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Evidence Project Final Report

EVID4 Evidence Project Final Report (Rev. 06/11) of 15

mailto:[email protected]

NoteIn line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Defra aims to place the results of its completed research projects in the public domain wherever possible. The Evidence Project Final Report is designed to capture the information on the results and outputs of Defra-funded research in a format that is easily publishable through the Defra websiteAn Evidence Project Final Report must be completed for all projects.

This form is in Word format and the boxes may be expanded, as appropriate.

ACCESS TO INFORMATIONThe information collected on this form will be stored electronically and may be sent to any part of Defra, or to individual researchers or organisations outside Defra for the purposes of reviewing the project. Defra may also disclose the information to any outside organisation acting as an agent authorised by Defra to process final research reports on its behalf. Defra intends to publish this form on its website, unless there are strong reasons not to, which fully comply with exemptions under the Environmental Information Regulations or the Freedom of Information Act 2000.Defra may be required to release information, including personal data and commercial information, on request under the Environmental Information Regulations or the Freedom of Information Act 2000. However, Defra will not permit any unwarranted breach of confidentiality or act in contravention of its obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998. Defra or its appointed agents may use the name, address or other details on your form to contact you in connection with occasional customer research aimed at improving the processes through which Defra works with its contractors.

Project identification

1. Defra Project code GC0144

2. Project title

Support for the Warwick HRI Genetic Resources Unit as Base Collection and for Use in Vegetable Research

3. Contractororganisation(s)

School of Life SciencesUniversity of WarwickWellesbourne CampusWarwickCV35 9EF

54. Total Defra project costs £ 1425439(agreed fixed price)

5. Project: start date................ 1/4/2009

end date................. 31/3/2014


6. It is Defra’s intention to publish this form. Please confirm your agreement to do so.............................................................................................YES X (a) When preparing Evidence Project Final Reports contractors should bear in mind that Defra intends that

they be made public. They should be written in a clear and concise manner and represent a full account of the research project which someone not closely associated with the project can follow.Defra recognises that in a small minority of cases there may be information, such as intellectual property or commercially confidential data, used in or generated by the research project, which should not be disclosed. In these cases, such information should be detailed in a separate annex (not to be published) so that the Evidence Project Final Report can be placed in the public domain. Where it is impossible to complete the Final Report without including references to any sensitive or confidential data, the information should be included and section (b) completed. NB: only in exceptional circumstances will Defra expect contractors to give a "No" answer.In all cases, reasons for withholding information must be fully in line with exemptions under the Environmental Information Regulations or the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

(b) If you have answered NO, please explain why the Final report should not be released into public domain

Executive Summary7. The executive summary must not exceed 2 sides in total of A4 and should be understandable to the

intelligent non-scientist. It should cover the main objectives, methods and findings of the research, together with any other significant events and options for new work.

Conservation of plant genetic resources such as the seed collections of the UK Vegetable Genebank is a significant and necessary activity to ensure the continuing availability of genetic diversity in crop genepools. This diversity is the raw material for plant breeding programmes, and global concerns were raised from the 1970s onwards about the loss of genetic variation in cultivated species caused by the displacement of landrace and traditional varieties by more broadly adapted commercial varieties. Ex-situ collections were set up, including the UK Vegetable Genebank, in order to conserve crop genetic diversity through the management of germplasm collections (either seed or other propagative material).

The UK Vegetable Genebank forms part of the UK’s plant genetic resource collection, and includes the following crops: Allium (onion, leek, etc), Brassica (Brussels sprout, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.), Daucus (carrot), Raphanus (radish), Lactuca (lettuce) and minor vegetables (celery, spinach, endive, cress, etc.).

As signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), the UK holds commitments to the conservation, the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from utilisation, and the making available of such genetic resources. Through this contract Defra provided support to Warwick Genetic Resources Unit (GRU) for the conservation and management of the seed collections, and the distribution of seed to users in academic, public and commercial organisations.

All project objectives and milestones were met, and a summary of the work undertaken as part of this project is described below in sections relating to each of the main objectives.

1. To comply with the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in the conservation, documentation and distribution of the genetic resources collections of Allium, Brassica, Daucus, Raphanus, Lactuca and minor vegetables (e.g. celery, spinach, endive, cress) using international standards and working practices to provide efficient management and enhance their use.


Seed was stored at conditions considered optimal for the maintenance of long-term viability for the species in question. Over 3100 germination tests were carried out during the project to monitor the viability of seed in long-term storage. A programme of regeneration was undertaken to ensure seed of sufficient quality and quantity remain available for use in plant research and breeding, and a total of 688 accessions were grown out for regeneration.

The Standard Material Transfer Agreement required by the ITPGRFA was used for all material. Between Feb 2010 and the end of the contract 4279 accessions were distributed to organisations in 23 countries. The material was distributed primarily to seed companies, academic institutions and public research bodies. At the end of the contract the collection totalled 13418 accessions.

