ARS | Publication request: Trifolium Species Germplasm Exploration 1990-2001

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract
Publication Acceptance Date: September 9, 2002
Publication Date: November 9, 2002
Citation: Quesenberry, K.H., Taylor, N.L., Pederson, G.A., Smith, G.R., Greene, S.L. Trifolium species germplasm exploration 1990-2001. Agronomy abstracts (cd-rom) 2002.

Technical Abstract: During 1990-2000, 10 germplasm collection trips related to Trifolium species, and funded by USDA-NPGS, were conducted. These efforts involved 13 USA and 10 international scientists. Collections were made in Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Republic of Georgia, Russia, and the USA. In the USDA, trips focused on CA, NM, WA and WY. These expeditions resulted in over 1500 unique field collections representing over 100 Trifolium species, and added 27 new Trifolium species to the USA collection, including 7 threatened or endangered species. A major emphasis during this time was collection of Trifolium species native to the western USA, resulting in the addition of 22 new species to the NPGS collection. Other individual collections in KY, VA, WV, TX, MS, AL, GA and FL have increased the diversity of the 7 Trifolium species native to the Eastern USA. The addition of these 27 new species is the most added in any period of the history of the collection. The current USA ex situ Trifolium collection consists of 208 species making it the most complete in the world. About 23 other known species from diverse and isolated locations are not available in any ex situ collections. Many areas of collection, especially Europe and Asia, have shown evidence of overgrazing and deterioration of native germplasm, emphasizing the urgent need for collection of forage genetic resources.