Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship	Spring 1997

Science and Technology Sources on the Internet

Elizabeth W. Brown, Editor

William T. Johnson
University Library
Texas Tech University

Guide to the Internet Resources on PLANT GENETICS

[Databases], [ Electronic Publications], [ Government Resources], [ Library Resources], [ People Locators Part I: Email Directories], [People Locators Part II: Listserv Groups, Associations, Societies], [ Research: Departments of Colleges and Universities], [Miscellaneous Items]

The number of biological resources on the Internet is staggering, and the apparent complexity of how to locate specific items of interest and relevance can be frustrating or maddening for both novice and experienced searchers. The purpose of this guide is to provide a timely, well-designed, and quality resource to the HYPERTEXT OF PLANT GENETICS. Therefore, no attempt is made at comprehensive coverage. Rather, scholarly research oriented information sources are selected and a brief description of each site provided.

A diverse strategy was employed to create this guide. Broad subject catalogs such as those provided by INFOMINE and the WWW Virtual Library were browsed, and several Internet search engines were used to determine the initial group of sites for inclusion. Additionally, several listservs, as well as a number of print sources, were consulted to find relevant sites.

This Webliography facilitates access to many important plant genetics resources on the Internet. While the amount of information is vast, the most valuable resource provided herein is the connection to people. The community of researchers, librarians, database managers, and authors is the greatest treasure to be found on the Internet. These people provide guidance, help, and direction to and through the ocean of information currently available on this topic. They are collaborative partners working toward advanced understanding of plant genetics and, ultimately, a better standard of living for many people around the world.

Databases

Arabidopsis Information Management System (AIMS): Plant stock may be ordered via this site from the Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center at Ohio State and from the Nottingham Arabidopsis Stock Center. Searching may be done in a number of databases, such as the Arabidopsis cDNA Sequence Analysis Project, GenBank, and others. A number of links to related sites are also listed, such as physical maps of chromosomes, the archives of genetics news groups, training manuals, and research labs. http://aims.cps.msu.edu/aims/
MaizeDB WWW Server: This database is provided by the USDA Plant Genetics Unit within the College of Agriculture at the University of Missouri-Columbia. One may add information to this database or inquire about meetings and conferences. Many other links are provided, such as the one to the Iowa State Maize Page.* Various options are presented, whereby one may access this resource: WWW, Gopher, etc. A great resource for plant pathologists, this is a full-text searchable database where many illustrations of plant diseases may be viewed. [*Note: Link moved; URL changed 4/11/01 by ald] http://www.agron.missouri.edu/
Plant Databases at the National Agricultural Library [Note: Broken link to http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/plant/index.html removed 9/14/00 by ald]: Information on a wide variety of taxa may be searched or browsed, such as: Cotton, Legumes, Grasses, Trees, Solanaceae, Chlamydomonas. Links are also provided to electronic publications, print citations, meetings, and related areas of botanical research. You'll find mapping data, literature citations, authors, images, and much more through this resource. WAIS searching is available in most databases. http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/plant/index.html