2. To organise on a quid pro quo basis duplicate ‘black box’ security storage for the Warwick HRIGRU collections, and to maintain the security duplicates of horticultural crops for other gene banks under long-term storage conditions (-200C).

Safety duplication of accessions was carried out in parallel with the regeneration programme to ensure that only high quality seed samples are kept as safety duplicates. A subsample (generally 10g seed) was removed from the regenerated seed lot after processing, drying and packaging and shipped to the Center for Genetic Resources, The Netherlands (CGN) for storage under a ‘black box’ agreement. The work resulted in a 6% increase in the number of accessions with a safety duplicate sample during the course of the project. Warwick GRU also continued to store duplicate samples under ‘black box’ arrangements for a variety of other institutions, including CGN, the Heritage Seed Library, and AVRDC (the World Vegetable Center).

3. To collaborate in the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) and the AEGIS (A European Integrated Genebank System) project as UK inputs-in-kind.

Warwick GRU staff were active within several crop Working Groups during the project. Representation of the UK was provided on the Brassica, Allium, Umbellifer Crops, Leafy Vegetables and vegetable Solanaceae groups. Dr Astley chaired the Vegetables Network of ECPGR until 2011, and was Chair of the Allium Working Group. Dr Allender was Vice-Chair of the Umbellifer Crops group and then was elected Chair at the meeting of the group in 2013. Warwick GRU staff were also active in the AEGIS programme, being involved in two research projects to further the selection of material to be included in the European Collection

4. To develop the WGRU web site to maximise the access for potential users to the WHRIGRU collections, data and images. The Warwick GRU website (www.warwick.ac.uk/go/gru) was kept updated with information regarding the collections, and the possible routes to make requests for seed (Milestone 11). Links were provided to EURISCO and the European Umbellifer Crop Database and European Allium Database to enable access to passport data for users. The website was also used to publicise upcoming events such as the Warwick Crop Centre Open Afternoons. Communication of the activities of Warwick GRU and the development of links with new potential users were enabled through the use of the @WarwickGRU Twitter account.

Other: UtilisationUtilisation of the collections was promoted by participation in various outreach activities. These ranged from open days and tours of Warwick GRU, to presence and promotion of the collections at horticultural industry events, and presentations at academic conferences and workshop. A number of articles were produced describing the work of the genebank to non-specialist audiences.


http://www.warwick.ac.uk/go/gru

Project Report to Defra8. As a guide this report should be no longer than 20 sides of A4. This report is to provide Defra with details of

the outputs of the research project for internal purposes; to meet the terms of the contract; and to allow Defra to publish details of the outputs to meet Environmental Information Regulation or Freedom of Information obligations. This short report to Defra does not preclude contractors from also seeking to publish a full, formal scientific report/paper in an appropriate scientific or other journal/publication. Indeed, Defra actively encourages such publications as part of the contract terms. The report to Defra should include: the objectives as set out in the contract; the extent to which the objectives set out in the contract have been met; details of methods used and the results obtained, including statistical analysis (if appropriate); a discussion of the results and their reliability; the main implications of the findings; possible future work; and any action resulting from the research (e.g. IP, Knowledge Exchange).

Introduction

Conservation of plant genetic resources such as the seed collections of the UK Vegetable Genebank is a significant and necessary activity to ensure the continuing availability of genetic diversity in crop genepools. This diversity is the raw material for plant breeding programmes and global concerns were raised from the 1970s onwards about the loss of genetic variation in cultivated species caused by the displacement of landrace and traditional varieties by more broadly adapted commercial varieties. Ex-situ collections were set up, including the UK Vegetable Genebank, in order to conserve crop genetic diversity through the management of germplasm collections (either seed or other propagative material).

The UK Vegetable Genebank forms part of the UK’s plant genetic resource collection, and includes the following crops: Allium (onion, leek, etc), Brassica (Brussels sprout, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.), Daucus (carrot), Raphanus (radish), Lactuca (lettuce) and minor vegetables (celery, spinach, endive, cress, etc.).

As signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), the UK holds commitments to the conservation, the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from utilisation, and the making available of such genetic resources. Through this contract Defra provided support to Warwick Genetic Resources Unit (GRU) for the conservation and management of the seed collections, and the distribution of seed to users in academic, public and commercial organisations.

All activities were carried out with the standards suggested by the FAO “Genebank Standards for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture” document produced in 2013. All project objectives and milestones were met, and the work undertaken as part of this project is described below in sections relating to each of the main objectives:

1. To comply with the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in the conservation, documentation and distribution of the genetic resources collections of Allium, Brassica, Daucus, Raphanus, Lactuca and minor vegetables (e.g. celery, spinach, endive, cress) using international standards and working practices to provide efficient management and enhance their use.

a) Conservation

The original focus of the Vegetable Genebank, as defined in 1980 by the VGB Management Committee in consultation with other interested nation and international parties, centred on UK field horticultural crops as the priority targets for conservation. This remit has continued unaltered through the working history of the Vegetable Genebank and has guided conservation activities in the current project.


