Implementation and Commercialization of New Germplasms for Use on Military Ranges

Our objectives were to demonstrate and make available new plant germplasms that are more beneficial for military training lands and to develop methods to better establish native plants that are competitive with invasive introduced plants. Under Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) project SI-1103, we developed germplasms that establish readily, stand up to wear from military vehicles, and compete well with invasive plants but are not themselves invasive. Validation and release of the new germplasms were accomplished under both the SERDP and Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) programs; under ESTCP we also initiated seed contracts and prepared a planting guide (Palazzo et al. 2009). Our ten releases (including six cultivars) are summarized in notices published in Crop Science or the Journal of Plant Registrations. One additional release is expected in the next year or two. Three germplasms were put into production, and the seed was made available for two years to land managers at eight Department of Defense (DoD) facilities. A commercial sale of 'FirstStrike' slender wheatgrass has been completed. We also developed seeding methods that have proven successful on eastern and western ranges to establish viable native plant stands quickly and compete with invasive plant establishment. Prepared in collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Logan, UT.