Results of the 2015 GEM
Cooperator Survey
By Candice Gardner, USDA-ARS
December, 2015
Survey Rationale
• The GEM Project is 22 years young, a private-public sector
collaboration dedicated to the mission of increasing the diversity of
maize grown commercially in the U.S.
• Following its 20 year anniversary, a survey was designed in
collaboration with the GEM Technical Steering Group to review the
program, its objectives, and its capacity to deliver services and
products that contribute to stakeholder needs.
Acknowledgements and Thanks
• Tyler Teske, Iowa State University Agronomy Department who
volunteered to conduct the Qualtris survey.
• All GEM Cooperators for contributing responses to the survey and for
helping us consider strategies and how best to fulfill GEM’s purpose
• The Original Framers of the GEM Project who envisioned its mission
and invested their intellectual and political capital.
Organization
• Survey respondent stats
• Comments from Commercializers
• Comments from Non-Commercializers
• Public Sector Response Summary
• Private Sector (>4% market share) Response Summary
• Private Sector (<4% market share) Response Summary
Summary of Respondents
#
Institutional Type Respondents
Public
15
Company >4%
market share
16
Company <4%
market share
9
Total
40
#
Us &
Int’l
#
US
#
Int’l
Undeclared
14
0
1
0
8
3
4
1
7
29
0
3
2
7
0
1
Survey Comments From Those Who Indicated They Have
Commercialized Product Derived from GEM Germplasm
- I like GEM
The survey had a flaw that would not let me answer no to the question
about commercializing GEM germplasm. I said "yes" to that question
so I could complete the survey, but I have not actually commercialized
any product containing GEM germplasm. GEM is the only way for a
public breeder to get access to germplasm related to current
commercial germplasm that relatively recent.
• I do not receive any funding from GEM and have more
diversity in my breeding program than probably any program
in the country and maybe the world (thanks to Javier
Betran).
• I do not really need any more germplasm or diversity.
• I believe GEM is very important and I hope to continue to
help advance the materials and collaborate.
• We are currently doing testing for GEM and screen GEM in
the SERAT aflatoxin project.
• There is a limit to how much pro-bono work I can do and the
G2F project is accounting for most of this right now.
• It became obvious years ago and by their own admission that
the major companies had reduced the genetic diversity of
their corn germplasm to a dangerously low level. In my own
program, I started using exotic material.
• Then I discovered GEM. Instant access to elite by exotic
germplasm from around the world.
• By receiving breeding populations, we are not competing
against the seed stock suppliers but by breeding from GEM
have the opportunity to create unique and valuable inbreds.
GEM is a must have for any independent breeding program!
• The program was run very well under Mike Blanco. The next
leader has big shoes to fill. We have built GEM materials into
our germplasm base. These will pay dividends soon. Can
there be a push for earlier materials from GEM outside of
NDSU?
Comments from Non-Commercializers
• Long term I think GEM will be very valuable to US
agriculture. The challenge is to continue devoting sufficient
resources to this effort against other resource demands.
• Pros: access to germplasm that we otherwise would not
have. Great potential to identify useful germplasm for grain
quality, disease resistance, abiotic stress tolerance.
• Cons: bringing GEM germplasm up to speed to be
competitive with elite US germplasm for plant / ear height,
yield, early maturity / grain drydown.
• GEM is a unique program that aims at bringing the US
government, academia, and seed industry together with a
long term view of maintaining a sustainable level of usable
diversity for commercial maize breeding.
• The long term commitment of all partners has made it a
model of what a PPP could be. Yet it should not become
complacent with where it is at, and strive to do better.
• It is probably too small a program to adequately meet all of
its stated goals, and need more supports, financial, in kind,
and technical, while increasing the crispness of what it needs
to be held accountable for, which is a hard task given the
multiplicity of opinions, goals, and needs among its
constituency.
• We started the project in the days when there were many
companies developing new commercial inbreds via F2 breeding
populations and phenotypic selection. GEM seems to be working on
that same model even as the industry has consolidated and moved
heavily toward molecular breeding technologies. Meanwhile, the
conventional line development resources have not been close to
what would have been needed to develop competitive inbreds.
• So the great dreams we started with are quickly moving out of sight
and GEM will need to make radical changes to survive.
• However, with the strong need for better graduate student
educational projects, in addition to molecular level diversity
information, there are many ways GEM can become a much bigger
contributor to the ag community.
Most of your questions are yes or no. However, for some of
the new cooperators like us, a third option should be has not
been known yet.
