USDA-ARS Sugarbeet Releases

It wasn't until the 1920s, due to the curly top virus, that the USDA became significantly involved in sugarbeet breeding. Early efforts were located at Salt Lake City, UT and Riverside, CA. Additional stations were added at Salinas, CA; Beltsville, MD; Ft. Collins, CO; East Lansing, MI; and Fargo, ND. Since then, the breeding programs at the Riverside, Salt Lake City, and Beltsville stations have been closed. The first USDA releases were developed for curly top resistance. Since then, breeding responsibilities among USDA breeders haye been for resistance to sugarbeet diseases and pests. Additional efforts have focused on breeding methods, bolting resistance, cytoplasmic male sterility, O-type maintainers, sugar and root yield, smooth roots, and integration of wild germplasm. The development of monogerm and cytoplasmic male sterile lines by USDA breeders were landmark achievements for the in­ dustry and are of world wide importance. Early releases (cultivar or hybrid) were for direct commercial use; however, recent efforts have been for parental lines and/or enhanced germplasm. Prior to 1955, releases were shared with the in­ dustry with little public documentation. From 1956 to 1970, releases were through the Beet Sugar Development Foundation (BSDF). Since 1971, an official USDA-ARS release document has been issued and signed by all involved agenci es (USDA­ ARS, BSDF, State Experiment Stations, etc). About half of the releases have been registered in Crop Science, with seed deposited in the National Seed Storage Laboratory at Ft. Col­ lins, CO and documented in the Germplasm Resources Infor­ mation Network (GRIN) data base. A listing of all releases (over 800), along with codes, citations and limited descriptions has been prepared. While it is difficult to quantify the impact USDA-ARS sugarbeet releases have had on industry, it is ob­ vious that they are a major factor in the survival and stability of the sugarbeet industry. Additional Key Words: disease resistance, monogerm, male sterility, storage, breeding locations, release notices and codes, citations.