Pisum Genetics Association Notes

 

                  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.  The journal, Pisum Genetics, is the princibal means of meeting these aims.  Published annually in one issue, Pisum Genetics contains reports of research findings and other information of interest to researchers studying the genus Pisum.  The PGA currently has over 100 members throughout the world.

Membership
and Dues
                  Membership in the PGA is open to all interested persons and organizations.  Dues are US $15.00 per annum.  These 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.  Members are also requested to send checks or back drafts in US currency only.  Such efforts avoid bank charges, which can exceed $10.00 per check in some currencies.  Please make checks payable to Pisum Genetics Association and send to Dr. N. F. Weeden, Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA.  Pisum Genetics will be sent upon receipt of dues.
Submission of
Manuscripts
                 All members of the PGA are welcome to submit manuscripts on topics appropriate for Pisum Genetics.  In general, a mailing will be sent out to the membership in June of each year calling for manuscript to be submitted for consideration for publication.  The deadline for such submittals is usually September 1 of the year of publication, allowing for sufficient time for review and revision of manuscripts.  We believe Pisum Genetics is an excellent medium for publication of articles on pea.  The journal provides opportunities for both refereed and non-refereed manuscripts, publication is within 3 to 6 months of submittal, there are no page charges, and a web-based version is available (thanks to Dr. Serge Rozov and the wonders of modern electronics) shortly after publication of the hard copy.  Hence, your research findings become available to a worldwide audience within months of submission and without a significant impact on your research budget.

Format of
Manuscripts

 

                 Manuscripts will continue to be accepted and processed in two formats, research papers and brief communications.  Manuscripts submitted as research papers will be subjected to peer review and revision or rejection if not of the quality expected by Pisum Genetics.  Such research papers should be written concisely, with a short introduction presenting the purpose for the study, a materials and methods section with essential details and references to techniques, a results section and discussion section interpreting the results and integrating findings with those of other workers.  Section headings are not obligatory.  Length should be kept under five journal pages, but longer papers will be considered on their merits.  Such research papers must be treated similarly to submissions to other refereed journals in that they should contain original work not currently submitted to any other journal.

                Brief communications are to encourage a rapid sharing of new results that may not meet the standards of a research paper (i.e. allelism tests not completed, map locations only approximate, experiments lacking an appropriate control).  Brief communications will not be subjected to peer review, although the editor reserves the right to screen papers for appropriateness and to review submissions for clarity and brevity.  Such submissions will be limited to approximately one page and should be narrowly focused.  Otherwise, the format of brief communications (tables, references, etc.) should correspond to that of a research paper.  Publication of a brief communication in Pisum Genetics should not preclude publication of a full paper on the same subject in a later issue or in another journal.

               When submitting an electronic copy of a manuscript, please use Microsoft Word when possible.  Other formats can be handled, but these will usually be converted to Word for processing.  It is also helpful if authors avoid the use of extra formatting in their submissions (headers, sections, complex tabulation, automatic indentation) as these generally have to be eliminated when preparing the manuscript for final printing.  We have severe limitations on support staff, and the removal of interfering formatting can occasionally be quite time-consuming.

Conferences
of Interest

                Three conferences of interest to the membership are all taking place in July, 2001.  The 4th European Conference on Grain Legumes is being held July 8 to 12th in Krakow, Poland.  Individuals interested in attending should consult the website (http://www.rol.ar.krakow.pl/kongr/kongres.htm).  A more general conference on legumes entitled Legumes Down Under will be held July 2 to 6th in Canberra, Australia.  The website for this conference is at http://online.anu.edu.au/BoZo/Crisp/.  Finally, as part of the 10th Congress of the International Society for Molecular Plant/Microbe Interactions July 7 to 9th at Madison WI, USA, a satellite workshop entitled the 4th Annual Workshop on Medicago truncatula is being organized by Dr. Doug Cook.  He can be contacted at drcook@ucdavis.edu

Note of
Appreciation
               The editor would like to thank those individuals who generously donated their time and expertise as referees for manuscripts submitted to this volume of Pisum Genetics.  These individuals included Darleen DeMason, Matt Lavin, Kevin McPhee, Fred Muehlbauer, Ian Murfet, Jim Myers, Neil Polans, Wojtek Swiecicki and Gail Timmerman-Vaughan.  In addition, I greatly appreciate the help of Dr. Serge Rozov, who continues to act as our Web master.  Volumes 29 through 31 of Pisum Genetics can be found on the Web at http://hermes.bionet.nsc.ru/pg/

Retirement

 

               Dr. John Kraft, long time member of the PGA and plant pathologist extraordinaire, retired from the USDA this last summer.  He is well known for his extensive work on a host of diseases of pea and his release of numerous lines with resistance to multiple diseases.  We wish him a relaxing and enjoyable retirement in Arizona, where the sun is hot, the weather dry and pea diseases scarce.
Financial Report

               The financial report for the period October 1, 1999 to September 30, 2000 is presented below.  The Pisum Genetics Association continues to be on sound financial footing.  The printing and mailing of the Cumulative Index in 2000 represented an additional expense for this year and caused expenditures to nearly equal income.  However, expenditures are expected to drop significantly for the next fiscal year.  No increase in dues or additional infusion of funds is seen as necessary.

 

Hobart balance brought forward (AUD)                         8775.85

Income

Subscriptions                                                                 256.00

Bank interest (net of duties and fees)                               238.73

Total income                                                                         494.73

 

Expenditure

Mailing                                                                          166.00

Total expenditure                                                                 166.00

 

Hobart balance as at September 30, 2000

Commonwealth Bank a/c 767102 5002314                    3064.28

Commonwealth Bank a/c 7104 5001 6807                     6040.30

Total                                                                                    9104.58

 

Bozeman balance brought forward (US$)                                                                                                                          2,180.49

transferred from Geneva, NY (Savings Bank of the Finger Lakes) to

      First Interstate Bank, Bozeman, MT (a/c 253-2000-722)

Income

      Subscriptions                                                                       664.00

      Sale of back issues                                                               471.00

      Bank interest                                                                         46.37

      Cash on hand                                                                         85.29

Total income                                                                     1266.66

 

Expenditures

      Mailing                                                                               392.13

      Printing costs                                                                      729.15

      Supplies                                                                              250.00

Total expenditures                                                             1371.28

 

Geneva balance as of September 30, 2000                                                                                                                         2,075.87

 

N.F. Weeden, for the Coordinating Committee

 

 

M. Ambrose

T.H.N. Ellis

O.E. Kosterin

F.J. Muehlbauer

I.C. Murfet

J.B. Reid

S.M. Rozov

W.K. Swiecicki

N.F. Weeden