GEM is an important project for global corn breeding that
should be continued. Even if use of the germplasm is not
particularly high in some regions or by some companies, the
GEM material is clearly getting better and better. Moreover,
GEM is an excellent model of successful public-private
collaboration over a long period of time.
Our interest has been concentrated in insect ECB (i.e. cornborer) tolerance. Have used Peruvian PI's from the collection
and made test crosses. Also tried to create root worm
selection as goal to make our own ECB and root worm hybrids.
Had to give up because of low yields. Traits since have taken
over.
Joined GEM because there is no other source to find material
that somebody else already has a "hook". Our GEM support
has been through testing but gave that up this year. Still
interested in GEM.
Our company has participated in GEM for many years and sees
great value in its purpose of increasing corn genetic diversity
without sacrificing performance.
Just this year a GEM-derived line was promoted to companywide advanced trials after two years of extensive testing in our
yield trials and nursery. While this is a long way from a
commercial product it clearly shows the value of GEM
material, especially taking into account the fact that this line
contributed yield superior to commercial hybrids of the same
maturity as well as a high level of stalk rot resistance.
Public Sector Responses
P
Entity
Type
Made Made
Hybrid Pops
s with with
Eval
Tested GEM GEM
GEM Eval Hybrid Germp Germ
#
Germ GEM s with lasm plasm
resp
plasmGerm GEM for
for
onde <5 5-10 11-15 16-20 in the plasm germpl own own
nts yrs yrs yrs yrs
USA intl asm tests tests Loc
US
Public 14
Int’l
Public 1
6
3
5
1
13
1
1
10
6
Successf
ully
used
GEM
germpla
sm in
breedin
g
Loc
USA
&
2 Intl
9 US;
10 1 Intl
1
Intl
Com
merci
alized
produ
ct
Loc
1
Intl
Identified
any useful
Type of haplotype
Institution ?
Location?
% of GEM
germplas
m used in
breeding
US
Public
2USA & Int’l
Int’l
Public
1Int’l
1-5 %
Would you
be willing Have you Do you
to
hired any consider
increase personnel the GEM
in-kind
who were Project to
Will you
contributi trained
be
use
Have you ons to
using GEM important
less/same/ contribute enable / germplas to the US
more GEM d in kind GEM to m / of
corn /
germplas cooperativ expand its GEM
industry/f
m in the e
scope and project
ood
future? resources? beco...
support? security?
Has GEM
made any
contributi
on to
internatio
nal maize
crop /
diversity?
Same
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Private Sector Responses –
Companies with >4% Market Share
#
respond
11-15
ents
< 5 yrs 5-10 yrs yrs
Companies
with >4%
market
share
15
2
<5 yrs*
2
2
5-10 yrs
2
11-15 yrs
2
16-21 yrs
8
1
undeclared
2
2
16-21
yrs
8
undeclar USA
ed
only
1
2
2
8
8
3
4
8/3/4/1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1/0/1/0
1
5/2/1/1
0/0/1/1/
5
1
Both
USA /
Both /
Outside Outside
USA
/undecl
only
ared
2
1
Companies
Contributed
with >4%
proprietary
market
germplasm germplasm germplasm germplasm germplasm germplasm
share
to GEM?
<5 yrs old 5-8 yrs old 9-12 yrs old 13-15 yrs old 16+ yrs old
<5 yrs*
5-10 yrs
No
No
11-15 yrs
2
16-21 yrs
8
undeclared
1
1 (US)
1 (outside
US)
0/1/0/0
0/1/0/0
0/2/0/0
0/2/0/0
0/1/0/0
Made
Made
Companies
Hybrids
Population
with >4%
Tested
with GEM s with GEM
market
Eval GEM Eval GEM Hybrids
Germplasm Germplasm
share
GermplasmGermplasm with GEM for own
for own
in the USA Intl
germplasm testing
testing
Location
<5 yrs*
0
1
0
0/1
0/1
Int’l
5-10 yrs
1
1
1/0
1/1
1/1
USA/Int’l
11-15 yrs
16-21 yrs
0
6
1
2
0/1
7
1/1
7
1/1
7
USA/Int’l
6/1
Made
breeding
pops with
GEM
germplasm
for own
use
0/1
Companies with Successfully
>4% market
used GEM
share
germplasm in
breeding
<5 yrs*
No
5-10 yrs
No
Location
Int’l
Commercialized
with GEM
germplasm
0
11-15 yrs
Yes 1/1
USA/Int’l
1/1/0/0
16-21 yrs
3/0
USA
No
Location
How many
products
USA/Int’l
2
ID or used
Companies germplasm
with >4%
with leaf
market share disease
resistance?
1
ID or used
germplasm
with ear rot
disease
resistance?