The range of crops and wild taxa conserved by the Vegetable Genebank at Warwick GRU is as follows:

- Allium - cultivated forms of onion, leek & Welsh leek; selected wild species

- Brassica oleracea - cultivated forms including Brussels sprout, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale & kohl rabi; wild UK relatives

- Brassica napus - horticultural & fodder forms; kale & swede

- Brassica rapa - horticultural & fodder forms; including Chinese cabbage, broccoletto, kale & turnip; UK wild taxa

- Brassica juncea - horticultural & fodder forms; leaf mustards

- Daucus - all cultivated & wild carrot

- Lactuca – cultivated & wild lettuce, as an adjunct to the Centre for Genetic Resources the Netherlands collection.

- Raphanus - all cultivated & wild radish

- Miscellaneous vegetables including celery, garden beet, parsnip, tomato, chicory, endive, spinach & other leaf salad crops

The seed collections as of 31st March 2014 totalled 13418 accessions with the breakdown in terms of major crop groups as in Table 1.

The seed conserved is ‘orthodox’ in that it tolerates low moisture content and storage at sub-zero temperatures. The storage regime for the seed collections in Warwick GRU is to dry seed to 5% moisture content by weight and to package in foil laminate pouches to prevent rehydration during storage. The seed is then kept at -20°C (Milestone 2). This matches the recommendations given by the FAO in the 2013 revision of the “Genebank Standards for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture”. Seed moisture content was assessed using the standard differential weight test as described by the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA); a subsample of accessions of each crop type was tested to ensure that seed moisture levels were low enough to ensure longevity during storage at -20°C. Seeds are dried by allowing them to equilibrate with ambient conditions in drying rooms maintained at 15°C and 15% relative humidity. The exact time to equilibration depends on the species and the original seed moisture content.

The storage and drying environments are monitored and logged, and a call-out system is in place should either environment deviate beyond pre-set parameters. The system is able to automatically dial out to a monitoring centre outside of normal working hours. A maintenance contract is in place to ensure regular routine servicing of the refrigeration and dehumidification equipment, along with a call-out facility to enable any repairs required to be made as rapidly as possible. Both cold stores are chilled by two independent refrigeration systems; a failure in one system results in the second system taking over the cooling of the room.

The seed collections are split into two components; the base and the active collection. The base collection is a 5g seed sample (or 10g for larger seeded crops such as beet and radish) from each accession which represents the highest quality seed, and the best representation of genetic diversity within the accession. This is the sample which is used for regeneration, and is not distributed. It is packaged in two layers of foil laminate for extra protection against moisture ingress. The active collection comprises the rest of the seed stock for each accession, minus a sample kept elsewhere for safety duplication (see section 5). This is packaged in 5g and 10g packs with 0.5g packs (1g for larger seeded crops) being kept for distribution and routine germination testing. During the course of the project the


active and the base collections were placed in physically separate cold stores to further enhance the security of the collection overall and to mitigate the effects of a catastrophic failure of one of the stores.

Foil packets are labelled with a unique accession number and taxonomic information. A re-labelling exercise is currently being undertaken which will enable seed packets to be labelled with synthetic labels with resin/thermal transfer printing and linear barcodes (based on the Code 128 standard). Adhesive on the new labels is suitable for the long-term storage environment of -20°C. This will offer more robust identification of seed packs as labels and text will not be affected by condensation or exposure to water, and the use of will open up more efficient methods of updating stock records within the Genebank data management system. Currently about 30% of the active collection has been relabelled.

Table 1: Composition of the Vegetable Genebank collections for key crops and changes in availability and safety duplication over the duration of the project. Available material comprises those accessions with sufficient seed stocks and viability above the 50% management baseline (see section2). Negative changes occur due to re-classification of material due to incorrect original taxonomic identification, and removal of seed stock or decreased viability of individual accessions. The total number of accessions includes the specific crops listed in the table together with other minor crops such as chicory, endive, cress, rocket and others, including wild related species.