Electronic Publications

Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative [Note: Link moved; URL changed 7/18/00 by ald]: Though it is obviously a graphic-intensive resource, this site facilitates access to a vast amount of information. A membership directory is provided along side administrative information, such as the Cooperative's by-laws. Gene lists and nomenclatural matters are presented. Annual reports are provided, and the Vegetable Improvement Archive from 1959-1982 is available. Conference abstracts are accessible for the Cucurbits group and related subgroups such as the Watermelon Research Group. http://genome.cornell.edu/cgc/
Dendrome, Forest Tree Genome Research Updates: A semiannual publication with information on research progress, meetings and symposiums, as well as news of interest to plant scientists. Several volumes are available with access provided to the tables of contents along with the full text of each article. HTML and PDF formats are available for each issue. http://dendrome.ucdavis.edu/Newsletter/index.html [Note: Link moved; URL changed 8/29/01 by ald]
Journal of Quantitative Trait Loci [Note: Broken link to http://probe.nalusda.gov:8000/otherdocs/jqtl/index.html removed 4/11/01 by ald]: Sponsored by the Crop Science Society of America, this hypertext journal provides access to the illustrated full-text articles for 1995 and 1996. Cross-links are sometimes provided to abstracts of articles cited in each paper. Author affiliations, including their email addresses, are also provided. http://probe.nalusda.gov:8000/otherdocs/jqtl/index.html
Plant Genome Meeting Abstracts [Note: Broken link to http://probe.nalusda.gov:8000/otherdocs/pg/index.html removed 9/14/00 by ald]: Abstracts from Plant Genome Meetings from 1992 to the present may be browsed or searched. Abstracts may also be submitted for upcoming conferences. These abstracts are WAIS indexed. http://probe.nalusda.gov:8000/otherdocs/pg/index.html
Plant Gene Register [Note: Link moved; URL changed 3/30/98 by ald]: Produced by the American Society of Plant Physiologists, this site facilitates access to brief articles describing a particular genetic variant in the journal Plant Physiology. A search engine is also provided. One will also find links to ENTREZ where genetic sequence and taxonomic information will be found. http://www.tarweed.com/Ophelia/pgr/index.html
Report of the Tomato Genetic Cooperative [Note: Link moved; URL changed 7/18/00 by ald]: Selected volumes are available between 1951 and 1993. You may examine the volume from "cover to cover" including subject and author indexes, full text articles, news items, and editorials. http://probe.nalusda.gov:8000/otherdocs/tgc/tgc.html
Rice Genetics Newsletter [Note: Link moved; URL changed 7/18/00 by ald]: Volumes are available from 1984 to 1992. You may browse tables of contents, as well as access full text articles, editorials, committee reports, and news items. http://genome.cornell.edu/rice/documents/newsletters/
Weeds World, Arabidopsis Newsletter: A non-refereed, international journal designed to promote the circulation of information among the Arabidopsis community beyond the bounds of the International Arabidopsis Bulletin Board, arab-gen. Several issues are available in either standard or text-only versions. The newsletter is WAIS indexed and available from three different servers: at Nottingham, England; the AAtDB WWW server; and the Agricultural Genome WWW server located at the National Agricultural Library - USDA. http://nasc.nott.ac.uk:8300/home.html

Government Resources

Forest Genetics Dendrome Project [Note: Broken link to http://s27w007.pswfs.gov/ removed 9/14/00 by ald]: Serves as a central resource for the study of the molecular genetics of forest trees. One may search the National Agricultural Library of Genetics Information or search a world directory of tree geneticists. Genome maps are provided and Forest Tree Genome Research Updates may be browsed or an author and title index to this source of news and events can be searched. Many other links are provided to such resources as Forestry and Molecular Biology. http://s27w007.pswfs.gov/
ENTREZ (National Center for Biotechnology Information): Several links to online help are available to explain how to use this database. One may search a "genetics" subset of MEDLINE as well as the NCBI protein and nucleotide data sets for citations and some full-text articles. Individual searches can be run, or they can be grouped into a batch for larger data sets. A full range of genetic codes are presented, and one may also browse a taxonomical structure for prokaryotes and primitive eukaryotes. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Entrez/index.html
FAO: Plant Genetic Resources [Note: Unable to connect 4/11/01]: Country information related to plant genetics is listed along with news and information about collections in many parts of the world. Conventions, treaties, and conferences may be accessed through this vast site of well-organized information. One example of the type of information provided is a 'Plan of Action' for the conservation and sustainable use of plant resources. This is also a good place to find information on intellectual property, especially as it relates to an international perspective. http://web.icppgr.fao.org
GenoBase (National Institute of Health) [Note: Broken link to http://specter.dcrt.nih.gov:8004/ removed 5/12/98 by ald]: Access to a vast array of genetic information is facilitated through this link. One may search the following databases: European Molecular Biology, SWIS-PROT, Enzyme, Prosite, Selkov Enzyme and Metabolic Pathway (EMP), GenBank, and other National Institute of Health resources. One may search by gene number, author, key word, and accession number. Many other links to electronic books, molecular biology resources around the world, and how to write HTML documents are included. http://specter.dcrt.nih.gov:8004/
GRIN [Note: Broken link to gopher://gopher.ars-grin.gov/1/ removed 4/11/01 by ald. The same information appears to be available at http://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/aboutgrin.html]: Germplasm Resources Information Network is a centralized Gopher database of plant and animal germplasm information. Images, holdings, and other information are indexed for easy access. Some unexpected resources surface from time to time, such as Ethnobotany in Indonesia. gopher://gopher.ars-grin.gov/1/
Nordic Gene Bank: NGB promotes cooperation among Scandinavian countries in genetic research. Their Web page provides administrative information followed by links to information about various plant groups. For example, one may search a taxonomic or cereal database. Taxonomic information is available for vascular taxa regarding status as a cultivar, distribution, use, and threats. Searching may be limited by origin, genome, or life form and search terms may be in one of several languages. NGB publications from 1989 may be ordered, as well. http://tor.ngb.se/
Plant Genome Database [Note: Link moved; URL changed 7/18/00 by ald]: This is a USDA collection of plant resource links: Arabidopsis, Grasses, Soybeans, and Forest Trees. A great variety of information is provided through these sites, such as newsletters, descriptions of cultivars, images, commercial cultivars, and maps. Sources may be browsed or searched. http://s27w007.pswfs.gov/Biology/pgd.html
Rice Genome Research Program [Note: Link moved; URL changed 4/11/01 by ald]: Japanese work on rice is accessible via a newsletter, along with presentations from International Rice Genome Meetings, data files from an ftp server, as well as numerous links to many related resources. Silkworm genetic information is also available. http://rgp.dna.affrc.go.jp/
USDA National Agricultural Library Genome Center [Note: Link moved; URL changed 7/18/00 by ald]: While the focus is on agriculturally important organisms, the information included here relates to much more than plants regarded as commodities. Pests and pathogens are also included, as are organisms of high research value, such as Arabidopsis. News, publications, and access to many related links are also provided. Some data is also available via ftp and gopher. http://www.nal.usda.gov/pgdic/

