# Presentation: 072715

## Assure the Quality of Native Germplasm through...........

##  PLANT GERMPLASM RELEASE AND CERTIFICATION PROCEDURES

**ESTABLISHED BY THE ASSOCIATION**
**OF OFFICIAL  SEED CERTIFYING AGENCIES **
**(AOSCA)**

## TRADITIONAL APPROACHof Plant Germplasm Release To The Public

**CULTIVAR RELEASE****--Broad based, widely adapted cultivars with outstanding and/or unique characteristics  with stable heritability**
**GERMPLASM RELEASE -- ****Minimally developed plant material possessing desirable traits released for use in breeding programs**

## Reclamation and Restoration Professionals indicate --

**Increasing need for local ecotypes**
**Superior or unique characteristics are no longer only factors considered**
**Desire for minimal or no genetic manipulation**
**Need to insure source and genetic purity for harvested/collected materials**

## Justification for Pre-Variety Releaseand Certification Procedures

**Propagation material of natural ecotypes are needed for ecosystem restoration**
**Inadequate seed sources for species or desired ecotypes**
**Time frame precludes traditional cultivar development**
**Limited potential market beyond applicable plant communities**

## Genetic StatusofPlant Populations

_**Manipulated**_
**Purposeful genetic manipulation (recurrent selection, hybridization, mutations, synthetic combinations, genetic engineering, etc.) has occurred**
**Genetic variability of defined plant population has been expanded or narrowed**
_**Natural**_
**No genetic manipulation of the original accession occurred**
**Full genetic variability of defined ecotype is maintained**

## Germplasm Source and Identity

_**Manipulated**_
**Native, naturalized, or exotic germplasm**
**Origin and genetic status of germplasm accession often not known**
**Detailed records of parental lines and genetic manipulation procedures required**
_**Natural**_
**Native, naturalized, or exotic germplasm; may be a narrow germplasm accession or broad ecotype collection**
**Location and characteristics of original collection site documented**
**Protocols established to minimize involuntary non-purposeful selection during collection, site testing, or reproduction in the field**

## Germplasm DevelopmentandPotential Release Categories

- 	_**Manipulated**_			_**Natural**_
**1.****	**** (Bulk Populations)*****	****   1.  Source Identified Class**
**2.  Selected Class****	****	****   2.  Selected Class**
**3.  Tested Class****	****	****   3.  Tested Class**
**4.  Cultivar/Variety****	****	****   4.  Cultivar/Variety**
***development category only**

**Germplasm Accession **
**or **
**Ecotype Collection**

## Germplasm Release Procedure I

**Unique characteristics not identified**
**Comparisons with other accessions, ecotypes, or bulk populations unknown**
**Area of adaptation unknown**

_**Manipulated**_

_**Natural**_

**Bulk Populations**
**No Tag**

**Source Identified Class**
**Yellow Tag; G1,G2,G3**

## Germplasm Release Procedure Icont’d

**Research and development stage**
**No selection or testing of F1’s**
**Occasionally released to other breeders**
**Not released to public for reproduction**

**Random germplasm accessions**
**No selection or testing of natural population**
**Status of majority of wild collected certified seed; may also be field produced**

_**Manipulated**_

_**Natural**_

**Bulk Populations**
**No Tag**

**Source Identified Class**
**Yellow Tag; G1,G2,G3***

*** Generations if  planted in field production; a natural stand is by definition G0.**

## Germplasm Release Procedure II

**Requires comparisons with other accessions, ecotypes, or breeding lines at common sites.**
**Shows promise of superior and/or unique traits.**
**Preliminary data on area of adaptation as defined by test conditions.**

_**Manipulated**_

_**Natural**_

**SELECTED CLASS**
**Green tag; G1,G2,G3**

**SELECTED CLASS**
**Green tag; G1,G2,G3**

## Germplasm Release Procedure IIcont’d

_**Manipulated**_

_**Natural**_

**SELECTED CLASS**
**Green tag; G1,G2,G3**

**SELECTED CLASS**
**Green tag; G1,G2,G3**

**Early Generation breeding lines**
**  ****under evaluation**
**May be released to other breeders**
**Occasionally reproduced and tagged**
**  ****for public use**

