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Norman L.
Taylor
 Dr. Norman L. Taylor was a world renowned Professor and
clover breeder in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at the
University of Kentucky for 48 years. Following retirement in 2001, he
continued working on clovers up until his death in 2010.
Dr. Taylor’s entire career was devoted to enhancing the
knowledge and understanding of the genus Trifolium as well as developing
improved cultivars of red clover (T. pratense L.). From the earliest
days of his career he began corresponding with clover researchers
worldwide and exchanging germplasm.
While most Trifolium germplasm collections concentrated
on ten to twenty commercially-utilized clovers, Dr. Taylor had the goal
of obtaining seed samples of every Trifolium species in the world. He
collected seeds of clover species during USDA plant explorations in
Romania, Yugoslavia, and western U.S., and also in Australia, England,
France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, and throughout the
U.S.
 His
collection at the University of Kentucky was recognized as a specific
National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) repository (CLO) in the Germplasm
Resources Information Network (GRIN) and he distributed seeds to clover
researchers throughout the world.
In February 2011, the Taylor Clover collection was
donated to the USDA by the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at the
University of Kentucky. The collection has been designated by NPGS as a
special collection with the annual species located at the Plant Genetic
Resources Conservation Unit, Griffin, Georgia, and the perennial species
located at the Western Regional Plant Introduction Station, Pullman,
Washington.
Presently (2011), the collection contains 1,839
inventories of 1,179 accessions representing 201 different Trifolium
species. Accessions from the Taylor collection will be available for use
by clover researchers and educators worldwide. This special collection
is a fitting tribute to Dr. Taylor’s long, distinguished career with
clover genetic resources.
[1]
Sources:
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"A
New NPGS Special Collection: Norman L. Taylor University of Kentucky
Clover Collection"
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"Ninety
years of Clover Breeding in Kentucky," Taylor, N. L.
[PDF]
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"A
Century of Clover Breeding Developments in the United States,"
Taylor, N. L. [PDF]
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