Assessing the ecological amplitude of candidate native grasses to inform plant materials development for the Colorado Plateau

Background/Question/Methods

National and state restoration practices now require more suitable native plant materials that are more adaptive to certain geographical locations.  This has resulted in the funding of a large scale study within the Colorado Plateau.  In 2009, 156 accessions of six species of native grasses; Indian ricegrass  (Achnatherum hymenoides), muttongrass (Poa fendleriana), Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda), Squirreltail (Elymus elymoides), needle and threadgrass (Hesperostipa comata), and prairie junegrass (Koeleria macrantha) were planted in randomized rows in five sites that are within the borders of the Colorado Plateau.  These collections were harvested within the Colorado Plateau and the five Utah National Forests that are in the region.  These forests are; Ashley, Dixie, Fishlake, Manti LaSal and the Uinta.  Plant materials were also collected on significant holding of the BLM in Utah such as the Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument.  Any known cultivar on the market for these species that was geographically close to the Colorado Plateau was also included in the study.  A fenced two acre site was prepared in the fall of 2008 on the Forest sites.  The BLM sponsored site is located at the ARS field study area near the town of Nephi, Utah.  Seed was sent to a nursery for transplant stock that was planted in the spring of 2009.  40 plants of each accession were randomly planted by species at each site.  The plants were left to establish for the year of 2009.  In 2010, measurements of height, crown, and survival were recorded.  In 2011, the same measurements were taken as well as biomass and the number of seed heads per plant.  Data at this time is still being input.  A final assessment will be made after the growing season of 2012.  A candidate best suited for restoration projects for each species will then be chosen for advancement into commercial production.

Results/Conclusions

As the conclusion of this study is still in the future, a final analysis will be reported on the data at the termination of the study.  We will take into consideration the top five performing grass species at each of the five sites and form them into a north and south Colorado Plateau recommended specie.