Data of the biomass production and forage quality (nutritive value) of 13 different tepary bean genotypes managed at four different cutting heights and three different cutting dates. The data was collected during 2020 and 2021 to compare cutting management of tepary bean with forage soybean. The study occurred at the Oklahoma and Central Plains Agricultural Research Center, El Reno, OK (35◦ 34’ N; 98◦ 2’ W, 414 m a.s.l.). Total rainfall was 340 mm in 2019 and 271 mm in 2020. No supplemental irrigation was applied. Weedy grasses were controlled with Clethodim 2EC throughout the growing season at a rate of 231.5 g a.i. ha-1). The study began June 10th 2020 and lasted 90 days. The study was replicated June 10th 2021 and lasted 90 days. Biomass was harvested from 0.5 m row lengths at 30-, 45-, or 90-day (end of season) intervals and at heights of 5, 10, or 15 cm above ground level to determine biomass production and regrowth ability. The 90-day interval was cut at 5 cm only and served as a control. Subsampling occurred 3 times for the 30 day, 2 times for the 45 day, and once for the 90 day. The 3–30-day samplings were summed to compare to the 90-day cutting. Likewise, the 2–45-day samplings were summed to compare to the 90-day cutting. Fresh weight of biomass was determined for clipped biomass, samples were dried at 60 ◦C for 72 hr, re-weighed to define dry matter, and subsequently ground to a 2.0 mm particle size for laboratory analysis using a Thomas Scientific Wiley Mill (Swedesboro, NJ, USA). The ground particles were thoroughly mixed and ~50g were scanned with a benchtop NIR (Unity Scientific Spectra Star XT with UCal calibration software, Westborough, MA, USA), and measures of forage quality [acid detergent fiber (ADF), in vitro True Digestibility (IVTD), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), total nitrogen content (N), total digestible nutrients (TDN), and a TDN:CP ratio] were evaluated. The benchtop NIR was validated with wet chemistry each year using approximately 10% of the samples. Occasionally, due to reduced plant growth, replications were combined to determine the forage quality of a genotype. Collected biomass (gm-2) was converted to Mgha-1). Data were analyzed with the Proc GLIMMIX procedure in SAS Studio 3.8. Genotype, cutting management (cutting height and cutting interval), and their interactions were considered fixed effects while the intercept of the linear predictor was considered a random effect with year as the subject (level). During the 90-day period from June to September, some genotypes of tepary bean provided greater amounts of biomass and forage quality than Laredo (forage soybean). The optimal management regime for tepary bean for forage was noted for one end of season (90-day) harvest as this was the best combination of biomass accumulation and forage nutritive value (forage quality). Breeding efforts to improve the forage characteristics and agronomic performance of tepary bean are required. Studies to determine the optimal planting rate/density are needed to refine and expand the use of tepary bean as an alternative forage.
The Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) is an online portal for information about agricultural genetic resources that are managed by the Agricultural Research Service of USDA, along with U.S. partnering organizations. The content includes general information about ARS animal, microbial and plant germplasm collections, most notably the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS). The NPGS curates more than 600,000 active accessions of living plant material at 20 genebank locations around the U.S., and makes small quantities available globally to plant breeders and other professional scientists. GRIN also documents activities of Crop Germplasm Committees (CGC) that support the NPGS. The CGCs are comprised of public and private sector subject matter experts for a given crop (there are currently 44 CGCs) who voluntarily provide input on technical and operational matters to the NPGS. The site includes two searchable datasets: the ARS Rhizobium collection and Plant Variety Protection Certificates. The Rhizobium collection is living bacteria that nodulate the roots of leguminous plants symbiotically to provide nitrogen fixation. Samples are available to research scientists globally upon request. The Plant Variety Protection (PVP) Certificates are issued by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of USDA to provide intellectual property protection to registered new varieties of plants that are propagated by seed or tubers. The GRIN site allows queries of PVPs by certificate number, name of the crop, variety name, or certificate holder, all using data provided by the AMS.
The Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) is an online portal for information about agricultural genetic resources that are managed by the Agricultural Research Service of USDA, along with U.S. partnering organizations. The content includes general information about ARS animal, microbial and plant germplasm collections, most notably the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS). The NPGS curates more than 600,000 active accessions of living plant material at 20 genebank locations around the U.S., and makes small quantities available globally to plant breeders and other professional scientists. GRIN also documents activities of Crop Germplasm Committees (CGC) that support the NPGS. The CGCs are comprised of public and private sector subject matter experts for a given crop (there are currently 44 CGCs) who voluntarily provide input on technical and operational matters to the NPGS. The site includes two searchable datasets: the ARS Rhizobium collection and Plant Variety Protection Certificates. The Rhizobium collection is living bacteria that nodulate the roots of leguminous plants symbiotically to provide nitrogen fixation. Samples are available to research scientists globally upon request. The Plant Variety Protection (PVP) Certificates are issued by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of USDA to provide intellectual property protection to registered new varieties of plants that are propagated by seed or tubers. The GRIN site allows queries of PVPs by certificate number, name of the crop, variety name, or certificate holder, all using data provided by the AMS.
The Legume Information System (legumeinfo.org) is the USDA-ARS genetics and genomics database for legume crops and relatives. Researchers can also submit their data directly. LIS houses data for more than a dozen species such as common bean and chickpea, peanut, and soybean, with genome sequences, genes and predicted functions, families of related genes, views of evolutionary relationships between genomic regions, genetic maps, markers, and links to germplasm resources.
GRIN-Global is an ongoing international collaborative project to develop shared and open-source applications that help manage plant germplasm collections. The software was jointly developed by the Agricultural Research Service of USDA, Global Crop Diversity Trust, and Bioversity International, with the first version released in December 2011. The ARS has used GRIN-Global to manage its plant germplasm collections, the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System, since November 2015. GRIN-Global is an extension of Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) information management system, which was first developed by ARS beginning in the mid-1980s. GRIN-Global is comprised of a suite of computer applications that are used internally by genebank staff to curate collections, as well as a public website through which scientists can query the database and request samples of germplasm through a shopping cart process.