About

What is the Pulse Crop Database?

The Pulse Crop Database (PCD), formerly the Cool Season Food Legume Database (CSFL), is being developed by the Main Bioinformatics Laboratory at Washington State University in collaboration with the USDA-ARS Grain Legume Genetics and Physiology Research Unit, the USDA-ARS Plant Germplasm Introduction and Testing Unit, the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council, Northern Pulse Growers and allied scientists in the US and across the world, to serve as a resource for Genomics-Assisted Breeding (GAB). GAB offers tools to identify genes related to traits of interest among other methods to optimize plant breeding efficiency and research, by providing relevant genomic, genetic and breeding information and analysis. Therefore, tools such as JBrowse and MapViewer can be found in this database, as well as key resources to provide the access to the annotation of available transcriptome data, helping pulse breeders and researchers to succeed in their programs.

Why do we need a Pulse Database?

Although there is wealth of pulse genetic research information in North America and throughout the world, there is still a need for a system that can organize, filter and provide analysis on the available research to be directly applied in breeding programs. The idea of creating this database emerged from several group discussions, in which USDA scientists, pulse breeders, data curators, university professors and bioinformaticians started working on the publicly available genetic and genomic information to make it available for practical use in breeding programs.

The PCD Team

Dr. Dorrie Main

Principal Investigator

Dr. Sook Jung

Co-Principal Investigator 

Dr. Clare Coyne

Co-Prinicpal Investigator

Dr. Rebecca McGee

Co-Prinicpal Investigator

Dr. Jodi Humann

Research Associate

Dr. Ping Zheng

Research Associate

           

Dr. Jing Yu

Research Associate

Chun-Huai Cheng

Developer

Taein Lee

Developer

Katheryn Buble

Developer

Heidi Hough

Database Administrator

Dr. James Crabb

Data Curator

 

PCD Usage (tracked by Google Analytics) - 2018 and prior were under the CSFL name

Year Number of sessions Number of users Number of countries Number of pageviews
2022 14,591 11,457 137 63,620
2021 9,007 6,284 120 48,434
2020 11,289 8,845 115 45,650
2019 10,055 7,360 117 56,252
2018 6,608 4,141 112 46,230
2017 6,040 3,306 110 34,475
2016 4,991 3,134 116 24,958
2015 4,618 2,830 113 20,204
2014 3,955 2,935 124 11,920
2013 4,970 3,713 119 13,677
2012 3,523 2,273 101 11,009
2011 3,561 1,392 98 28,094