Crop Total Accessions 2014

Available Accessions 2014

% change in availability 2009-2014

Safety Duplicated 2014

% change safety duplication 2009-2014

Onion (Allium cepa) 1626 1035 0 1066 0Leek/Kurrat (A. ampeloprasum)

270 163 18 167 23

Welsh onion (A. fistulosum)

88 52 0 32 -3

Wild taxa 174 11 0 21 0

B. oleracea cropsBroccoli 402 259 3 238 2Brussels Sprouts 1011 331 0 226 0Cabbage 1184 754 6 716 6Cauliflower 1003 530 0 410 0Kale 610 481 9 493 13Kohl rabi 55 54 0 47 0

Brassica juncea 87 56 -2 53 0B. napus 476 410 0 386 0B. rapa 752 618 1 609 1

Celery/celeriac (Apium)

95 85 4 70 4

Beet (Beta) 123 111 0 111 0Carrot (Daucus) 1620 1195 9 1111 10Lettuce (Lactuca) 1710 1026 11 637 18Parsnip (Pastinaca) 58 24 29 15 80Radish (Rahpanus) 804 392 -1 390 3

Total 13418 8234 5 7320 6

b) Germination testing


Viability monitoring of seed in long-term storage is a fundamental Genebank management activity. In line with the 2013 FAO Genebank Standards for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, accessions are tested prior to entering long-term storage (original or regenerated material), after a period of five years and then every ten years subsequently. Germination test data are logged so that viability changes can be monitored over time. The target viability for material entering storage is 80%, with a threshold of 50% triggering shortlisting of accessions for regeneration. Germination tests are generally carried out in the laboratory using incubators with controlled temperatures and lighting. The exact temperature and lighting regime depends on the species being tested and is determined by ISTA protocols. The standard lab-based protocol has been found to give unsatisfactory results for some accessions, particularly wild taxa, and an alternative protocol of germination testing in a compost growing medium under glasshouse conditions is preferentially employed for this material. A total of 3102 germination tests were carried out during the project (Milestone 1).

c) Regeneration

While long term storage of seed is carried out under recommended conditions, it is inevitable that seed will decline in viability over time, despite optimal storage conditions. Additionally, seed stocks can become depleted through requests. Both situations result in a requirement to regenerate fresh stocks of seed for accessions as needed. During the project a total of 688 accessions were grown out for regeneration (Milestone 4). The scale of the annual regeneration programme is determined by the physical and staffing resources available, with a target of 125 accessions per annum. The required total was therefore exceeded over the course of the project. Many of the crops conserved within Warwick GRU are outbreeding and accessions must be isolated from other of the same or compatible species to conserve the genetic integrity of each accession. Protocols are crop-specific but generally 45 plants are grown for seed production, subjected to a vernaliszation treatment if required and then placed in isolation cages. Such a number represents a balance between the space available in the isolation cages (46 individual cages which can accommodate two non-compatible accessions) and requirement to maintain intra-accession genetic diversity, specifically obtaining seed from a suitable number of individuals. The number of plants meets the crop-specific standards for the maintenance of AEGIS accessions as determined by the various relevant ECPGR crop Working Groups. Pollination is carried out through the use of blowflies, or where this is not possible, by hand. Seed are harvested and placed in the drying room environment immediately in order to ensure seed retains the highest health and viability. A management programme is undertaken for the control of pests and diseases and this, along with good plant husbandry also contributes to the reliable production of high quality seed for long term storage. For inbreeding crops such as lettuce, isolation and pollination is not required due to the self-pollinating reproductive biology of these groups. Most regeneration takes place under glasshouse conditions but for larger crops such as onions, leeks and asparagus, plants are grown in an external Dutch Light coldframe with portable isolation cages being deployed as required.

Harvested plant material is placed in a drying room until it is ready to thresh. Seed cleaning is carried out using dedicated facilities with adequate LEV (local exhaust ventilation) and standard operating procedures to ensure that staff exposure to sensitising agents from plant debris is minimised. All material harvested is labelled with the accession number, and the use of this number as an identifier means that batches of seed from different accessions are kept separate from each other to prevent cross contamination between accessions. Seeds are placed in paper envelopes or bags and replaced in the drying room to complete the drying process. Once all seed has been threshed and cleaned, the seed harvested for each accession is weighed, packaged and labelled and replaced in the active and base collections, and a safety duplicate sample is sent to the Center for Genetic Resources, The Netherlands for ‘black box’ storage (section 5; Milestone 3).

The number of accessions shortlisted for regeneration is far greater than the resources available can handle, and so accessions are prioritised based on uniqueness within the collections, interest from potential users and the availability of other accessions of that particular crop type. A growing interest in crop wild relatives (CWR) from both the breeding and research community has meant that larger numbers of these types of accessions were selected for regeneration during the final two years of the


project. CWR are often difficult to regenerate successfully, with longer and more variable juvenile periods meaning flowering is often unpredictable, and the plants themselves are more difficult to grow under the conditions which are suitable for cultivated material. The presence of dormancy in seeds also means that standard germination tests often do not give a true reflection of the viability of seed lots.

