similar phenotype or chromosome location. We found additional alleles of inhibitor of r1 aleurone color2 (inr2), pink scutellum1, spotted1, viviparous9, ramosa1 and white14. We plan to test additional members of the viviparous, spotted leaf, and pale green plant mutants. In this manner, we hope to move more stocks from our vast collection of unplaced uncharacterized mutants into the main collection.
4. We further characterized the Fcu system of r1 aleurone color enhancers. We refined the map position of Fcu on the long arm of chromosome 2 through the collection of five point linkage data, and set up crosses to transposon tag Fcu using one of Tom Brutnell�s transposed Ac lines. We are collecting and characterizing additional alleles of Fcu and other r1 aleurone color enhancers.
5. Two acres were devoted to the propagation of the large collection of cytological variants, including A‑A translocation stocks and inversions. In this collection is a series of waxy1‑marked translocations that are used for mapping unplaced mutants. Over the years, pedigree and classification problems arose during the propagation of these stocks. We can now supply good sources proven by linkage tests to include the correct translocated chromosomes. Additional translocation stocks from this series were tested this last year. Results of these tests will be reported in the next issue of the Maize Genetics Cooperation Newsletter. We have received wx1, su1, o2 and y1 marked translocations from W. R. Findley and wx1 marked stocks from Don Robertson. Approximately 30 of these uniquely marked translocation stocks have been added to our collection. Several others will be added as they are increased. Those marked with wx1 are being checked by linkage tests as we did for the main series of waxy1‑marked translocations.
6. Stocks produced from the NSF project "Regulation of Maize Inflorescence Architecture" (see: https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/servlet/ showaward?award=0110189) were grown this summer. Families that were observed in 2004 to segregate mutations were selected to be increased in the nursery. These increases help to confirm the presence of the mutation and maintain adequate seed stock to fill future requests.
We continue to grow a winter nursery of 0.5 acres at the Illinois Crop Improvement Association�s facilities in Juana D�az, Puerto Rico. We had an excellent winter crop last year, and all indications are that the crop will perform well this year. We plan to continue growing our winter nurseries at this location.
We have received 2,668 additional EMS lines from various inbred backgrounds produced by Dr. Gerry Neuffer (Regulation of Inflorescence Architecture in Maize project). There are sufficient seed for all of these for distribution. In addition to the EMS lines, we have received an additional 21 lines of Functional Genomics of Chromatin project stocks from Karen McGinnis.
We selected 1,620 lines of materials from Dr. Gerry Neuffer�s EMS material that were screened for ear and kernel mutations in the lab, for placement in observation fields on the University of Illinois Crop Science Research facility for observation of seedling and adult plant mutations (during our annual mutant hunt). In addition to these lines, 1,982 lines of MTM material from Dr. Rob Martienssen were also planted this year and observed for phenotype variation. Many visitors from surrounding universities came throughout the summer to walk the fields and search for unique mutations. We plan to have another mutant hunt next summer.
Our IT specialist, Jason Carter, has
completed the second version of our curation tools, and we are currently using
these tools to maintain data for our collection. These tools now input our public stock data directly into
MaizeGDB, to give maize scientists access to up-to-date information about our
collection. It is hoped that these curation tools will provide the foundation
for the development of more advanced curation tool options for MaizeGDB data
curators. Jason has left us to
join the Peace Corps, and Josh Tolbert joined us in December. Next year, we plan to develop even more
custom software to facilitate the search and display of stock pedigree
information, as well as to streamline the process of filling stock requests.
The new greenhouse space in Urbana is almost ready and new seed storage space (which will double our capacity) is presently being designed.
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Marty Sachs |
Philip Stinard |
Janet Day Jackson |
Shane Zimmerman |
Jason Carter/Josh Tolbert |
ADDITIONS TO OUR CATALOG OF STOCKS SINCE MNL79
(For a complete list of our stocks, see: http://maizegdb.org/cgi-bin/stockcatalog.cgi)