Subject: You Can Help Expand Strawberry Gene Bank!

From: [email-masked] (Joseph Postman)
Date: 10 Apr 1995 23:29:28 GMT

HELP EXPAND COLLECTION OF STRAWBERRY GENETIC RESOURCES
      ____________________________________________________

   You are invited to participate in an experiment in collecting a diverse
representation of strawberry (Fragaria species) germplasm.   Please feel 
free to forward this message to school teachers.

   At the National Clonal Germplasm Repository in Corvallis, Oregon, we
maintain ex situ plant germplasm collections of several temperate fruit
and nut crops.  These plant collections are freely available to plant 
breeders and other researchers around the world.  I would like to test the
possibility of using the internet to access and assemble seed collections
of an easily identified, and easily extracted wild fruit plant.  During
the next month or two, strawberries (Fragaria species) should be ripening
their fruit in much of the northern hemisphere.  The wild Fragaria
virginiana in my corner of Oregon are just now blooming. 

     We are interested in expanding our collection of *wild* and
preferably *native* strawberry germplasm.  Geographic regions of North 
America that are NOT well represented in our strawberry gene bank include 
the mid-west, south-east, and south-west U.S. (except California), 
Alaska, and central to eastern Canada.  Seed samples from everywhere 
outside of North America are also needed.

   If you would like to participate in this effort, and enjoy a bit of
your local outdoor environment, please do the following: 

1.  Watch for a patch of wild strawberries in your part of the world.  We
do *not* want seed from cultivated varieties in a garden, or from plants
that may have escaped from cultivation, but from plants that appear to be
a part of the native vegetation. 

2.  If there are ripe fruit present, pick a handful of fruit and place in
a small bag.  Even 5 - 10 fruit will contain a useful quantity of seed,
and no more than 25 fruit from a site are needed.  Be sure to eat some of
the fruit around you and enjoy this spring treat.  This is an excellent
activity for those with young children!  (SCHOOL TEACHERS TAKE NOTE)

3.  Strawberry plants growing very close together may actually be a single
clone, so to get a better representation of the genetic diversity it is
better to collect fruit from several scattered plants at one location.  

(I am only asking for a single sample from each participant.  If you wish
to make additional collections from different locations, or from plants
that appear to be a different species, that would be great.)

4.  Please also collect 2-3 average leaves from the plants to aid us in
species identification.  These can be flattened and dried inside a folded
paper towel. 

5.  Strawberry seeds are easily separated from ripe fruit by placing them
in a household blender with a cup of water and blending at high speed for
just a few seconds. (Not too long, or the seeds may be damaged).  The good
seeds will settle to the bottom, and the fruit pulp and unripe seeds will
float.  Wait a minute or so for the seeds to settle, and pour off the
liquid. The seeds can then be rinsed or scraped out and allowed to dry on
a paper towel. 

   Or, just send the fruit and we will extract the seeds here.  If you are
outside the United States, please extract the seeds, as fresh fruit may
harbor pests and should not be sent into the U.S. from abroad. 

6.  Place the dried seeds, along with a brief note describing where they were
collected, in an envelope and send to the address below.  We would like 
enough information to be able to estimate your latitude, longitude, and 
elevation from our maps.  Comments about the local environment (soil, 
climate, other nearby vegetation) while appreciated, are not necessary.   
Please also enclose the dried leaves, and your name and address so that 
we can acknowledge you as the collector.

7.  There are no quarantine restrictions against shipping strawberry
seeds, or dried leaf specimens into or within the United States. 

8.  Seed samples will be deposited in the U.S. National Plant Germplasm
System's repository in Corvallis, Oregon, with your name as the
donor/collector.  We will germinate a few seeds from samples that
represent unique species, or under-represented geographic areas.  Plants
will be evaluated for horticultural and botanical characteristics, and all
samples will be made available to researchers around the world. 

   I will send a brochure describing our plant germplasm conservation
program, and a summary of samples received through this internet
experiment to anyone who participates.  Thank you for your assistance.  

This message will be re-posted in about a month. 

Please send seed samples to:

	Strawberry Project
	National Clonal Germplasm Repository
	33447 Peoria Road
	Corvallis, Oregon 97333
	USA

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       Joseph D. Postman        |       N ational            \
      -PLANT PATHOLOGIST-       |       C lonal            /,,,,\   Eat More
     [email-masked]      |       G ermplasm         \,,,,/   Fruit!
     [email-masked]     |       R epository         \,,/
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	USDA/Agricultural Research Service, Corvallis, Oregon, USA