1. USDA-NRCS Plant Materials Development & Use

2. Service Areas of the Plant Materials Centers

3. The Eastern U.S. Plant Materials Centers

4. Development of a Plant Materials Release Field collection occurs throughout the a PMC Service Area. Timely germplasm releases for general conservation and restoration use for a limited geographic area Cultivar development for specific uses, such as wildlife habitat, forage or soil bioengineering, adapted to a wide geographic area

5. Deciding when to Develop a Plant Species for Release What is the demand for Plant Material development and releases? –Agriculture –Conservation/Water Quality/Farm Bill –Urban Brownfields –Critical Wildlife Habitat –Recreation –Disturbed Lands-Natural/Man made

6. Trends in the Origin of Plant Materials Releases Total Releases - 508

7. Plant Releases Cultivar Tested Selected Source-identified

8. Plant Development = New Plant Releases Genetic Diversity of the Germplasm Predictable and Inheritable Characteristics Source-Identified Cultivar Tested Selected

9. Nationally, Commercial value of the Plant Materials Program Products - 2002 Vegetative Production- $ 17,000,000 Seed Production - $ 80,000,000 Total- $ 97,000,000

10. Economic Program Benefit – 6:1 ratio

11. Project Highlights from the East Region Plant Materials Program

12. Local Ecotype Releases Available (Mid-Atlantic) Suther Remnant Prairie (NC) Monarch germplasm seaside goldenrod High-tide switchgrass (Upper Chesapeake Bay) Seacoast bluestem (Mid-Atlantic collections)

13. Local Eco-types Available for New England States Little bluestem Big bluestem Indiangrass

14. Panicum virgatum switchgrass

15. Schizachyrium scoparium little bluestem

16. Pending Releases (within 2 years) Prairie cordgrass (Big Flats) Giant cordgrass (Cape May) Eastern gamagrass (Big Flats) Beaked panicum (Beltsville) Indiangrass (Big Flats/Beltsville) Virginia wildrye (Beltsville) Grass-leaved aster (Beltsville)

17. Sorghastrum nutans indiangrass

18. Spartina pectinata prairie cordgrass Panicum anceps beaked panicum

19. Sorghastrum secundum lopsided indiangrass Andropogon glomeratus var. glaucopsis chalky bluestem

21. Calamagrostis canadensis Canada bluejoint

22. Danthonia spicata poverty oatgrass Deschampsia flexuosa crinkled hairgrass Cinna arundinacea stout woodreed

23. Interface with the commercial seed and nursery industries to develop and release plant material for commercial availability

24. Why Grow Conservation Plants? Diversification: An alternative to corn-soybeans- vegetables. Some species may provide off-season income. New Markets: Plants for soil bioengineering, biofuels, agroforestry (windbreaks/buffers) and water quality applications. Foundation Plants/Production Guidelines provided by the Plant Materials Center/Specialist. Technical Support/Marketing Assistance provided by the Plant Materials Program through fact sheets, brochures, plant source directories. Assisting limited resource farmers/underrepresented customers (i.e. Native American tribes)

25. Printed Materials Plant Materials Program Web Site Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov With links to: PLANTS Database PLANTS Species Profiles Information: Publications Fact Sheets Plant Releases Plant Materials Centers

26. Program Products Printed Materials Presentations / Training Sessions / Site Visits Conservation Plant Releases

27. Other Major Projects Root physiology study (with ARS-Penn State & Beckley, WV) Carbon Sequestration (with ARS-Penn State) Herbicide Study-Establishment of native warm season grasses Dormant seeding of native warm season grasses Interseeding cover crops at corn planting (Big Flats-SARE grant) Eastern Gamagrass Yield with Interseeded Legumes

28. NRCS/ARS Root Physiology Study Warm Season Grass Screening for Riparian Buffer Applications –Compare NRCS warm season grass cultivars to determine root type and ability to grow into saturated soils. (drained vs wet bath treatment) –Various cultivars of each species used: Switchgrass, Big bluestem, Little bluestem, Indiangrass, Eastern gamagrass, Prairie cordgrass. (27 entries)

36. OBSERVATIONS –The rooting depth of the grasses was directly proportional to the top growth. (3 month growing season in the greenhouse; loam soil) –Both Eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) cultivars and ‘Red River’ Prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata) extended roots to the bottom of the tubes in both the dry and saturated treatments.