Library Resources

Colorado State University Libraries [Note: Link moved; URL changed 4/11/01 by ald]: SAGE is the name of their library catalog, which has a Web interface allowing searching through hundreds of plant science items, including books and federal documents. Citations may be viewed in various forms and emailed, if desired. Search results may also be limited by material type, location, year, or language and sorted by year as well. This well-organized site also offers access to information guides, subject specialists, and a number of WWW catalogs. http://manta.library.colostate.edu/
Cornell University Library: Access to nineteen different libraries at Cornell is facilitated through this homepage. You may search the catalogs via TELNET or a TN3270 connection. They are experimenting with a Web interface to their catalog, which would be a very nice enhancement. Many other electronic resources are presented, such as Cornell's Gopher and Web servers. While the development of Internet resources is somewhat limited, their plant science holdings are very strong. http://www.library.cornell.edu/
Indiana University Libraries: The on-line catalog, IUCAT, appears fairly easy to use and is found after links to general information and services. Once a TELNET connection is made, you may search by author, title, or key word. A number of bibliographic and electronic texts of local resource, which complement their large print holdings in the botanical sciences, have been placed online. http://www.indiana.edu/~libweb/
Iowa State University Library [Note: Link moved; URL changed 4/11/01 by ald]: Among a number of excellent electronic resources, you will locate ICAT, the on-line catalog and connect via one of several interfaces: TELNET, TN3270 or the Web. The Library's Web site is also searchable, facilitating quick access to items of interest. One may email catalog records with the browsing software used to view the site. http://www.lib.iastate.edu/home.html
The Rockefeller University Library: This Web page is structured with tables and provides information on services and staff. Some of the information is restricted to local patrons. Access to library catalogs is via TELNET. Login in as 'library' and choose the appropriate terminal type. Plant biology holdings are significant. http://www.rockefeller.edu/library/
Texas Tech University: In addition to the on-line catalog TECHPAC (via telnet, login as ttucat), a number of local resources facilitate research and study in plant genetics at Tech. Several journals have been described, and a guide to several reference works have been presented in a hypertext format. Additionally, several faculty in the Department of Biology and College of Agriculture are engaged in original research projects. http://www.lib.ttu.edu/ [URLs corrected 12/17/97]
University of California, Davis General Library: Among the departments listed is Shields Library - Biology/Agriculture. New books, liaisons, electronic sources, and a TELNET connection to their online catalog (MELVYL) is facilitated. The size of this collection is very large, consisting of the entire state university system. No login is required but you must indicate a terminal type. http://www.Lib.ucdavis.edu/
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library [Note: Link moved; URL changed 4/11/01 by ald]: Access to the online catalog is available through a TELNET connection. "Special Projects in the Library" is a link worth noting on this relatively simple, though highly graphic, Web page. The site is well organized, listing a large number of digital resources. The Web page is also searchable and incorporates frames in its electronic structure. The variety and extent of botanical resources is rather large. http://www.library.uiuc.edu/