**Germplasm accession selected**
**   ****from accession pool**
**May be tagged and marketed as**
**  ****wild collected or field produced seed**
**“****Untested Seed Orchard” (pink tag)**
**   ****an accepted subset of Selected**
**   ****Class for forest tree seed**

## Germplasm Release Procedure III

**Seed must be produced from rigidly controlled and isolated natural stands or seed fields**
**Progeny tested on several sites to demonstrate superior or unique traits for which heritability is stable**
**Area of adaptation more certain as defined by test site conditions**

_**Manipulated**_

_**Natural**_

**TESTED CLASS**
**Blue Tag; G1, G2, G3**

**TESTED CLASS**
**Blue Tag; G1, G2, G3**

## Germplasm Release Procedure IIIcont’d

_**Manipulated**_

_**Natural**_

**TESTED CLASS**
**Blue Tag; G1, G2, G3**

**TESTED CLASS**
**Blue Tag; G1, G2, G3**

**Advanced generation breeding lines**

**May be released to other breeders**
** ****(traditional germplasm release)**

**Occasionally reproduced and tagged**
**  ****for public use**

**Germplasm accession progeny tested**

**Applied to individual forest trees **
**   ****or natural stands; may also be field**
**   ****produced**

**Tagged for public use where potential                            **
**   ****market is limited**

## Germplasm Release Procedure IV

_**Manipulated**_

_**Natural**_

**CULTIVAR/VARIETY**
**Foundation (G1) White Tag**
**Registered (G2) Purple Tag**
**Certified (G3) Blue Tag**

**CULTIVAR/VARIETY**
**Foundation (G1) White Tag**
**Registered (G2) Purple Tag**
**Certified (G3) Blue Tag**

**Clearly distinguished by superior qualities or unique traits**
**Reproduction is stable and outstanding characters heritable**
**Naming must comply with federal and state seed law definitions**
**Broad-based, wide area of adaptation as determined by testing locations**
**Good market potential perceived**

## Germplasm Release Procedure IVcont’d

**CULTIVAR/VARIETY**
**Foundation (G1) White Tag**
**Registered (G2) Purple Tag**
**Certified (G3) Blue Tag**

**CULTIVAR/VARIETY**
**Foundation (G1) White Tag**
**Registered (G2) Purple Tag**
**Certified (G3) Blue Tag**

_**Manipulated**_

_**Natural**_

**Breeder seed (G0) is defined**
** ****and maintained by breeder of**
** ****cultivar**

**Original germplasm accession or**
**  ****seed collected from a defined ecotype**
**  ****or natural stand is defined as G0 **
** ****(equivalent to breeder seed).**

## Labeling, Protection, and Marketing ofCertified Seed

**Identified on tag by crop and cultivar (variety) name**
**Has status of recognized variety under Federal and State seed law**
**Eligible for protection under the Plant Variety Protection Act**
**Only seed meeting certification requirements and properly tagged may be represented as certified seed**

**Cultivar/Variety**

## Labeling, Protection, and Marketing of Certified SeedPre-Variety Release

**Identified on tag by species name**
**Optional identification (number or descriptive designation) not to be construed as variety name**
**Tags for Natural germplasms must list geographic location of seed collection site or field production site**
**Not eligible for protection under the Plant Variety Protection Act**
**Only seed meeting certification requirements and properly tagged may be represented as certified seed**

## NRCS Planned Use of AOSCA Release Classes

## NRCS Use of AOSCA Release Classes

**1) NRCS would, generally,  use these release classes for “Natural” native species**
**2) NRCS would, generally, use these release classes for “Manipulated” native species**
**    ****and plants not native to North America**

_**Class**_

_**Natural**_

_**Manipulated**_

**Source Identified**

**Selected**

**Tested**

**Cultivar/Variety**

**Germplasm**** “traditional”**

**X****1**

**X****1**

**X****1**

**X****1**

**X****2**

**X****2**

## Source Identified

**collected from natural stands, seed production areas, orchards**
**no selection or testing of parent population**
**collection site data is specified (i.e. soils, elevation, precip., legal description etc..)**
**species literature review**
**documentation usually less than one year (generally not applicable to NRCS PM program)**
**no limitations on number of generations from natural stands**

