Natural Resources Conservation Service Plant Materials Program An - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Natural Resources Conservation Service Plant Materials Program An 80-Year History of Plant Development - Delivering Results for Agriculture and Conservation Through Effective Vegetation Helping People Help the Land 1

Some background on NRCS… 2

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NRCS work begins with Resource Concerns SOIL EROSION: K C O T S E W V A I L T E R Q U A N Sheet, rill, & wind L I O T Y I T C U D O D E R G P R A D A T I O : N N : O T I A erosion T E I M x c I e L s s i v e s e d i m e e t n a t u q e d a i n n I s u r f a c e w e a t g e a r s r o f d n a d e e f S O I L Q U A L WATER QUALITY I T Y D E G R I N A A D D A E T Q I O DEGRADATION: U N A : T E O H A r g B a I n T i c A m T a F t Excess nutrients in t O e r R F I S H A d e N p D l e W t i o I n L surface and ground D L I F E H : a b i t a t d e g r a d waters a t i o n DEGRADED PLANT D E G R A D E D P L A N T CONDITION: C O N D I T I O N : Excessive plant pest I n a d e q u a t e s t r u c t u r e a n pressure d c o m p o s i t i o n 4

We use Conservation Practices • Forage and Biomass Plantings (512) • Critical Areas (342) • Cover Crops (340) • Range Planting (550) • Field Border (386) • Conservation Cover (327) • Early Successional Habitat Development/Management (647) 5

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An 80 Year History “Nature has evolved a plant for every purpose.” - Dr. Franklin J. Crider 7

Plant Materials Centers Provide Turn-key Solutions 8

Plant Materials Center Plant Development • Address a Resource Concern • Support a Conservation Practice • Must be practical to use by farmers and ranchers • Must be cost-effective • Must be viable for commercial growers 9

The PMC Plant Development Process Collect Evaluate Select Test Release 10

How Much Selection? • Cover Crops (340) Specific Characteristics More Uniformity • Forage and Biomass Plantings (512) Wider Adaptation • Critical Areas (342) • Range Planting (550) • Field Border (386) • Conservation Cover (327) Typical Characteristics • Early Successional Habitat Increased Diversity Development/Management (647) Local Adaptation 11

What Type of Release? Specific Characteristics Cultivars More Uniformity Wider Adaptation Tested Selected Typical Characteristics Increased Diversity Source-Identified Local Adaptation 12

Summary of NRCS Plant Releases Total from 1939 to present = 739 358 544 Pre-varietal total = 381 201 195 104 57 19 13

PMC Efforts Yield Significant Benefits 14

The preceding presentation was delivered at the 2017 National Native Seed Conference Washington, D.C. February 13-16, 2017 This and additional presentations available at http://nativeseed.info