🚀 go-pugleaf

SUMMARY:  The sixth in a series of electronic newsletters is now
	available to interested scientists who reply to this posting.
	A hardcopy can also be requested.



Collections of living microorganisms and subcellular entities maintained
and used by scientists within State Agricultural Experiment Stations,
USDA/ARS Research Labs and private industry represent an enormous national
resource.

In contrast to the larger reference collections such as ATCC these
"working" collections typically contain a small number of taxons but a
large number of strains.  Working collections also are unique because they
are maintained by individual scientists who have an intimate knowledge and
"feel" for the germplasm group within her/his collection.


Until the last few years there has been little progress in organization and
evaluation this reservoir of knowledge.  Hence, the Microbial Germplasm
Database and Network is being implemented with funding from USDA/CSRS to
facilitate communication between scientists who are involved in plant-
related studies and who maintain research-oriented "working collections" of
microorganisms, nematodes and/or subcellular entities.  The database and
network will provide on-line information regarding collections and
accessions and will serve to apprise the scientific community of the
importance of the germplasm in these many collections as a valuable and
endangered national resource.  The Microbial Germplasm Database is being
developed with the capability of ultimately interfacing with existing
international databases and networks.

The sixth newsletter for the Microbial Germplasm Network and Database is
now available.  If interested, you can request either an e-mail copy or
surface mail hardcopy by replying to this posting.  If you or your
laboratory maintains a collection of germplasm (bacteria, nematodes,
viruses, endo-ecto mycorrhizae, fungi, protozoa, plasmids, genes, or phage)
that are used in plant-related research your input to this endeavor would
be encouraged.



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Joe Hanus                            | E-MAIL hanusj@bionette.cgrb.orst.edu
Dept. of Botany and Plant Pathology  | Phone  (503)-737-3451
Oregon State University              |
Corvallis, OR 97331-2902             |
USA
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