[NAFEX] Availability of grafting wood from governmentrepositories

Kristine Naess kristine.naess at lesbuissons.qc.ca
Fri Apr 2 11:26:16 EDT 2010


Hello Sarah,

I would suggest you hook up with a plant breeder and participate in a participatory plant breeding project.  In this case the plant breeder would send material to several growers who would contribute time and land to the project. I'm not sure who all is working on cherry plums but I suspect Bob Bors may be and Brian Smith in Northern Wisconsin is working on all kinds of hardy prunus.  I would think also that NAFEX as an organization could ask for material - for exemple if 3 or 4 nafex members were interested in testing cherry plums under different conditions using the same protocoles and data taking methods.

All the best,
Kristine, NE Québec, foot or so of wet snow on the ground -exceptionally mild winter, spring coming on way too fast



----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Sarah Kehler Ewing 
  To: North American Fruit Explorers 
  Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2010 6:35 PM
  Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Availability of grafting wood from governmentrepositories


  Hi David,

  I just heard about the change in policy from an email forwarded by a friend told she wasn't getting anything this year!  I'm completely annoyed.  I agree that we should support the nurseries out there and I have/do, but most of the stuff in Canada's clonal genebank isn't available anywhere else.  For instance, I bought a ton of rootstock last year so I could graft their entire cherry plum collection.  I have an entire box full of printed catalogues and a long list of bookmarked nurseries, but I already have every cherry plum commercially available.  On the other hand, CCG has the entire greek alphabet series and now they won't let me have them!   Seriously, how many people in Canada want cherry plum material?  And I'm using Cherry plums just as an example: I loaded up on pear rootstock too planning to graft some varieties this spring, thankfully I grafted about 75 kinds apples last year.

  Could you please send me the address (email or otherwise) where you protested? I would like to add a letter of complaint too.  

  Do you have any information on what I would have to do to be recognized as a "bona fide researcher or breeder" to get this exemption?  I like to tell people (a bit tongue in cheek) that I own/operate a 'husband funded private research station' and plan to get into breeding red fleshed desert apples, but I need the start-up materials to do that!  If I could get an exemption, I'd be happy to request materials for others!!! 

  Sarah 
  zone 3
  Edmonton, AB


  I have recently encountered an issue with the provision of grafting wood from the Canadian 
  Germplasm Repository. They have determined that I am neither a "bona fide researcher nor 
  a breeder", and hence am not entitled to obtain grafting wood from the Repository (the 
  equivalent of the National Plant Germplasm System in the States). Obviously this 
  determination applies to virtually all the Canadian NAFEX members, (other than the staff of 
  the dwindling number of govt research stations and multinational agribusiness employees.) I 
  have registered my objection to this interpretation, which represents a substantial change 
  from the practice to date. But to bolster my argument I need information from other 
  jurisdictions. Am I correct in my belief that ordinary citizens of the US can request material 
  from the various repositories maintained by the NPGS? And that my cousins in the UK can 
  get wood from Brogdale or Long Ashton? And so on for Holland, France, India, etc.? Note 
  that the issue here has nothing to do with disease transmission, quarantine, prohibition of 
  importation of specfic material into specific states, etc. Rather it hinges specifically on the 
  perceived mandate of the Repository, which is restricted to "bona fide researchers". And 
  amateur growers are not, in their eyes. (I note that the NPGS also state that "Germplasm is 
  available in small quantities for research purposes" ; obviously if my belief that people 
  outside academic centres and government labs can nevertheless access materials in the 
  States is correct, the crux of the issue hinges on the definition of a "researcher". (I think 
  NAFEX members, and all the train of amateur fruit growers who preceded us have done far 
  more legitimate real world research than all the white coated lab types.)
   


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