Washington, DC
July,  2001

Research Director Jeff Dahlberg, Ph.D., and Research Advisor A. Bruce Maunder, Ph.D., of the National Grain Sorghum Producers (NGSP) were honored with Distinguished Service Awards by the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) for their efforts in preserving the plant quarantine site in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. They were presented the awards at ASTA’s Annual Convention on
June 18 in San Antonio, Texas, not far from NGSP’s home in Lubbock.

The site was almost closed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in a cost-cutting plan last year, but Maunder, Dahlberg, and other seed professionals rallied legislators to prevent its shut-down this year. The site is primarily used to introduce, evaluate, and distribute exotic sorghum, maize, and millet germplasm. These activities are key to the development of new varieties for these crops.

Established in 1989, the St. Croix site has allowed for the evaluation of 7,000 backlogged sorghum accessions alone. Since the bulk of the accessions come from tropical locations, such as Sudan and Mali, an off-shore quarantine site is necessary to evaluate them. In addition, the St. Croix site has been used to evaluate a lot of exotic corn, millet, and vegetable germplasm.

“St. Croix is and has been the only significant approach to bringing to the United States thousands of new germplasm accessions critical to sorghum, maize, and millet improvement,” Maunder said. “The availability and use of sorghum germplasm from around the world has had the greatest impact on breeding improvement since the advent of hybridization.”

“In addition to improving grain sorghum for animal feed, the NGSP is looking to increase its uses for human food in the United States,” Dahlberg added. “Sorghum is rich in antioxidants and mixes well with other ingredients because  it is odorless and has a mild taste. It has great potential as a food ingredient, especially in the snack and health food arenas. Access to exotic germplasm will be key to creating better food grade sorghum here and in other parts of the world, where it is widely consumed.

”Maunder has been with the NGSP since 1996. Previously, he spent 20 years at DeKalb Genetics Corporation, most recently as Senior Vice President of Sorghum Research. All of his work at DeKalb was related to sorghum and agronomic research. This work took him all over the world, including many countries in South America and Asia.

Among numerous honors throughout his career, Maunder received an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Nebraska in 1991, Purdue University’s Distinguished Agricultural Alumni Award in 1997, and the Texas Seed Trade Association’s Distinguished Service Award in 1998. He currently serves on the Agronomic Science Foundation’s Board of Trustees and is chair of the Sorghum Crop Germplasm Committee of the National Plant Germplasm System. In addition, he is an adjunct professor of agronomy at Texas Tech University.

Dahlberg has been in his current position at the NGSP since 1999. Prior to that, he worked as a research geneticist and sorghum curator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service for seven years in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. While there, he evaluated and distributed exotic germplasm, isolated desirable genes from the germplasm, researched sorghum
ergot, and developed the sorghum core germplasm collection. Dahlberg has also served as scientific editor of the International Sorghum and Millets newsletter and African Journal of Crop Science. In addition, he was a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer for four years in the Republic of Niger, West Africa.

Founded in 1883, the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) is one of the oldest trade organizations in the United States. Its membership consists of about 850 companies involved in plant breeding, seed production and distribution, and related industries in North America. As an authority on plant germplasm, ASTA advocates science and policy issues of industry-wide importance. Its mission is to enhance the development and free movement of quality seed worldwide.

ASTA news release
N3652