China- Crop Germplasm Conservation
September 16-27, 2018
This program provided the fellows exposure on how crop germplasm is identified, inspected, and conserved and how this information is shared throughout the country. The Fellows traveled throughout the country to talk with numerous professionals and scientists. In Washington, DC, the Fellows met with the National Plant Germplasm Laboratory, the American Seed Trade Association and toured the USDA National Arboretum. In Raleigh, NC, the Fellows met with NC State University Plant Breeding Consortium faculty , toured the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Seed Laboratory, NC State University Micropropagation and Repository Unit, and Syngenta Seeds. Then the Fellows traveled to Colorado where they met with the USDA-ARS Plant and Animal Genetic Resources Preservation, Seed Preservation Program. On the final leg of their trip, the Fellows toured the M. Rick Tomato Genetics Resource Center and then the Tree Fruit, Nut, and Grapes National Clonal Germplasm Repository in Davis, California. This cross-country training introduced the Fellows to a wide array of US agriculture and the multiple approaches to germplasm conservation within the US.