Facilities for regeneration at Warwick GRU were improved by re-glazing and the refurbishment of the automatic irrigation system in 2012/2013. The latter improvements will allow better control of irrigation and fertigation, and hence free up staff time for other activities in the future.

d) Documentation

Passport and stock data for each accession are managed within an MS Access database. Passport data follows the Multi-Crop Passport Descriptor format and contains information on taxonomy, origin, cultural identity and provenance. Stock information covers data such as seed stock levels, store location, viability, safety duplication and packaging regime, and is updated whenever packets are removed from or added to the stores (Milestone 5). The stock data are the basis for prioritising the accessions selected for regeneration, and to determine whether there is sufficient seed of a high enough quality to distribute to users on request.

Data are transferred to the UK National Focal Point (Dr Ian Thomas, University of Aberystwyth) for the purpose of updating both the UK National Inventory and the Eurisco database. Material included in the Multi-Lateral System (MLS) of the ITPGRFA was flagged in order to identify this material in Eurisco. Data were also transferred to several of the European Central Crop Database managers for inclusion in the relevant Central Crop Databases where update of these took place during the course of the project. Inclusion of the collection data in these online resources means that potential users can browse genebank catalogue and easily obtain passport data and select accessions to request. The European Allium Database and European Umbellifer Database were both hosted at Warwick Genetic Resources Unit during the project. The EADB was transferred to Dr Joachim Keller at IPK Gatersleben following the retirement of Dr Dave Astley from Warwick GRU, but the EUDB is still hosted by the University of Warwick and can be downloaded from the Warwick GRU webpages. The EUBD was updated following a meeting of the Umbellifer Crops Working Group in 2013.

A decision was taken to introduce linear barcode labels to all seed packets in the collection, in order to facilitate the accurate identification of accessions and increase the efficiency of the maintenance of stock records. Research was undertaken to select the most suitable format, hardware, software and consumables to ensure efficient production and deployment of durable labels. To date, approximately 30% of the active collection has been relabelled with unique barcodes printed onto water resistant labels. Work on the remaining packets is scheduled to be carried out over the next two years.

e) Distribution of Germplasm

The Standard Material Transfer Agreement required by the ITPGRFA was adopted by Warwick GRU for the Vegetable Genebank collections in February 2010. To simplify administration for both users and Warwick GRU, a decision was made in conjunction with Defra to use the sMTA for both Annex 1 and non-Annex 1 material, with indications over which clauses do not apply in the case of non-Annex 1 or non ‘food and agriculture’ uses. Table 2 shows the totals of requests made via an sMTA request form and numbers of accessions requested per year from February 2010 until March 2014. Requests were made by organisations in the following categories; 61 seed companies, 46 academic, 5 non-governnmental, 39 public research and 18 private research institutions. Material was distributed to institutions in a total of 23 countries. The majority of seed requests came from the UK, The Netherlands and France. In a small number of cases distribution to certain countries was not possible as the phytosanitary testing requirements could not be met; generally this was where certification required the destructive testing of large quantities of seed or where specific phytosanitary inspections were required during seed production.

Strategic differential test collections have been maintained, documented and distributed for use as


international standards in applied and pure research in consultation with University of Warwick specialists and user groups, namely Brassica S-allele lines, Brassica European Clubroot Differentials and Lactuca Bremia Differentials (Milestone 10). In addition, a duplicate safety collection of the HRI tomato Ailsa Craig Near-Isogenic Lines has been conserved in the -200C long-term seed store.

Table 2: Distribution of germplasm under the sMTA (includes both Annex 1 and non-Annex 1 material as the sMTA is used for both; Milestone 6)

Time Period Number of sMTA seed requests

Accessions Requested

Feb 2010 – March 2011 50 1315April 2011-March 2012 46 1321April 2012-March 2013 41 764April 2013-March 2014 32 859Total 172 4259

a) 2. To organise on a quid pro quo basis duplicate ‘black box’ security storage for the Warwick Horticulture Research International Genetic Resources Unit (WHRIGRU) collections, and to maintain the security duplicates of horticultural crops for other gene banks under long-term storage conditions (-200C).Safety Duplication

In accordance with the existing MoU with the Center for Genetic Resources, The Netherlands, a subsample (generally 10g seed) was removed from the regenerated seed lot after processing, drying and packaging and shipped for storage under a ‘black box’ agreement. Safety duplication of accessions was carried out in parallel with the regeneration programme to ensure that only high quality seed samples are kept as safety duplicates; subsampling older seed lots would result in a duplicate collection with reduced viability over time and require more frequent replacement. The work resulted in a 6% increase in the number of accessions with a safety duplicate sample during the course of the project (Table 1).

Warwick GRU also continued to store duplicate samples under ‘black box’ arrangements for a variety of other institutions, including CGN (as per the MoU), the Heritage Seed Library, and AVRDC, the World Vegetable Center (Milestone 7).

