Improving Native Plants to Protect and Preserve Louisiana's Coastal Marshes

The restoration of Louisiana's coastal salt marshes has adapted conventional agricultural plant improvement methods to identify and plant native grasses. These include smooth cordgrass and black mangrove. A seed-based propagation system for smooth cordgrass over large areas was developed for marsh restoration. This species is a dominant grass, and highly salt and stress tolerant. The rapidly growing species protects against wave buffer and provides habitat for waterfowl. However, its low seed production makes commercial seeding difficult. Seed was harvested and outplanted according to best fit for performance. Other restoration research projects include vermilion fingerprinting, smooth cordgrass diseases, seed volume production, and plant selection.