PGA

"Pisum Genetics"

Membership

Editor

Manuscripts 

The Pisum Genetics Association (PGA) is a non-profit, unincorporated organization established to foster genetic study of the pea, to facilitate the exchange of information and to ensure preservation of valuable genetic stocks. Pisum Genetics (formerly The Pisum Newsletter = PNL) is the principal means of meeting these aims. Published annually in one issue, Pisum Genetics contains reports of research findings and other information relating to genetic variation in Pisum. The PGA currently has 180 members from 29 countries.

Membership of the PGA is open to all interested persons and organizations. Dues are per annum $10 U.S. currency or $13 Australian. Cheques for an equivalent sum are acceptable in any other major currency e.g. Danish kronar, English pounds, French francs or Japanese yen. Dues are used to help defray the costs of publishing and mailing Pisum Genetics. Members are encouraged to pay dues for two or more years to simplify bookkeeping and to reduce losses through bank charges which are Aust $2.50 per cheque regardless of the size of the cheque. Please make cheques payable to Pisum Genetics Association and send to Dr I.C. Murfet, Dept. of Plant Science, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001,  Australia. Pisum Genetics will be sent on receipt of dues.

The Editor, Dr I.C. Murfet, may be contacted at the above address by phone 61 02 202605 or fax 61 02 202698.

Please submit manuscripts double-spaced. Figures should be ready to print and of good quality. Tables should be set out in accord with established format. References should be listed in alphabetical then chronological order and full details supplied for papers in monographs, e.g., give details of editors, publisher and city, page numbers and list all authors; Smith et al. is not sufficient. Research reports should be organised concisely in the format of a short introduction outlining the background to and aim of the study, a materials and methods section with essential details and references to techniques, a results section and a discussion section interpreting the results and integrating findings with those of other workers. Section headings are not obligatory. Conclusions should be justified, where applicable, by appropriate statistical analysis. Length should generally be kept within the range of 1-4 journal pages but longer papers will be considered on their merits. Research reports and reviews are subjected to peer review and revision if necessary. Research reports should contain original work not currently submitted to any other journal. Review articles are obtained by invitation. However, the Editor would welcome enquiries or suggestions regarding possible review topics. Papers will not be rejected because the English is not fluent. However, the intended meaning must be clear, the scientific content sound and appropriate, the conclusions justified and the organisation logical. Abstracts may be submitted of work to be published elsewhere or conference papers. Issues of interest to members may be discussed in the forum section or raised as letters to the Editor.

Gene Symbols

Pea Genetic Stocks Centre 

USA collection Marx lines

Pisum gene database

Linkage map  

Mapping guidelines

Resignation

New members 

Mr Mike Ambrose (John Innes Institute, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK; phone (0603) 52571, telex 975122, fax (0603)56844 continues as Coordinator of Gene Symbols. If you are proposing a new gene symbol please check with Mike that the symbol is free and appropriate. In most cases not more than three letters are necessary to symbolise a locus. Again if you are proposing a new gene please make a reasonable effort to check for allelism with established genes of similar type. (Reports where allelism tests have not been done risk rejection). This saves the literature being cluttered with confusing synonyms. PGA rules for genetic symbols are given in Pisum Newsletter 9 Supplement: 61-64 (1977). In due course, please send type lines for new genes to Dr Stig Blixt (Nordic Gene Bank, S23058 Alnarp,  Sweden) or Mike Ambrose, and reprints to Mike. The John Innes Institute has now taken on additional responsibility in regard to the maintenance and supply of pea type and representative lines. Members are reminded that the USA national Pisum collection and the G.A. Marx Pisum Genetics Stocks Collection have been transferred from Geneva, N.Y. to Pullman W.A. and enquiries concerning this material should be addressed to Dr R.M. Hannan, USDA-ARS, Western Regional Plant Introduction Station, Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA 99164.  

Work has continued on updating the Pisum gene database, particularly through the efforts of the working party of Mike Ambrose, Niall Green and Peter Winfleld. Updating the Pisum gene database is seen as a first step toward bringing the proposed Pisum Gene Handbook to fruition.   The cooperation of those who provided information for the data base during the past year is most appreciated.

Dr Norman F. Weeden (Dept. of Hort. Sci., Cornell Univ./ NYSAES, Geneva, NY14456, USA; phone (315)787 2245, fax (315) 787 2397, email norman_weeden@qmrelay.cornell.edu) would be pleased to receive a copy of new linkage results as they become available. We welcome Dr Gail Timmerman to the Linkage Committee. She will increase expertise on molecular issues. A map update provided by the Linkage Committee appears on the cover of Volume 25 and an RFLP map by Ellis et al appears on p.5. While some areas of the map are beginning to stabilise (e.g. see the report by Rozov et al on group 5) there are still many inconsistencies and uncertainties (e.g. in regard to group 1, see papers by Kosterin). Adherence to the proposed Mapping Guidelines (p.13) should improve the rigour of future work.

On behalf of all members I thank Brian Snoad for his long and sterling service to the PGA. Brian was one of the founding members and has served on the Coordinating Committee from the inception. Although officially retired, he still maintains some activity in the pea world. My personal thanks Brian for your sound and helpful comments on various issues.

We welcome all new members, including some from Poland and Russia who have contributed to this issue.

Thanks

Financial Report

My sincere thanks to Beverley Thomson for typing this her fifth volume and Sue Dwyer (Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, N.Y.) for sending out back issues prior to 1990 (Volumes 6 and 11 are now out of print). Thanks also to all those members (and non-members) who assisted with refereeing and in other ways helped the work of the PGA and, in particular, our Symbols and Map Coordinators. Special thanks to Norm Weeden, our Associate Editor, for his help throughout the year and to Minh Nguyen for help with mailing of Volume 24. Lastly thanks to Mark Appleby and the crew in the Printing Section for their significant contribution in bringing Vol. 25 to fruition.

Financial Report for the period October 1 1992 to October 1 1993. This period includes the production and mailing of Pisum Genetics Vol. 24.   All sums are in Australian dollars.

Our balance of funds fell by 612.68 due to increased production and mailing costs of Vol. 24 and a decline in income from all sources -subscriptions, donations and interest.

S. 

Blixt  

F.  

Muehlbauer  

W.K.  

Swiecicki 

E. 

Gritton  

I.  

Murfet  

N.  

Weeden 

C. 

Hedley  

J.  

Reid  

L. 

Monti  

B.  

Sharma