Independent Plant Breeder Access to GRIN Germplasm

[Carol Deppe]

Are you having trouble getting germplasm from the Grin system? If so, this is something OSSI would like to know about. And to do something about if we can.

Please tell me about it. Ideally, tell me about when it happened and who you were interacting with.

I suggest telling anyone at GRIN you interact with in the future that you are a member in good standing of the Open Source Seed Initiative Open Source Plant Breeding Forum (give link). And the germplasm you are requesting is not readily available commercially in USA and you need it for your plant breeding work.

Carol Deppe PhD, Chair
OSSI Board of Directors

[AndrewB]

This is a known problem going back a ways. I've been rejected more than once for various reasons and never consistent. Each species or curator / facility have their own guidelines.

But in general they tend to discriminate against non academic requesters and those with residential addresses. This not only applies to ARS GRIN, but the tomato genetics resource center. They don't like back garden breeders at all.

Which I get. There should be some sort of vetting process. I've seen that with my own sharing of seeds with others and the same phenomenon is seen with open source software. Many people take and don't give back or have crop failures because of lack of experience and lack or foresight to keep backup seed, etc.

And it costs money. A simple fee could be a good way to pay for that resource. It's a complex set of issues.

Regardless, I don't use ARS GRIN if I can avoid it. And I still have not figured out how to create or donate an accession back if I come up with something great.

But having academic support through OSSI for this when and if needed sounds great.

[Carol Deppe]

What happens if you use a seed company email address and home address? That is johndoe@seedcompany.com, not a gmail address. But are not a university employee.

[William Schlegel]

I've never had a problem with GRIN and I used a home address. Though also in my state it's easy to get an business name. I changed mine recently to Montana Tomato Project. Also you could get a P.O. for your business. In any regard I think it's important to be professional in dealings with GRIN and represent yourself well as an independent breeder. Perhaps developing a small breeding resume before approaching them might be helpful. Like developing and pledging a variety or two with readily available germplasm?

TGRC did deny my third request years ago. Though they left open some potential future possibilities. If you were a enrolled student taking a university plant breeding course or associated with a university lab or if you were associated with a seed bank. Which intrigued me as starting a seed bank for breeders might be interesting.

Also remember that the seed savers exchange and native seed search are gene banks. Native Seed Search I once asked if they could send a chia from their official seed bank as I was curious if it might be adaptable farther north but they thought it too risky and it may have been as EFN sent me a sample of the same species they'd adapted to Jersey and it didn't bloom for me.

Seed savers exchange would also let you offer any finished varieties or I think many germplasm varieties as long as they are stable and edible/palatable. I was able to get a good small collection of South American tomatoes from them.

Personally I've recieved so much germplasm at this point I'm still trying to process what I have. So any additional requests have been on pause for several years. Though I am the tomato steward for the Going to Seed organization and we might want to put together a request eventually. Though I'd feel personally responsible for the additional accessions.

The Going to Seed organization has made some organized requests for germplasm including doing some grow outs and returns of material to GRIN. I think they've done favas for example.

Also sharing germplasm with other independent breeders is very useful. I tend to save a packet or more every time I grow out an accession and usually have some to spare in small quantities. Though my main focus of the last few years has been to work through some red South American tomatoes and get that germplasm into something Northern tier state adapted and fancy. I think if we can make the germplasm exciting crop genetic conservation will be accomplished through our new varieties and widely adopted by small seed companies.

It's hard for me not to feel personally responsible for stewarding each accession I acquire as well. Even though my goal is to create new material from them.

[Carol Deppe]

I am guessing that by OSSI-Pledging a variety you minimize or cease to have trouble getting access to the Grin system because a simple search using name plus "plant breeder" brings up your affiliation with OSSI, your plant breeder page at ossi, etc.

Try it with "William Schlegel plant breeder," for example.

If you have pledged one or more varieties simply say that you are an OSSI-associated plant breeder. I think GRIN wants to see some kind of organizational connection. I don't think it has to be a university. And the ossi connection appears prominently in search results.

Maybe a seed company name will do.

I think the more difficult issue is assuring access for people who have not yet pledged a variety.

[William Schlegel]

Perhaps, though if some germplasm can be obtained through venues like Going to Seed, Experimental Farm Network, Native Seeds Search, and Seed Savers Exchange, a breeder could get a couple of varieties started, pledge them, release them, and that might open the door to GRIN.