3. To collaborate in the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources and the AEGIS (A European Integrated Genebank System) project as UK inputs-in-kind.

a) ECPGR and International Activities

Warwick GRU staff were active within several crop Working Groups during the project. Representation of the UK was provided on the Brassica, Allium, Umbellifer Crops, Leafy Vegetables and vegetable Solanaceae groups. Dr Astley chaired the Vegetables Network of ECPGR until 2011, and was Chair of the Allium Working Group. Dr Allender was Vice-Chair of the Umbellifer Crops group and then was elected Chair at the meeting of the group in St Petersburg in 2013 (Milestone 8). Warwick GRU staff were also active in the AEGIS programme, being involved in two research projects to further the selection of material to be included in the European Collection (see section 8; Milestone 9). Dr Allender also visited Brazil during a trip funded by the British Council and the University of Warwick and made contact with researchers working in vegetable breeding and the conservation of genetic resources at Embrapa, the Brazilian organisation responsible for agricultural research and development.

4. To develop the WHRIGRU web site to maximise the access for potential users to the WHRIGRU collections, data and images.


a) Outreach Activities and Website Development

The Warwick GRU website (www.warwick.ac.uk/go/gru) was kept updated with information regarding the collections, and the possible routes to make requests for seed (Milestone 11). Links were provided to EURISCO and the European Umbellifer Crop Database and European Allium Database to enable access to passport data for users. The website was also used to publicise upcoming events such as the Warwick Crop Centre Open Afternoons. Communication of the activities of Warwick GRU and the development of links with new potential users were enabled through the use of the @WarwickGRU Twitter account.

Dr Allender and Dr Astley represented Warwick GRU at meetings of the UK Plant Genetic Resources Group, which provides technical and policy advice to Defra.

Work was undertaken during the project to publicise and promote the collections in the Vegetable Genebank and encourage their utilisation. Warwick GRU staff attended various industry-focused events such as the UK Onion and Carrot Conference (2009 and 2011), the Open Day of Elsoms Seed Ltd (2010, 2011, 2012) and VeGIN Stakeholder meetings (2010, 2011 and 2012). Academic conferences offered opportunities to engage with the research community, and Dr Allender attended Brassica 2012 in Catania, and the International Carrot Conference in 2010 and 2013 to present research outputs and raise awareness of the Genebank resources.

The University of Warwick provided funding via a Public Engagement Award to produce new display materials to aid the explanation of the work of Warwick GRU to visitors. These included three banners (which can be taken off site to other events) and a new printed leaflet. Tours of the facilities were given to a wide range of visitors including plant breeders, researchers, groups of students and other interested parties.

Warwick GRU was also a major attraction at the Open Afternoons held at Warwick Crop Centre in 2012 and 2013. These events showcased the research activities of staff in Warwick Crop Centre and the School of Life Sciences and they allowed the Vegetable Genebank collections to be presented in the context of the other research on site. Visitors were able to walk around Warwick GRU, speak to the staff and see examples of genepool variation n crops such as radish and lettuce. The Open Afternoons were attended by both industry and members of the public as well as researchers and local students.

Opportunities for the provision of teaching and training in the area of plant genetic resource conservation have been presented by the position of Warwick GRU within the University of Warwick. Dr Allender teaches on two MSc courses (Environmental Biosciences in a Changing Climate and Agro0nomy for the 21st Century) and has been able to give lectures and seminars to students about ex-situ conservation and the work of genebanks. She has also supervised two undergraduate final year research projects and one Masters level dissertation on topics of relevance to Warwick GRU, including landraces in Lactuca, factors affecting seed viability during long-term storage and the potential impact of ‘Next Generation’ sequencing technologies on genebank management.

5. Other activities:a) Research Activities

Warwick GRU staff were active in seeking funding for related research activities and participating in funded research projects. The most significant of these was the Vegetable Genetic Improvement Network (VeGIN; project IF0157 and IF0158 funded by Defra). The projects produced and developed structured subsamples of germplasm from genetic resource collections (the majority of which originated from Warwick GRU) and research lines. Four key crop groups were targeted; brassicas, lettuce, onion and carrot. A key feature of the VeGIN projects was the development of a network of stakeholders interested in the production and uptake of new crop varieties with improved sustainability traits. This enabled Warwick GRU and the Vegetable Genebank project to be promoted more widely among stakeholders.

Another closely related project managed by Dr Allender was based on F1 hybrid accessions in the Genebank collections (project IF0189 funded by Defra). Such accessions cannot easily be regenerated as


http://www.warwick.ac.uk/go/gru

the parental lines are often not available. The project investigated several strategies for the regeneration of hybrids where Self-Incompatibility rather than male sterility was used to produce the original variety, and identified the best one in terms of conservation of genetic diversity and staff effort required.