People Locators Part I: Email Directories

Specific "people locating sources" may be used to find individual researchers or institutions. Most of these services return at least an email address, while some also provide a snail mail address as well as research topics. When you know a topical area and want to find anyone in that field to assist with a specific information need, resources with a broader scope, such as listservs and professional societies, can put you in touch with recognized experts

Site URL Location Comments

Community of Science Server http://www.cos.com/ [Note: Link moved; URL changed 7/8/98 by ald] Locate researchers by institution, personal name, or research interest.

Finnish Researchers in Forestry and Wood Science http://www.helsinki.fi/jarj/metsatiet/Register/sregwww.html Basically, an alphabetical list of researchers in: Forest Biology, Economics, Management, and Wood Science.

Form for Finding People http://www.ibc.wustl.edu/ibc/people.html [Note: Broken link removed 4/11/01 by ald] Uses a variety of search tools to locate people.

Infoseek http://www.go.com/ [Note: Link moved; URL changed 11/1/99, 9/14/00 by ald] Choose "email addresses" under the format option to look for people. Otherwise, this is a search engine/subject catalog similar to Yahoo.
NetAddressFinder http://www.obh.snafu.de/cgi-bin/netaddress [Note: Broken link removed 7/18/00 by ald] Searches news postings. It is in German.

Plant Taxonomists Online gopher://gopher.unm.edu/11/academic/biology/pto An extensive list of those involved with plant systematics research from around the world. Email and snail mail addresses are provided along with phone and fax numbers.

Switchboard http://www.switchboard.com/ People or Business Addresses. Not for email.

Who's On-line: Biologists http://www.icgeb.trieste.it/cgi-bin/whosmgr.pl?biologist [Note: Broken link removed 11/1/99 by ald] Key word searching is facilitated to Biologists as well as other professions. Annual editions are available, reducing the number of entries to search through. This is a database where participants volunteer information about themselves.

People Locators Part II: Listserv Groups, Associations, Societies

Site	URL Location	Comments
American Phytopathological Society	http://www.apsnet.org/ [Note: Link moved; URL changed 4/11/01 by ald]	A rich resource of information on their publications, activities, and membership. Additionally, career information and links to related resources are provided.
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology	http://www.faseb.org/asbmb/ [Note: Link moved; URL changed 9/8/98 by ald]	Access is facilitated to the international meetings of biochemistry and molecular biology, committees, and news items of interest to Society members.
Council for Agricultural Science and Technology	http://www.cast-science.org/ [Note: Link moved; URL changed 9/14/00 by ald]	Dedicated to education and research in plant science for use by decision makers, this site provides information about the Society, its news releases, testimony, and workshops.
Genetical Society of the UK	http://www.genetics.org.uk/ [Note: Link moved; URL changed 7/18/00 by ald]	Produced by the Genetics Department at the University of Leeds, this site provides access to Society officers and members, meetings, and the most recent edition of their newsletter.
International Union of Forestry Research Organizations	http://iufro.boku.ac.at/ [Link moved; URL changed 3/30/98, 7/18/00 by ald]	Along with membership and activities information, research interests are listed and include: silviculture, genetics of forest plants, operations and management.
Listserv Lists for the Sciences	http://www.lib.ttu.edu/class/listserv.htm [Note: Broken link removed 5/12/98 by ald]	A number of sele cted Science listserv groups have been organized on one page for convenience, along with a link to a search engine to look for more if you are interested. Subscription instructions and other details are provided to each group.
UK Plant Genetic Resources Group	http://nasc.nott.ac.uk:8200/	Links to horticultural and plant genetic resources throughout the U.K. such as MAFF's National Fruit Collections, National Council for the Conservation of Plant and Gardens, Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, the Genetic Resources Unit of Horticulture Research International, and many more botany sites.
Protein Society	http://www.faseb.org/protein/index.html [Note: Link moved; URL changed 11/1/99 by ald]	In addition to membership information and activities, this site facilitates access to Protein Science online. You may search the protein Web pages or gopher, browse the journal's table of contents, and retrieve full-text articles.
Society for Experimental Biology	http://www.sebiology.com/ [Note: Link moved; URL changed 4/11/01 by ald]	Based in England, this site is a little less sophisticated than some, yet it lists publications and allows access to its tables of contents. Links to jobs resources and news groups are provided along with abstracts from meetings.

