Evaluation location: Iowa, United States
Environment for accessions grown in quarantine at ISU Agronomy greenhouse room 141 during the winter of 2019-20. Planted 11-Dec-2019 in12 inch pots. First emergence 16-Dec-2019. First pollinations 00-Feb-2020.
SOP for Increase of maize seed from Thailand in the Iowa State University Agronomy Greenhouse
Seed receipt and handling:
1. Seed will come via mail and be stored in Dr. Gary Munkvold’s secure, APHIS inspected facility in Seed Science. Gary’s mailing address is 160 Seed Science, 2115 Osborne Drive, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011. The locked, APHIS-permitted seed storage room is 121 Seed Science.
Room Preparation, Agronomy Greenhouse, Room 0141:
1. Room is cleaned in advance, ensure that doors close properly upon entry and departure.
2. Floor drains are checked to ensure proper drainage
3. Pots and soil are prepared and placed on benches in advance of planting
4. Autoclave-able garbage bags are stocked in the greenhouse room, as are all pollinating supplies.
5. Room is to be used for tropical maize increase in the months November-May only
Planting, Plant Care, Pollinating, Harvest, Insect Control, Agronomy Greenhouse, Room 0141:
1. Seeds are transferred from Dr. Gary Munkvold’s Seed Science facility to the greenhouse in a secure container.
2. Two seeds/pot are planted, remaining seeds are returned to the Munkvold facility in the secure container for storage.
3. Plants are cared for daily during growth period, technical staff observed them daily and reports any symptoms of infestation to Dr. Charles Block and to Dr. Candice Gardner.
4. Insect sticky traps are used; if white flies occur, pesticides are applied.
5. Dr. Block monitors plantings personally following emergence, and every 10-14 days during growth period. Tissues exhibiting symptoms of infestation will be testing using ELISA or PCR or traditional plating methods if disease problem is not readily diagnosed. Diseased plants will be discarded into autoclave bags and autoclaved in the head house facility, along with the pots and soil.
6. Plants are self- or sib-pollinated at flowering. Following use of tassels, tassels are to be cut off and disposed of in the autoclave bags, and autoclaved in the head house.
7. Ears are to be harvested in the greenhouse room, and dried hanging up in the same room. Following drying, they will be hand-shelled into seed envelopes and transferred to the plant pathologist’s laboratory for sampling. Following sampling, seed is to be transferred to the NCRPIS cold storage room for subsequent seed increase.
Disposal of autoclaved plant and soil debris and pots Agronomy Greenhouse Room 0101C:
1. All plant debris and soil media will either be bagged (or metal bushel baskets used for ease of handling) and autoclaved in the same manner as in #4/5. Pots can be sanitized by soaking in 5% bleach, or autoclaved.
2. Following autoclaving, waste material will be discarded in the dumpster.