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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Logan, Utah » Forage and Range Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #315673
Title: Registration of Arsenal meadow bromegrass

Author
item Jensen, Kevin
item SINGH, DEVESH - Barenbrug West Coast Research Station
item Bushman, Shaun
item Robins, Joseph

Submitted to: Journal of Plant Registrations
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/22/2015
Publication Date: 6/1/2015
Citation: Jensen, K.B., Singh, D., Bushman, B.S., Robins, J.G. 2015. Registration of Arsenal meadow bromegrass. Journal of Plant Registrations. 9:304-310

Interpretive Summary: The United States Department of Agriculture (ARS) announces the release of the cultivar 'Arsenal' meadow bromegrass for use on semiarid rangelands and non-irrigated pastures as a rapid establishing forage grass with early spring growth, good fall nutritional quality, and exceptional winter hardiness. Selection emphasis in Arsenal meadow bromegrass was for plant vigor, seedling emergence from a deep planting depth, forage and seed yield, and seed mass under dryland environments ranging between 10 to 18 inches of annual precipitation. Biotechnology can be used in determing differences between cultivars. One biotechnology molecular marker analysis, determines these differences based on DNA variation. Based on molecular marker analysis, Arsenal is genetically different from meadow bromegrass cultivars Cache, Fleet, Armada, and Admiral. On dryland sites, Arsenal had greater seedling establishment and persistence over years than Cache and Regar. Arsenal has been evaluated in NY, KY, WY, and UT for forage yield and is greater than or equal to the cultivar Cache. Fall nutritional characteristics of Arsenal were better than Cache in crude protein and digestibility. Arsenal expands the use of meadow bromegrass from irrigated pastures to non-irrigated pastures and rangelands with 13 inches or more annual precipitation, providing livestock producers with high yielding nutritious forage that is winter hardy and drought tolerant.

Technical Abstract: The United States Department of Agriculture (ARS) announces the release of the cultivar 'Arsenal' meadow bromegrass [Bromus biebersteinii Roem. & Schult. (excluded)] for use on semiarid rangelands and non-irrigated pastures as a rapid establishing forage grass with early spring growth, good fall nutritional quality, and exceptional winter hardiness. Arsenal is a 39 clone synthetic that was derived from the same base population as the meadow bromegrass cultivar Cache. Selection emphasis in Arsenal meadow bromegrass was for plant vigor, seedling emergence from a deep planting depth, forage and seed yield, and seed mass under dryland environments ranging between 254 to 457 mm of annual precipitation. Molecular marker genotyping demonstrated that Arsenal is genetically different from meadow bromegrass cultivars Cache, Fleet, Armada, and Admiral. On dryland sites, Arsenal had significantly better seedling establishment and stand persistence than Cache and Regar. Arsenal has been evaluated in NY, KY, WY, and UT for forage yield and is superior or equal to the cultivar Cache. Fall nutritional characteristics of Arsenal were better than Cache in crude protein and in vitro true digestibility. Arsenal expands the use of meadow bromegrass from irrigated pastures to non-irrigated pastures and rangelands with 330 mm or more annual precipitation, providing livestock producers with high yielding nutritious forage that is winter hardy and drought tolerant.