Research: Departments of Colleges and Universities

Kansas State University - Plant Pathology [Note: Link moved; URL changed 4/11/01 by ald]: Faculty research interests as well as graduate programs and facilities are described. One may browse the Student Handbook and review Extension System and Agricultural research activities and publications. Additional links are provided to molecular virology, the American Pathological Association, and other Agriculture resources. With a graphical browser, you may follow maps through their research facilities, floor by floor. http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/plantpath/
North Carolina State University [Note: Link moved; URL changed 8/5/98 by ald]: Graduate degree programs are described and undergraduate courses are presented. Faculty and their research interests are presented along with selected publications. Local conferences, seminars, and symposia are mentioned, and selected highlights from those events are listed. A well organized collection of related links are also provided. http://www2.ncsu.edu/ncsu/cals/genetics/index.html
Oxford Forestry Institute [Note: Link moved; URL changed 7/18/00 by ald]]: This link serves as a connection to Oxford's Department of Plant Sciences, the Oxford Forestry Institute, the International Foundation for Science, and the Center for Research in Sustainable Systems of Agricultural Production. Access is facilitated to occasional papers, research reports, databases, and library resources. A lovely collection of local images are included. http://www.plants.ox.ac.uk/ofi/ofi.htm
Penn State [Note: Link moved; URL changed 4/11/01 by ald]: The Institute of Molecular Evolutionary Genetics is listed among relevant links and its faculty and their research programs are presented including: Population Genetics, Regulation of Gene Expression, Plant Hormone Action, Signal Transduction in Plants, and more. Graduate degree programs are explained, and resources and facilities are highlighted. http://www.bio.psu.edu/
University of Iowa - Biological Sciences [Note: Link moved; URL changed 4/11/01 by ald]: Graduate and undergraduate programs are described, faculty research activities are listed, and associated links to biological resources are included. Information about the Biology Library and the C.L.U.B. (Computer-Assisted Learning Center for Undergraduate Biology) is also provided. An extensive description of the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, which offers links to its newsletter, friends programs, and courses, is included. http://biology-afs.biology.uiowa.edu/default.html
University of Reading - School of Plant Science: Three departments are presented through this link: Agricultural Botany, Botany, and Horticulture. They suggest using Netscape to browse their site for information on staff, courses, research programs, and newsletters. The site is well organized and makes heavy use of tables. http://www.reading.ac.uk/AcaDepts/sb/home.html

Miscellaneous Items

Gene Finder Service: New programs have been developed for analyzing plant sequences in a similar fashion to that being used in human and mammalian genetic resources. Instructions and help files are also available from the Weizmann Institute. http://dot.imgen.bcm.tmc.edu:9331/gene-finder/gf.html
MendelWeb: This educational resource centers on classical genetics as described in the 19th century hybridization work of Gregor Mendel. Access to an interactive discussion group (MOO) is available, along with a FAQ. Navigation help is also located within easy reach. Many connections are provided to sites of related interest, so this site provides an excellent "educational hub" to information on genetics that is difficult to locate in print. http://www.netspace.org/MendelWeb/
National Center for Biotechnology Information: This Center was created to focus on developing electronic access to biomedical data. Though its focus is not on plants, it is an important link to include here, due to its central and strategic role in the development of electronic genetic databases. Links to related databases are provided, as is access to NCBI news, staff, research, and publications. FTP access to its files is also provided. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
National Center for Genome Research: This non-profit bioinformatics company grew out of the need for disseminating the sort of information that grew out of the Human Genome Project. This site connects you to database links, a system for integrated gene map assembly, and links to ethical issues. http://www.ncgr.org/

[URLs corrected 9/2/97 by ald]

We welcome your comments. Please send e-mail to the editor for possible inclusion in a future issue.