Dr. Randy C. Shoemaker,
Research Geneticist
Field Crops Research Unit
Iowa State University
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
The Soybean Genome Database (GDB) Project is entering a new phase of development. After months of discussion and planning by the soybean team, the early stages of initiating a working prototype database are now underway. A version of the model should be ready for demonstration by late March 1992.
Interagency Agreement
Participants in the Soybean GDB Project recently entered into an inter-agency agreement with the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory's (LBL's) Genome Computing Group. With John McCarthy and Suzanna Lewis as principle investigators, LBL's Information and Computing Sciences Division will work with soybean research scientists in developing a prototype soybean genome database.
LBL staff will use database design tools to define entities, relationships, and attributes for the soybean genome database. They will then use companion software tools to translate those high-level definitions into a relational database definition suitable for Sybase (a commercial software product for relational databases).
Soybean GDB Project experts, Wheat GDB Project experts, and LBL staff will work together in an attempt to identify common ground between the needs of the Soybean GDB Project and the needs of the Wheat GDB Project. Every effort will be made to create a "fused" database design that will meet the requirements of a wide variety of plants.
Working Meeting Held
At a recent meeting held at Iowa State University, participants focused on priority targets to be included in the initial database prototype. In addition to focusing on soybean germplasm, genetic diversity, and genetic maps, the group decided the database should include information on soybean pathogens and pathology. Roger Boerma, University of Georgia, was asked to take the lead in determining the priorities for the pathology and pathogen database.
In attendance at the meeting were LBL staff member (Suzanna Lewis), two representatives from the Wheat GDB Project (Bob Graybosch and Olin Anderson), a plant genome database advisor (Mary Berlyn), two representatives from the National Agricultural Library's Plant Genome Data and Information Center (Douglas Bigwood and Rose Broome), the assistant curator of the soybean germplasm collection, soybean scientists, and computer consultants.
Efforts Continue
In early September, several soybean researchers visited LBL staff to confer with them on the organization of the database. This meeting has been followed up with assignments of specific attributes to each of the topics included in the initial prototype. These ideas and organizational formats were presented to the Plant GDB Project leaders at the Plant Genome Database Design Conference held in conjunction with the Third International Congress of Plant Molecular Biology, in Tucson, Arizona.