Y
ID or used
germplasm
with stalkrot
disease
resistance?
1
ID or used
germplasm
with insect
resistance?
0
Used GEM
lines directly
or indirectly
in silage
products?
0
Used GEM
germplasm's
grain
Id'd any
characteristic useful
s?
haplotype?
<5 yrs*
5-10 yrs
11-15 yrs
1
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
16-21 yrs
Yes
2
2
2
No
No
No
Use
less/same
Companies
/more
with >4% % of GEM GEM
Importance
market
germplasm germplas to your
share
used in
m in the current
breeding future
program
<5 yrs*
5-10 yrs
11-15 yrs
6-10%
1-5%
1-5%
16-21 yrs 3, 1-5%;
More
Same
Same
0/4/2
NR/Moder
ate
Low
NR/Low
3 V Low; 3
Moderate;
1 High
Willing to Hired any
increase in- personnel
Have you kind
trained
contributed support to using GEM
in kind
help
germplasm
coop
expand
or project
resources scope
support
NR/Yes
Yes/Yes
Yes/Yes
NR/Yes
No/Yes
No/Yes
No
No
Do you
consider
the GEM
Project to
be
important
to the US
corn /
industry/fo
od security
Has GEM
made any
contributio
n to
internation
al maize
crop /
diversity
NR/Yes
Yes/Yes
Yes/Yes
NR/Yes
Yes/Yes
No/Yes
6 Yes; 1
NR
4 Y; 2 No 3 Y; 1 No 4 Y; 1 No 4 Y; 1 No
Private Sector Responses – Companies
With <4% Market Share
#
respon
11-15
dents <5 yrs 5-10 yrs yrs
Companies
with <4%
market
share
9
1
<5 yrs
5-10 yrs
11-15 yrs
16-20 yrs
1
6
2
0
1
6
2
16-21
yrs
USA
only
USA 7
INT’L
Int’l
only
0
7
0
2
0
6
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
USA /
Both /
Outside
0/0/1
6/0/0
1/0/1
Companies
with <4%
market
share
Contributed
proprietary
germplasm
germplasm germplasm germplasm germplasm 13-15 yrs germplasm
to GEM? <5 yrs old 5-8 yrs old 9-12 yrs old old
16+ yrs old
<5 yrs
No
5-10 yrs
3 Yes; 3 No
11-15 yrs
No
1
2
Compa
nies
with
<4%
market
share
<5 yrs
Made
Hybrids
Eval
Tested with
GEM
Hybrids GEM
Germp Eval
with
Germpl
lasm GEM GEM asm for
in the Germpl germpla own
USA asm Intl sm?
testing
0
5-10 yrs
4
11-15
yrs
1
1
0
0/0
0/0
Made
Pops
with
GEM
Germpl
asm for
own
testing Loc
0/0
Made Successf
breedin ully
g pops used
with
GEM
GEM germpla
germpla sm in
sm for breedin
own use g
Loc
Commer
cialized
with
GEM
germplas
m
Loc
0/0
2
2
4
USA
4
4
1
1
0
USA
0
0
USA /
Int’l
2
0
USA/I
nt’l
Number
of
product
s
ID or used
Used GEM
Companies ID or used ID or used germplasm
lines
Used GEM
with <4% germplasm germplasm with
ID or used directly or germplasm'
market
with leaf with ear stalkrot
germplasm indirectly ins grain
Identified
share
disease
rot disease disease
with insect silage
characteris any useful
resistance resistance resistance resistance products tics
haplotype
<5 yrs
5-10 yrs
4
4
2
2
2
3
No
11-15 yrs
0
0
0
1
0
0
No
Companie
s with <4%% of GEM
market germplas
share
m used in
breeding Location
Outside
<5 yrs
1-5%
USA
5-10 yrs
11-15 yrs
3, 1-5%; 1, USA/Outsi
11-15% de USA
Do you
consider
Hired any the GEM
Willing to personnel Project to
increase trained
be
Use
in-kind
using GEM important
less/same/
Have you contributi germplas to the US
more GEM Importanc contribute ons to
m / of
corn /
germplas e to your d in kind enable
GEM
industry/f
m in the current resources expanding project
ood
future? program? ?
scope?
support? security?
More
Same
Less
Very low NR/Yes
1 V Low; 2
Low; 1
Moderate
Yes
Low
Yes
Has GEM
made any
contributi
on to
internatio
nal maize
crop /
diversity?
NR/YES
No
NR/Yes
NR/YES
1 No/ 4
Yes
No
1 No/4 Yes
4 Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Thank you for your thoughtful contributions
and support!