A recent report provides insight into a perplexing problem periodically perceived in Pyrus at the Corvallis Repository. Charles Simon, pea curator for the USDA Agricultural Research Service, reports on efforts to prevent the production of facial hair on his pea propagules.
"We want to make sure we don't put any mustaches on our accessions" comments Simon (1).
Careful consideration to genetic sampling strategies during virus therapy of pea germplasm has successfully prevented the appearance of facial hair in accessions at Simon's Pullman, Washington genebank. Apparently we have not been so successful here in Corvallis!

1 - Stelljes, K.B. 1995. A curator minds his peas. Agricultural Research 43(11):18-19.

1 April, 1996 - jp