Published in Probe Volume 2(1): Spring 1992
Dr. Harold Corke and Dr. Patrick E.
McGuire
ITMI Management Office
Genetic Resources Conservation Program
University of California, Davis, CA
Wheat, barley, rye, and triticale--all members of the grass tribe Triticeae--have contributed immensely to human development and continue to dominate much of world agriculture.
Many wild related species in the same tribe are a fruitful source of alien genetic material that can be used to improve modern cultivars and enhance their genetic base. The transfer of alien genes or chromosome segments conferring economically important traits, such as disease resistance or quality, is aided by knowledge of the chromosomal location, or genetic map position, of the trait.
International Coordination Initiative
Scientists around the world are working to develop comparative genetic maps of various Triticeae species utilizing restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) and other markers. The need to coordinate and strengthen international efforts on genome mapping of wheat and related species provided the impetus to develop the International Triticeae Mapping Initiative (ITMI) in 1988. Individuals credited with developing the concept are Jan Dvorak and Cal Qualset (University of California, Davis), Gary Hart (Texas A&M University), and Bikram Gill (Kansas State University).
The goal of ITMI is to reduce the repetition of similar work by participants, thereby maximizing the rate of progress in research efforts.In June 1989, at a workshop held in Davis, California, a small group of individuals clarified the aims of ITMI as follows:
1) To develop linkage and metaphase chromosome maps utilizing RFLP markers of the chromosomes of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum) and common wheat (T. aestivum).
2) To develop a comparative map of barley (Hordeum vulgare) utilizing RFLP markers.
3) To develop a comparative map of rye (Secale cereale) utilizing RFLP markers.
4) To develop comparative maps of representative diploid species of the genera in the Triticeae.
5) To construct comparative linkage maps of the diploid ancestors of the wheat A, B, and D genomes.
6) To determine linkage between RFLP markers and genes controlling specific agronomically important traits.
ITMI Coordinators
ITMI is coordinated at the University of California, Davis, by Calvin Qualset. ITMI coordinators, listed below, are responsible for coordinating a particular chromosome group in wheat, mapping efforts in another related species, or other related functions (such as database development):
• Olin Anderson (USDA/ARS, Albany, California)
• Rudi Appels (CSIRO, Canberra)
• Jan Dvorak; Michael Gale (Cambridge Laboratory, Norwich, England)
• Bikram Gill; Perry Gustafson (USDA/ARS, University of Missouri)
• Gary Hart; David Hoisington (CIMMYT, Mexico)
• Rafiqul Islam; Peter Langridge; Ken Shepherd (University of Adelaide)
• Peter Sharp (University of Sydney)
• Mark Sorrells; Steven Tanksley (Cornell University)
Annual Workshops
An annual public workshop provides a forum for presenting research results
andexchanging ideas. Workshop participants include ITMI coordinators, ITMI
investigators (scientists who are working on any relevant area of cereal
genetics), and ITMI affiliate members (representatives of institutional
supporters of ITMI). Proceedings of the sessions are published. Planning is
underway for the third annual workshop to be hosted by CIMMYT in Mexico this
September. ITMI participants held their first workshop in 1990 in Sacramento,
California. A second workshop followed in Manhattan, Kansas, in 1991.
A special feature of ITMI is the wide international participation in this field of research and at the meetings. Genome mapping is an exciting area of modern plant genetics with many potential applications in crop improvement. Rapid progress is evident. As an example, some maps presented at the meetings doubled in the number of mapped probes between 1990 and 1991.
Facilitating Information Exchange
ITMI emphasizes the free exchange of information, materials, probes, and genetic stocks. As mapping progress advances, masses of data accumulate. Thus, the communication role of ITMI has become increasingly important in facilitating information flow.
The USDA Plant Genome Research Program recognizes the importance of computer database development in making genome mapping results available to researchers.Agricultural Research Service Scientist Olin Anderson is leading the efforts of USDA's wheat database project in collaboration with programmers at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL) and staff of USDA's National Agricultural Library.
At a meeting of the wheat database group, held prior to the 1991 ITMI Public Workshop in Kansas, John McCarthy (LBL) provided a demonstration of a prototype database that included a user-friendly graphic interface. Wheat researchers then had the opportunity to discuss their needs and expectations of the database.
The ITMI Management Office also functions as an information resource. With financial support from the USDA program, staff are developing an ITMI newsletter.
Additional Information
Further information about ITMI may be obtained from the ITMI Management Office, Genetic Resources Conservation Program, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 USA; Phone (916) 757-8920; FAX (916) 757-8755.