**Organic Research Activities Workshop**

**Northeast Plant Introduction System (Plant Genetic Resources Unit)**

**Geneva, NY**

This project is entitled "Conservation and Utilization of Plant Genetic
Resources" and the project number is 1907-21000-016-05 S.

[Objectives Directly Related to Organic Agriculture:]{.underline}

Objective 3 (Increase utilization of conserved germplasm through
enhanced accessibility, documentation, and training in small-scale seed
production) of the CRIS project plan is directly related to organic
agriculture through two Reimbursable Cooperative Agreements. The current
RCA, AD-421: Agreement \# 58-1907-2-215): Providing Access to New Public
Varieties to Organic Farmers and Small-Scale Seed Producers is a
sub-contract with Cornell University for a project supported by the
Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems (IFAFS). PGRU has
taken the lead in the outreach component of this project with the Public
Seed Initiative (PSI). PGRU's role has been to provide training and
equipment for small-scale and organic seed producers for small scale
seed production of vegetable varieties of interest to organic farmers.
SY time committed to this project is 10%. Another RCA is in the process
of being completed with Cornell University for the Organic Seed
Partnership which has been funded by the Organic Research and Extension
Initiative (OREI), which will continue and expand on the activities of
the current PSI project, which expires in July 2005.

[Objectives Applicable to Organic Agriculture:]{.underline}

Objective 3 (Acquire and maintain genetic resources and associated
information for tomatoes, vegetable *Brassica* crops, onion (bulb and
bunching), other minor vegetables (celery, radish, winter squash,
tomatillo), and buckwheat to provide adequate genetic resources for
distribution to our user community) of the CRIS project plan is
applicable to organic farming. The Plant Genetic Resources Unit
maintains 11,700 accessions of vegetable germplasm which are distributed
nationally and internationally to crop improvement programs. This
material is being assessed by several breeding programs that are aimed
at participatory breeding projects for development of improved vegetable
varieties that are adapted to organic production systems. Currently PGRU
is involved with a Cornell University SARE funded project that has six
breeding projects aimed at providing improved disease resistant
vegetable varieties for organic production systems. Germplasm
maintenance involves 70% of the SY time and resources of the CRIS
project.

[Accomplishments Related to Organic Agriculture:]{.underline}

Through the Public Seed Initiative, PGRU in the past three years has
conducted seven seed production workshops at PGRU, at the NOFA-NY annual
meetings, and at several small-scale seed producer facilities.
Demonstrations have been provided of small-scale seed processing at the
NOFA annual summer field days (3 times), at the Empire Farm Days, and at
the Common Ground Fair (3 times). Additionally this project has been
used to assemble a mobile seed processing unit which has been used to
conduct "Community Seed Days" at 17 locations in New York, Pennsylvania,
Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

[Resources/Strengths of Program for Addressing Organic
Agriculture]{.underline}

Strong relationships and linkages have been developed with organic
farming associations (NOFA, MOFGA, Oregon Tilth). Large germplasm
collections of vegetable germplasm are available for breeding programs
for organic production systems.

[Limitations/Needs for Addressing Organic Farming]{.underline}

There is need for plant pathology research for production of healthy
seed using organic production systems for seed production.