Warwick GRU staff were involved in other research projects arising from collaborations and activities with European partners, particularly through ECPGR and the various Crop Working Groups. These included two projects under the EU GENRES programme (EC870/2004). EURALLIVEG (see http://euralliveg.ipk-gatersleben.de/home.php) ran from 2007-2011 and the other project (Leafy Vegetables, Stimulating Use – see http://documents.plant.wur.nl/cgn/pgr/leafyveg/default.htm) ran from 2007 to 2010. Other ECPGR project activities included a competitively-funded project co-ordinated by Dr Allender aiming to further the selection of accessions for AEGIS within the Umbellifer Crops Working Group, and another looking at genetic diversity within Brassica landraces in Portugal, also with a view to facilitating the uptake of material into AEGIS. Dr Allender was also a partner in a research project developed through the Umbellifer Working Group looking at wild Daucus (carrot) material in ex-situ collections.

b) Organisational Changes

The project was originally hosted by Warwick HRI, a department of the University of Warwick formed by the merger of Horticulture Research International and the University in 2004. However, in 2010, Warwick HRI and the School of Biological Sciences were merged to form the School of Life Sciences. Activity, including that of Warwick HRI GRU and the Vegetable Genebank project at the University’s Wellesbourne Campus became focused into a research unit called Warwick Crop Centre. The re-named Warwick GRU continued to provide a pivotal role in the provision and management of plant genetic resources for research and breeding. Dr Dave Astley and Dr Charlotte Allender shared the management of Warwick GRU and both were appointed as Research Fellows within Warwick Crop Centre. Dr Allender replaced Dr Astley as project manager after his retirement at the end of 2011.

Investment was made in Warwick GRU facilities by the University of Warwick during the merger; refrigeration equipment was refurbished in one of the cold stores and additional seed cleaning equipment was installed in the GRU building from elsewhere on the Wellesbourne Campus. This was followed up by pre-planned re-glazing of the Warwick GRU glasshouses to improve the quality of the regeneration facilities. This activity had been discussed and costed into the project as the age of the existing facilities meant that such significant investment would be required.


http://documents.plant.wur.nl/cgn/pgr/leafyveg/default.htm

http://euralliveg.ipk-gatersleben.de/home.php

References to published material9. This section should be used to record links (hypertext links where possible) or references to other

published material generated by, or relating to this project.

Peer-Reviewed Articles

Dariusz Grzebelus, Massimo Iorizzo, Douglas Senalik, Shelby Ellison, Pablo Cavagnaro, Alicja Macko-Podgorni, Kasia Heller-Uszynska, Andrzej Kilian, Thomas Nothnagel, Charlotte Allender, Philipp W. Simon, Rafal Baranski (2013) Diversity, genetic mapping, and signatures of domestication in the carrot (Daucus carota L.) genome, as revealed by Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT) markers. Molecular Breeding DOI 10.1007/s11032-013-9979-

Iorizzo Massimo, Senalik Douglas A., Ellison Shelby L., Grzebelus Dariusz, Cavagnaro Pablo F., Allender Charlotte, Brunet Johanne, Spooner David M., Van Deynze Allen, Simon, Philipp W. (2013) Genetic structure and domestication of carrot (Daucus carota subspecies sativus) (Apiaceae). American Journal of Botany 10.3732/ajb.1300055

Thormann, Q. Yang, C. Allender, N. Bas, G. Campbell, M. E. Dulloo, A. W. Ebert, U. Lohwasser, C. Pandey and L. D. Robertson, et al. (2012) Development of best practices for ex situ conservation of radish germplasm in the context of the crop genebank knowledge base. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution DOI: 10.1007/s10722-012-9916-5

Peter G Walley, Graham R Teakle, Jonathan D Moore, Charlotte J Allender, David AC Pink, Vicky Buchanan-Wollaston, Guy C Barker (2012) Developing genetic resources for pre-breeding in Brassica oleracea: an overview of the UK perspective. Journal of Plant Biotechnology

Rafal Baranski, Charlotte Allender, Magdalena Klimek-Chodacka (2011) Towards better tasting and more nutritious carrots: Carotenoid and sugar content variation in carrot genetic resources. Food Research International 47 SI : 182-187

Daunay, M. C.; Allender, C.; Astley, D.; et al (2011) More Efficient Conservation and Use of Vegetable Genetic Resources in Europe: ECPGR Achievements and Perspectives. Acta Horticulturae 918: 405-417

Allender CJ and King GJ (2010) Origins of the amphiploid species Brassica napus L. investigated by chloroplast and nuclear molecular markers. BMC Plant Biology 10:54

Book Chapters, Reports and other Publications

Grzebelus D, Baranski R, Spalik K, Allender C, Simon PW (2011) Daucus in: Wild Crop Relatives - Genomic and Breeding Resources (C. Kole ed.), Springer

Allender C (2011) Book review of “The Second Report on the State of the World's Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture” Experimental Agriculture 47:574

