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Plant Material Collection GuideRole of Plant Materials Centers and ConservationThe NRCS Plant Materials Program selects conservation plants and develops
innovative planting technology to address the nation's most important resource
concerns. The variability among species influences the adaptability of a plant
to different environments. Why Perform Plant Collections?The Plant Releases and technology developed at PMCs are incorporated into the NRCS Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG) and become standards for conservation practices implemented on public and private lands. Over 70 percent of the plant species listed in the FOTG was selected by the Plant Materials Program. To help identify and collect these plants the Plant Materials Centers rely on NRCS Field Office Conservationist, private landowners and other state and federal agencies in the field. This is your opportunity to provide a dramatic conservation impact. You have expert knowledge of plant communities in your area and can perform field collections for the Plant Materials Program. Who knows, perhaps the plants you collect will become the next vegetative conservation solution for your area and beyond! What to Collect?NRCS Plant Materials Centers have identified several key species to address resource concerns in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi; we need your help. NRCS sends out a bulletin every year which lists the high-priority species. A detailed description of each species and photographs are available on the Louisiana NRCS website under Plants Collection. It is important to become familiar with the list prior to field season so that collection opportunities are maximized. Wildflower populations must be identified during flowering because it is difficult to locate the plants after the colorful blossoms have gone to seed. Know what to look for and mark the site for later visitation to collect seed. A GPS unit is a valuable source to reliably record accurate site locations.
Where to Collect?Never collect seed from a yard, lawn, garden, park, or any other obviously cultivated site! Seed should be collected only in a wildland setting. It is important to obtain a complete genetic representation, so sample from many plants, not just a single plant. Plant populations growing in unusually harsh conditions are very good candidates for collection. Collect as much seed as possible over an entire area that is environmentally similar in associated plant community composition, soil type, aspect, and elevation. This means, for example, the same habitat type, ecological site, etc. Most of the high-priority species have a very large geographic distribution, so it will be necessary to conduct several collections across all the counties within a natural resource area. Always obtain prior permission from the landowner to collect seed. When to Collect?Collecting seeds at the correct time is crucial for propagation to be successful. The best time to collect seed is when the largest amount of seed is ripe or filled. The actual time of flowering and fruiting will vary from year to year, with precipitation and temperature as the driving factors. In general the interval between bloom and seed maturity is about 4 weeks. Cool moist weather may lengthen the interval while hot dry weather may shorten it. It is necessary to periodically monitor plants for seed maturity. Seed is usually ready to harvest when it feels firm. Hand cut a cross-section in a few representative seeds to determine stage of maturity. Figure 1 illustrates the difference between immature seed in a soft dough stage, as compared to mature seed in a hard stage. Seed in the firm dough stage will continue to mature into viable seed. The trick is to avoid collecting seed that is green, or immature, but also to harvest prior to shatter and dispersal. For more information refer to “Determining Seed Fill in Grasses” brochure. The following document requires
Adobe Acrobat.
How to CollectA physical examination of the seed is crucial, take time to visually inspect for signs of immaturity.
The following document requires
Adobe Acrobat. Record a description of all physical characteristics, such as elevation,
aspect, slope, soil texture, annual precipitation, MLRA, associated species, and
ecological condition. Accurately record site location with the use of both a GPS
unit and a topographical map to document the township, range, and section, and
the proximity of landmarks, such as geographic formations, roads, rivers,
bridges, structures, land ownership, etc. This is important because it may be
necessary to re-visit the site sometime in the future. Where to Send?
Mail or deliver
seed collections to the following address: The PMC processes the material to clean seed, assigns an accession number to each viable collection, and periodically installs initial evaluation plantings to test the performance of individual collections against one another. Assigned accession numbers are sent to the original seed collector(s) so they also can track the reported performance of the material throughout the testing and selection process. Superior performing material will proceed to comparative evaluation plantings, seed increase, field evaluation plantings, and eventual selection and release for distribution to the commercial seed industry. Need More Details?Additional information can be found in the following references: Louisiana Plant Collections List2006 - 2008 Plant Collection List If you have any questions, please contact one of the following:
Last Modified: 05/14/2008 |
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