About ICMP

History

The International Collection of Micro-organisms from Plants (ICMP) had its origin in 1952 as the personal collection of plant pathogenic bacteria and rhizobia of Dr Douglas W. Dye.

It expanded as the culture collection (PDDCC) of Plant Diseases Division, and later Plant Protection Division, of the New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR). Initially, cultures were maintained by serial transfer of slope cultures, but in 1962 the process of vacuum-drying was introduced. Fungal cultures, initially maintained under oil, then by a variety of methods, were first included in the Collection in 1961. Following the reorganization of science in New Zealand in 1992, the collection was transferred to Landcare Research, one of eight New Zealand Government-owned “Crown Research Institutes”. In 1993, preservation using liquid nitrogen was introduced for fungal and bacterial strains which had been difficult to maintain by vacuum drying; this has since been used for all new accessions.

The first catalogues issued by the Collection were the PDDCC Catalogue preprint edition (1978), followed by a first edition (1981) and a supplement (1982), and were of bacteria. One catalogue for fungi was issued as PDDCC Catalogue of Fungi (1983). A second edition was published in 1988. The third edition (1997) , divided into two parts, included 5850 accessions of bacteria and 4200 of fungi, as well as an index of plant­–host microorganisms and a numerical index; a supplement was published in 1999. No further print catalogues were produced, and these now superseded by the present online database.

The first computer database for ICMP was developed in 1978 and used punch cards to store culture information. This was followed by several different computer databases, including a mainframe run by DSIR Applied Maths, followed in 2002 by a Microsoft access database that was converted to SQL for internet searching. In 2011 a purpose-built CIS (Collection Information System) was developed for all Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research’s systematics collections. This system allows daily website updates.

From its establishment until 2004, ICMP was located at Mt Albert Research Centre, Mt Albert, Auckland, New Zealand. In 2004 it moved with Landcare Research to new facilities at its current location, 231 Morrin Rd, St Johns, Auckland 1072.

Curators

• Doug Dye 1952 - 1972
• John Young 1973 - 2007
• Shaun Pennycook 2008 - 2010
• Peter Buchanan 2010 - 2013
• Bevan Weir 2013 - current

Maureen Fletcher was a longstanding technician at the ICMP collection serving from 1980 until her retirement in 2014.

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Research

The ICMP supports national and international research through the provision and storage of bacterial and fungal cultures.

The Mycology and Bacteriology Research Group at Landcare Research comprises ten staff, undertaking fungal and bacterial systematics and plant pathology research. In addition to ICMP, Landcare Research is also custodian of the New Zealand Fungal and Plant Disease Collection (PDD, 95 000 dried specimens) and maintains large molecular and culture lab facilities, along with extensive literature resources on fungi and plant-associated bacteria.

Funding and staffing

The collection is funded primarily by the New Zealand government through “Backbone Funding” from the Ministry of Science and Innovation. The Collection is managed by senior science technician, Megan Petterson. The collection curator is Dr Bevan Weir.

Searching the collection

The ICMP database is available online, this is updated daily, and has a 'google-like' search box to search for taxonomic names, localities, hosts, or specific properties.

Alternatively you can search both the ICMP and PDD (dried fungal collection) by names and synonymy through the nzfungi2 interface; this has more basic specimen details, but includes taxonomic literature and New Zealand presence / absence data.

We also publish a list of the recommended rhizobia strains for inoculating legumes, and Dr Weir maintains an external list of the current names of rhizobial species.

The accuracy of the database depends on information from those who deposit strains in the Collection. The ICMP will be grateful to anyone who can supply additional information on the strains that it holds, such as new publications or GenBank data, or who can correct any mistakes.

Rhizobium strains

Current Rhizobium Strain Recommendations