Resistance breeding: Emerging tool protects future forests against pests, pathogens
This fog chamber is used to inoculate seedlings with blister rust spores for resistance screening of five-needle pines. USDA Forest Service photo by Carrie Pike.
MARYLAND—Scientists with the USDA Forest Service and their state counterparts in Forest Health Protection are integrating…
#PlantPathogens, #Pests, #Genetics, #ForestHealthProtection
National Seed Laboratory - Genetic Conservation
USDA Forest Service photo.
Exotic diseases (sudden oak death, white pine blister rust and chestnut blight), insects (emerald ash borer and wooly adelgid), invasive weeds (cheat grass), fires and changing land use patterns threaten the existence of many native US trees and other native plants…
#Biology, #Science, #Seeds, #NationalSeedLaboratory, #Genetics
National Seed Laboratory, Seed Testing
Tests offered are germination, purity, seed weight, moisture content, tetrazolium and excised embryo (for quick estimates of viability, and x-ray analysis of internal seed structures). Each year the FSNSL tests approximately 180 different species of seeds.Seed Test Request Sheet (PDF, 98 KB)Dickey John Tri-Grain Chart Dole Chart Dole Instructions Dear Customers:Thank you for using…
#NationalSeedLaboratory, #Science, #Seeds, #Genetics
Alligator snapping turtles
Alligator snapping turtles are massive, weighing up to 200 pounds, unlike the common snapping turtle that only grows to 40 pounds. Researchers are developing ways to monitor the threatened turtles with eDNA, as it is more efficient and safer for both the researchers and turtles. (USDA Forest…