NOTICE OF RELEASE OF COASTAL PLAINS GERMPLASM LITTLE BLUESTEM: A SELECTED CLASS OF NATURAL GERMPLASM

Released in 2016, this selected class germplasm of little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash var. scoparium [Poaceae]) provides an adapted source of little bluestem for restoration of coastal prairies, longleaf pine understory, soil conservation, and wildlife habitat in the Western Coastal Plains region of Texas and Louisiana. We evaluated 87 seed collections from eastern Texas and Louisiana for germination and seedling vigor under greenhouse conditions. Seventy-seven accessions (38 from Texas and 39 from Louisiana) with favorable germination and seedling vigor were further evaluated for foliage abundance, disease resistance, lodging, seed production, plant height and width, boot dates, and bloom dates in a common-garden study at the USDA NRCS East Texas Plant Materials Center (ETPMC). Seed harvested from the common garden was used to establish Coastal Plains Germplasm little bluestem.