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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Logan, Utah » Forage and Range Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #319287
Title: Notice of release of Fanny Germplasm, Carmel Germplasm, and Bonneville Germplasm Searls' prairie clover: Selected class of natural germplasm

Author
item Johnson, Douglas
item Bushman, Shaun
item Connors, Kevin
item BHATTARAI, KISHOR - Utah State University
item Jones, Thomas
item Jensen, Kevin
item PARR, STEVEN - Upper Colorado Environmental Plant Center
item ELDREDGE, ERIC - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)

Submitted to: Native Plants Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/22/2015
Publication Date: 12/15/2015
Citation: Johnson, D.A., Bushman, B.S., Connors, K.J., Bhattarai, K., Jones, T.A., Jensen, K.B., Parr, S.D., Eldredge, E.P. 2015. Notice of release of Fanny Germplasm, Carmel Germplasm, and Bonneville Germplasm Searls' prairie clover: Selected class of natural germplasm. Native Plant Journal. 16:265-275.

Interpretive Summary: Rangeland ecosystems in the western USA are increasingly vulnerable to wildland fires, weed invasion, human-caused disturbances, and soil erosion. Many of these degraded rangelands may require revegetation or restoration to improve rangeland conditions, aid recovery, and reduce risks of further erosion and degradation. Legumes native to the western U.S. are of particular interest for rangeland revegation because they fix nitrogen, enhance forage quality, and provide food sources for grazing animals, pollinators, and wildlife. Searls' prairie clover (Dalea searlsiae) is a perennial legume that is native to Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California. We collected seed of Searls' prairie clover throughout its distribution and conducted common-garden and DNA-marker studies. We used these data to develop three germplasms of Searls' prairie clover for release, including Fanny Germplasm from Nevada, Carmel Germplasm from southern Utah, and Bonneville Germplasm from northwestern Utah. These three germplasms of Searls' prairie clover would be a beneficial component in conservation plantings to enhance biodiversity and provide forage for wildlife, livestock, and native pollinators.

Technical Abstract: Three natural-track selected germplasms of Searls' prairie clover (Dalea searlsiae [A. Gray] Barneby [Fabaceae]) have been released for use in revegetation/restoration of semi-arid rangelands in the western US. Searls' prairie clover is a perennial leguminous forb that is native to Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California. Data from common-garden and DNA-marker studies were used to develop and document these releases. Fanny Germplasm originates from seed collected from indigenous plants near Patterson Pass in Lincoln County, Nevada; Carmel Germplasm originates from seed collected from indigenous plants west of Mt. Carmel Junction in Kane County in southern Utah; and Bonneville Germplasm originates from seed collected from indigenous plants near Elephant Knoll on the ancient shores of Lake Bonneville located south of Wendover, Nevada in Tooele County, Utah. The USDA-ARS Forage and Range Research Laboratory (FRR) was asked by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Colorado Plateau land managers to identify genetically similar collections within geographical regions and subsequently release germplasms of Searls' prairie clover for the Great Basin (Fanny Germplasm) and Colorado Plateau (Carmel Germplasm). Both Fanny and Carmel Germplasms were selected for superior production of wildland-collected seed. In addition, several collections originating from near the Great Salt Lake in northwestern Utah were genetically distinct from Fanny and Carmel Germplasms. Thus, Bonneville Germplasm was developed to represent this distinct genetic group. This is a new species in the commercial seed trade, and these are the first releases of this species.