## Uses for Source Identifiedinclude:

**materials address high priority needs**
**high potential for immediate use**
**lack of commercially available adapted materials**
**a local source is available**

## Selected

**species literature review**
**phenotypically selected plants of untested parentage with selections based on promise or observed superior performance**
**documentation, testing and release process may involve several years-i.e. 3 years or less**
**collected from natural stands, production areas or orchards**
**for field production, generations cannot exceed four and will be indicated as G1, G2, etc.. for generation one, generation two, etc..**
**original collection site data (soils, elevation, precip. etc..)**

## Uses for Selected materialsinclude:

**lack of or low availability of adapted commercial materials**
**commercial sources are not adapted/or have no proven performance to meet identified need**
**materials address high priority needs**

## Tested

**species literature review**
**original collection site data**
**involves initial and advanced evaluations-usually at multiple locations**
**testing, documentation, and release processes can involve 3-6+ years**
**progeny whose parentage has been tested and has proven superior performance against other collections and/or cultivars-varieties, heritability of distinctive traits must be stable**
**for field production, generations are limited to four and indicated as G1,G2, etc.**

## Uses for Tested materialsinclude:

**materials address high priority needs**
**low numbers of commercially available adapted materials**
**proven performance and /or superior traits (vs. commercial materials) are needed**

## Cultivar / Variety

**species literature review**
**original collection site data (soils, legal description elevation, etc.)**
**documentation, testing, and release processes can require 6-9+ years**
**selections are based on proven superior performance vs. other collections and/or cultivars-varieties, distinctive traits are heritable and stable**

## Cultivar cont’d.

**involves replicated plantings at multiple locations**
**for field production, generations are **_**<**_** four and are indicated as breeder (B), foundation (F), registered (R), and certified (C)**
**range of adaptation and conservation value are determined through field plantings, trials, and demonstration plantings**
**use of plant breeding methods such as : Mass Selection, Recurrent Restricted Phenotypic Selection (RRPS), etc. will put this in the “manipulated” vs. “natural” release class**

## Uses for Cultivars/Varieties include:

**materials address high priority needs**
**commercially adapted materials do not exhibit adequate performance within target area**
**materials are needed, but not available, which have proven performance and broad adaptation**

## Germplasm“traditional”

**involves materials that have been genetically manipulated; if not, then materials can be released as source identified, selected, or tested**
**priority, the material was originally intended for, was reduced**
**has desirable characteristics but does not meet current NRCS priorities**
**has some limitation that NRCS does not wish to overcome**
**species literature review and original collection site data**
**material is intended for other researchers, not for commercial production**
**infrequent use in the USDA Plant Materials Program**

## USESfor

**SOURCE IDENTIFIED:**** the defined problem or use area is limited to a geographical area with  environmental factors similar to the source**
**SELECTED:**** the defined problem or use area is generally broader geographically with limited variability in environmental factors**
**TESTED:****the defined problem or use area is larger geographically, i.e. MLRA, with moderate variability in environmental factors**

## USES for

**Cultivar/Variety:**** ****The defined problem                 or use area is usually large geographically, i.e. multistate, with potentially high variability in environmental factors**

## EXPECTEDPERFORMANCE *

**Will Perform**

**   ****Probably**
**   ****Will Perform**

**May Perform**

**Insufficient**
**Data**

**Cultivar**

**Tested**

**Selected**

**Source**
**Identified**

**Near/Similar**

**Far/Dissimilar**

**Distance from Source/ Environmental Conditions**

*** graph is based on judgement & experience-NOT actual data**

## SUMMARY

**Pre-Variety release procedures targeted to conservation plants**
**Intended to fill need for ecosystem**
**   ****restoration**
**Expedites use of plant material of assured genetic source and purity**

## Partners in Developing Pre-Variety Release and Certification Procedures

**Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA)**
**U.S. Forest Service**
**Natural Resources Conservation Service**
**Agricultural Research Service**

## Presented byUSDA Natural ResourcesConservation Service

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