37. OBSERVATIONS –Most switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) cultivars consistently rooted into the capillary fringe above the saturated zone. –Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans) and Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) rooting depths were highly variable by cultivar however none penetrated the saturated zone.

38. Field Planting (Spring 2004) Species will be outplanted to field plots: –Wye Research Ctr., Maryland –Klingerstown, PA –Big Flats, NY *Roots will be studied in-situ by ARS using a root probe in 2006

39. Carbon Sequestration: Conversion of Cool Season Grass Stands into Native Warm Season Grass Systems Implications for Carbon Sequestration

40. What do we know? Cool season grasses are shallow rooted. Long term stands have developed shallow C-pools. Warm season grasses are deeper rooted than cool season grasses. (deeper C-pool) Success of no-till drilling warm season grasses into killed cool season stands has been highly variable.

41. The BIG Question is….. Will converting long-term cool season grass systems into warm season grass systems increase or decrease the total carbon pool?

42. Soil sampling

43. Soil carbon analysis Costs vary from lab to lab.

44. No-till drilling into killed sod

45. Seedling Counts-August 1999

46. September 2003

47. Soil Carbon Content: 0 to 2 inch depth (. 05 within instrument variability.) GrassCurrent 2003 (% C) Change since 1999 (% C) Big Bluestem1.390.11 Coastal Panicgrass1.510.05 Switchgrass1.99-0.36 Little bluestem/ Indiangrass 2.260.19 Eastern Gamagrass 1.560.20

48. **** Deeper samples to one meter. Sample analyses has not been finalized. Anticipated that C will increase.

49. WSG Dormant Seeding Seeding of switchgrass and coastal panicgrass at Cape May in mid-December, mid-March, and mid-June resulted in similar stands after two growing seasons. Two years of trials at Big Flats using switchgrass, big bluestem, little bluestem, & indiangrass resulted in early spring (March) seedings having highest seedling density

50. Cover Crop Establishment at Corn Planting Evaluate herbicides for compatibility to corn and cover crops To determine which cover crop species can be successfully established under corn To determine if intended benefits of cover can be maintained. Effects of cover crops on corn yield

51. Conservation Trials/Field Plantings Interspecies plantings on sand dunes to promote plant diversity Interspecies plantings on tidal fresh shorelines (willow, switchgrass, prairie cordgrass, coastal panicgrass, eastern gamagrass) Living snow fences (shrub willow and dogwood) Windbreaks around poultry houses for odor/dust control Direct seeding of shrubs on mined lands

52. Written Products Pending Critical Area Planting Booklet for NE Pocket field guide for evaluating native grass stands Revise-Stabilization of Sand Dunes in Mid- Atlantic/Southern New England booklet Soil Bioengineering-Plant Materials selection/use guide book Website factsheets/plant guides development

53. Other Issues Dredge material –vegetation establishment Soil Compaction/Soil Quality Plant Applications-Stormwater Management BMP’s Riparian buffer/filter strip plantings (species/arrangement) Coastal bluffs-Soil Bioengineering approach Innovative applications of native plants to suppress invasive species spread Brownfields/phytoremediation Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV)

54. Presentations / Training Sessions / Site Visits For individual land owners, schools, specialized groups, and interagency

55. What is the VALUE of the Plant Materials Program The ability to develop plant materials to meet the ever-changing environmental and landowner demands. Established Plant Materials Centers to accommodate regional plant needs Unique nationwide network of PMC’s/PMS’s to address all geographic/climatic variables 65 years of experience and plant material specialists’ expertise Alternative enterprise for commercial growers and end-users who are unable, individually, to test and monitor plant materials

56. The Plant Materials Program can be the most efficient and effective solution to YOUR conservation needs...