L. Maggioni, M.C. Daunay, W. van Dooijeweert, D. Astley, N. Bas, F. Branca, M.J. Díez Niclós, E. Geoffriau, J. Keller, T. Kotlińska, K. Smékalová, R. van Treuren & E. Lipman. (2010) Report of the ECPGR Vegetables Network (Third Meeting), 10-12 November 2009, Catania, Italy (http://www.ecpgr.cgiar.org/Networks/Vegetables/vegetables.htm)

Maggioni L, Geoofriau E, Allender C and Lipman E. Report of a Working Group on Umbellifer Crops - First Meeting, jointly held with the Second Workshop of the AEGIS-funded project on Umbellifer Crops, 29 March–1 April 2011, Quedlinburg, Germany http://www.ecpgr.cgiar.org/fileadmin/bioversity/publications/pdfs/1477_Report_of_a_working_group_on_Umbellifer_crops.pdf

J. Keller, D. Astley, A. Tsivelikas, J. Engels and E. Lipman Report of a Working Group on Allium - Seventh


http://www.ecpgr.cgiar.org/fileadmin/bioversity/publications/pdfs/1477_

http://www.ecpgr.cgiar.org/Networks/Vegetables/vegetables.htm

Meeting, 6-8 September 2011, Perea, Thessaloniki, Greece http://www.ecpgr.cgiar.org/publications/publication/issue/report_of_a_working_group_on_allium.html

Allender C, Lopes, V.R., Barata, A. M., Nunes, E. , Cartea, E. , Soengas, P. , Bas (2012) Brassica selection criteria for the identification of the Most Appropriate Accessions: relate to the Brassica oleracea of Iberian collection. http://www.aegis.org/Documents/GRANT_REPORTS/SECOND_CALL/Final_reports_second_call/AEGIS_11_038_Project_summary.pdf

Allender C. 2012. Assessment of Unique Material in the European Collections of Umbellifer Crops. Newsletter for Europe 44:7

Allender CJ (2011) Food for the Future. Online article describing work of the WGRU to a general audience. http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/knowledge/science/crops

Charlotte Allender has contributed to a series of articles in The Vegetable Farmer publication which described not only the newly formed Warwick Crop Centre but also the Warwick GRU and the use and scope of the collections in Allium, Brassica and carrot research.

http://vegetablefarmer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/magazines/magazine-january-2011/#36http://vegetablefarmer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/magazines/magazine-february-2011/#14http://vegetablefarmer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/magazines/magazine-april-2011/#36http://vegetablefarmer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/magazines/magazine-march-2011/#34

Conference Presentations

Rafal Baranski, Charlotte Allender and Magdalena Klimek-Chodack (2010) Variation of carotenoid and saccharide contents in carrots from gene bank collections. Poster presented at 15 th World Congress of Food Science and Technology, Cape Town, Republic of South Afria

Charlotte Allender, Ann Baker and Dave Pink (2010) Unlocking the Potential of Genebank Carrot Collections: Creating a Carrot Diversity Set as a Research and Pre-Breeding Resource. Poster and Full proceedings article presented at 34th International Carrot Conference, Kennewick, USA, 26th – 28th July 2010

Allender CJ (2012) Describing and using carrot genetic diversity in breeding and research. Presentation at VeGIN stakeholder Meeting, 20th February 2012, Wellesbourne, UK

Allender C., De Cesare M. - Genetic Diversity in Brussels Sprouts and Conservation of F1 Hybrids in Genebank Collections. Oral presentation at Brassica 2012, Catania, Italy, November 2012

Graham Teakle & Charlotte Allender. Genetics of vegetables - resources, advances in technology. Oral presentation at Food Security: the value of vegetables. Meeting at Warwick Crop Centre, Wellesbourne, July 2012

Lopes, V.R., Barata, A. M., Nunes, E. , Cartea, E. , Soengas, P. , Allender, C. , Bas,N. Assessment of genetic diversity in Iberian Landraces of Brassica oleracea bymolecular markers. Poster presentation at Brassica 2012, Catania, Italy, November 2012.

Allender, C.J., and M. de Cesare (2013). Diversity in carrot: variation in a structured collection of genetic resources. Oral presentation at 36th International Carrot Conference, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Allender CJ (2013) The UK Germplasm Collection. Oral presentation to Workshop on the Use of Carrot Wild Relatives. Madison, Wisconsin, USA


http://vegetablefarmer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/magazines/magazine-march-2011/#34

http://vegetablefarmer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/magazines/magazine-april-2011/#36

http://vegetablefarmer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/magazines/magazine-february-2011/#14

http://vegetablefarmer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/magazines/magazine-january-2011/#36

http://aegis.cgiar.org/fileadmin/www.ecpgr.cgiar.org/NEWSLETTEWR/NL44_7.pdf

http://aegis.cgiar.org/fileadmin/www.ecpgr.cgiar.org/NEWSLETTEWR/NL44_7.pdf