Seed of the NAM Parents used in the USB-funded Nested Association Mapping (NAM) project are now available for distribution to interested researchers. To receive a packet of ~ 250 seed of each parent, send an e-mail TO Jim Specht with a CC to Brian Diers.

There are three caveats that seed requesters need to be aware of:

1. NAM Parent Seed requestors must sign a Materials Transfer Agreement (MTA) that will be e-mailed by Jim Specht to YOU immediately upon YOUR request for seed. Or, if you want to get started on that MTA signature process now, then simply download a Word.docx version of that MTA from SoyBase. This MTA must be signed by YOU, the researcher, AND by an MTA-authorizing official of YOUR University (or other entity), and it will legally bind YOU and YOUR university or entity to execute the terms specified in the MTA, so please read those terms. No seed requests by individuals who do not have an institutional connection.
2. Because of an agreement between the USA State Department and the University of Nebraska, relative to transferring USA-developed technology from the USA to international entities, Jim Specht cannot ship NAM Parent Seed to any non-USA based entity whose researcher employee requests seed. Both the researcher and his/her institutional authority signing the MTA must have a USA-based address.
3. Because Jim Specht no longer has any NAM project funding for covering seed packeting and seed shipping costs, the seed requester will be required to cover the packet preparation and shipping costs. Jim Specht will thus need an Institutional cost center account from YOU that he can provide to the shipper (i.e., UPS, FEDEX, etc.) for you to pay for this cost. A seed packet fee of $1 US dollar for each of the 41 NAM Parent packets must also be paid before the shipment commences. Jim Specht will e-mail you an invoice for that packeting fee. Any phytosanitary certificate needed by the seed requestor must be initiated by the seed requester and the cost of applying and obtaining that certificate is his/her responsibility.

NOTE: he NAM project genotypic and phenotypic resources should be of great value to the Soybean Research Community. All of the NAM parents have been sequenced. The 4,300 SNP marker genotyping is nearly complete, and agronomic phenotypes of those parents were measured in multi-state trial locations during the years 2011 to 2013. The phenotypic and genotypic data were publicly released on 21 July 2015. There are about 140 RILs derived from each of the 40 NAM matings. However, because of time and effort logistics associated with the packeting 140-RIL sets, and because final details on a RIL seed request MTA are not yet worked out, seed of the RILs cannot yet be distributed. A subsequent announcement will be issued to SoyBase Members when the two problems have been resolved.

So why would YOU be interested in obtaining NAM Parent Seed? Jim Specht and Brian Diers recommend that seed requesters screen the NAM parents for their particular traits of interest this summer. After getting access to the parental and RIL 4,300 SNP marker data AND the agronomic phenotype data on July 21, YOU will then be able to identify particular parental contrasts for YOUR trait that will then warrant YOUR further interest in receiving specific RIL populations derived from those parental contrasts in the trait of YOUR interest. YOU will then have all of genotypic data and phenotypic agronomic data (collected by the NAM Project PIs and Co-PIs) to provide YOU with an excellent means of mapping YOUR trait of interest in the context of having a heckuva lot of collateral agronomic and seed constituent data to examine with regard to its association with your YOUR trait!!

Hmmmmm! Jim Specht simply says "Soybean Research Colleagues, this is indeed sliced bread"!

Jim Specht & Brian Diers