REGISTRATION OF SAND HOLLOW SQUIRRELTAIL

REGISTRATION OF SAND HOLLOW SQUIRRELTAIL
SELECTED CLASS OF NATURAL GERMPLASM

T. A. Jones, D.C. Nielson, D.G. Ogle, D.A. Johnson, and S.A. Young

Sand Hollow squirreltail (Elymus elymoides [Raf.] Swezey sensu amplo) germplasm was originally collected in Gem County, Ida. (Township 6N, Range 1W, Section 21) on 12 July, 1984 by Greg Painter and Rich Edlund, then of the USDA-SCS district office in Emmett, Ida. The site is classified by USDA-NRCS (1) as Major Land Resource Area B10 (Upper Snake River Lava Plains and Hills) along the transition with B11 (Snake River Plains). The collection was made from a Lolalita loamy coarse sand (coarse-loamy, mixed, nonacid, mesic, Xeric Torriorthents) on a west-facing slope (35%) at 830-m elevation. Estimated average annual precipitation is 28 cm. The original collection packet indicates that "6 or more" plants were included in the sample. Associated species were bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata [Pursh] A. Löve), sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda Presl.), and tapertip hawksbeard (Crepis acuminata Nutt.). Given the collection site description, Sand Hollow should be adapted to sandy soils throughout the Snake River Plain in southern Idaho and in adjacent regions to the south, east, and west in Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, and Utah. Its intended use is for reclamation and restoration of rangelands dominated by exotic annual grassy weeds by assisting ecological succession (Hironaka, 1994). No intentional genetic selection has been practiced on the original collection. Sand Hollow was jointly released as a Selected Class of certified seed (natural track) (8) by USDA-ARS, the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, and USDA-NRCS in 1996. This alternative release procedure is justified because existing commercial sources of squirreltail are inadequate, propagation material of specific ecotypes is needed for ecosystem restoration, potential for immediate use is high, and commercial potential beyond specific restoration and reclamation objectives is probably limited (8).

Sand Hollow has been tested under the designations Acc:1118 and EE-25 by USDA-ARS and T-45219 and Ab-1609 by USDA-NRCS. Original seed was obtained in 1993 by the USDA-ARS Forage and Range Research Laboratory, Logan, UT from the USDA-NRCS Plant Materials Center at Aberdeen, Idaho. Sand Hollow and 36 other accessions from California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming were established in a transplanted test site on a Millville silt loam (coarse-silty, carbonatic, mesic Typic Haploxerolls [2-4% slopes]) at Greenville Farm, North Logan, UT in September, 1993 and evaluated in 1994 and 1995. Sand Hollow exhibited the highest seed yield (8.7 vs. mean of 2.8 g plant^-1) and highest seed production (2023 vs. mean of 718 seed plant^-1) averaged across two years, higher-than-average seed weight (4.3 vs. mean of 3.9 mg seed^-1), and medium-late maturity as evidenced by seed harvest date in 1994 (5 July vs. mean of 5 July) and heading date in 1995 (16 June vs. mean of 2 June). Its multi-cleft glumes and reduced awn-like florets may facilitate seed dispersal (7). Besides its original collection site, Sand Hollow has performed well on a Nibley silty clay loam (fine, mixed, mesic Aquic Argiustolls [0-3% slopes]) at Richmond Farm near Richmond, UT and a Millville silt loam (coarse-silty, carbonatic, mesic Typic Haploxerolls [2-4% slopes]) at Greenville Farm in North Logan, UT.

Sand Hollow taxonomically keys to Sitanion jubatum J.G. Smith ( = E. multisetus [J.G. Smith] Burtt-Davy) (3,5,6,7). Some authors have considered this taxon distinct (3,5,7), while others have considered it conspecific with E. elymoides (2,6). Both taxa are 2n = 28 and possess the St and H genomes, characteristics of North American Elymus (3). They commonly introgress where their ranges overlap in southeastern California and southern Nevada, though not appreciably in other regions (7). Because of the ability of these self-pollinating taxa to generate fertile hybrid progeny on native sites, Sand Hollow may be considered E. elymoides sensu amplo. E. elymoides sensu stricto may be adapted to drier sites than E. multisetus (6). If so, Sand Hollow's native habitat is considerably drier than those of most E. multisetus populations.

No commercial cultivars of squirreltail have been released at this time. Generation 2 (two generations beyond the original collection) of Sand Hollow will be maintained as breeder seed by the USDA-ARS Forage and Range Research Laboratory, Logan, UT. Generations 3 and 4 will be eligible for seed certification. Small quantities of generation 2 Sand Hollow seed will be provided upon request to the corresponding author.

References

Anonymous. 1981. Land resource regions and major land resource areas of the United States. USDA-SCS Agric. Handb. 296. U.S. Gov. Print.Office. Washington, DC.

Arnow, L.A. 1993. Gramineae A.L. Juss. p. 775-883. In S.L. Welsh, N.D. Atwood, S. Goodrich, and L.C. Higgins (eds.) A Utah Flora. 2nd ed. Brigham Young Univ., Provo, UT.

Barkworth, M.A., D.R. Dewey, and R.J. Atkins. 1983. New generic concepts in the Triticeae of the Intermountain Region: key and comments. Great Basin Nat. 43:561-572.

Hironaka, M. 1994. Medusahead: Natural successor to the cheatgrass type in the northern Great Basin. p. 89-91. In: S.B. Monsen and S.G. Kitchen (eds.) Proceedings - Ecology and Management of Annual Rangelands. USDA Forest Service INT-GTR-313.

Hitchcock, A.S. 1950. Manual of the grasses of the United States. 2nd ed. (rev. A. Chase). USDA Misc. Pub. No. 200. U.S. Gov. Print. Office. Washington, DC.

Holmgren, A.H., and N.H. Holmgren. 1977. Poaceae. p. 175-464. In A. Cronquist, A.H. Holmgren, N.H. Holmgren, J.L. Reveal, and P.K. Holmgren (eds.) Intermountain Flora. vol. 6. Columbia Univ. Press, New York.

Wilson, F.D. 1963. Revision of Sitanion (Triticeae, Gramineae). Brittonia 15:303-323.

Young, S.A. 1995. Verification of germplasm origin and genetic status by seed certification agencies. p. 293-295. In B.A. Roundy, E.D. McArthur, J.S. Haley, and D.K. Mann (compilers) Proc. Wildland shrub and arid land restoration symposium. USDA-FS, Intermountain Research Station Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-GTR-315. Ogden, Utah.

T.A. Jones, D.C. Nielson, D.A. Johnson, USDA-ARS Forage and Range Research, Utah State Univ., Logan, UT 84322-6300; D.G. Ogle, USDA-NRCS 3244 Elder St., rm. 124, Boise, ID 83705-4711; S.A. Young, Utah Crop Improvement Association, Utah State Univ., Logan, UT 84322-4820.