T. Austin Campbell, Chairman
Beltsville Agricultural Research Center
Beltsville MD
1. Standardized Tests
Revisions entailed the incorporation of new checks into four existing protocols:
c. Grazing Tolerance test- revised by J. H. Bouton.
d. Potato Leafhopper Resistance test- revised by Mark Mocassin and David Miller.
Revisions were approved at the Business Meeting and will be on the NAAIC HomePage and also printed for distribution.
Craig Sheaffer, Dan Undersander, Steve Bowley, David Johnson, Neal Martin, and Mark Mocassin also presented a draft protocol for yield evaluation. This proposal is on the NAAIC HomePage and Craig Sheaffer (sheaf001@maroon.tc.umn.eduor) will welcome any comments from the membership. A decision will be made later as to whether or not a formal yield protocol will be developed.
2. It was recommended that the size of the committee be expanded to include a core group of experts in different disciplines. Jessica Brummer (breeder, ABI), Sharie Fitzpatrick (pathologist, Forage Genetics), and Larry Tuber ( breeding and management, U. of CA, Davis) have volunteered to serve on the committee so far.
3. It was also recommended that the list of authorities on each protocol be updated.
4. Finally, I discussed the fire in our seed storage room resulting in the loss of many large lots of check seed. Older checks with insufficient seed were increased in Prosser WA or Idaho in 1998; seed of newer checks will be requested from appropriate seed companies. We are attempting to get a new seed storage facility on line and, as an alternative, the recommendation was made during the Western Alfalfa Improvement Conference Committee meeting that the possibility of transferring the responsibility for check seed distribution and maintenance to the Alfalfa Germplasm Curator (Dr. Stephanie Green) be explored. Larry Tuber and I are currently investigating this possibility.