2007 Annual Report 1a.Objectives (from AD-416) The object of this agreement between the National Cotton Council of America (NCCA) and the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is to accelerate cotton genetics, breeding, and germplasm maintenance. 1b.Approach (from AD-416) Cotton accessions will be grown at a tropical location during the winter months. Such a procedure makes it possible to grow, under field conditions, an additional generation of cottons during the winter months to secure seed to be returned to the cotton breeders of the United States by planting time, and to multiply photoperiodic stocks of the Cotton Germplasm Collection. 3.Progress Report This report serves to document research conducted under a Non-funded Cooperative Agreement between ARS and the National Cotton Council of America. Additional details of research can be found in the report for parent project 6202-21000-024-00D, Cotton Genetic Resource Management. The goal of this project is to assure achievement of cotton germplasm base expansion by providing oversight of the Cotton Winter Nursery (CWN) in Mexico for germplasm increases and breeder increases. There is ongoing need to expand the cotton germplasm base available in the U.S.; the apparent decline of cotton yields has increased concern that genetic vulnerability is a major contributor and less than 15 of cotton germplasm accessions have been explored. In FY 2007, the CWN was managed in a manner so as to facilitate growth of 4.6 acres of cotton from 28 cooperators, and involving increases of hundreds of critical cotton accessions. Ongoing work under this project will assure long-term availability of the CWN facility to cotton researchers and breeders, and to the important cotton germplasm it makes available to them. Ultimately, improved and more productive cotton varieties will be made available to the American farmer. The project ADODR monitors the cooperator’s performance under this agreement primarily through a formal Steering Committee, which the ADODR chairs. Composition of the Committee includes key cotton researchers from government, academia, and industry; scheduled meetings of the Committee are held three times a year and routinely involve detailed discussions of work progress, problems, and priorities. The ADODR maintains routine communications with the cooperator, CWN personnel, and members of the Steering Committee by phone, e-mail, and face-to-face interactions as appropriate.