Seed Zones for Tapertip Onion
and Indian Ricegrass
RC Johnson, Barbara Hellier, and Mike
Cashman
USDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources, Western Regional
Plant Introduction Station (WRPIS)
Agricultural
Research Service
Cooperators
• USFS: Nancy Shaw, Brad StClair, Matt
Horning, Vicky Erickson
• USDA-ARS: Tom Jones, Erin Espeland
• BLM: Peggy Olwell, Scott Lambert, Mary
Byrne (Seeds of Success)
• UN-Reno: Beth Ledger
• Berta Youtie, Eastern Oregon Stewardship
Seeds of Success
Seeds of Success (SOS) was
established in 2001 by the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM) in
partnership with the Royal Botanic
Gardens, Kew Millennium Seed Bank
(MSB)
It is now an ongoing program
with many partners that collect,
conserve, and develop native plant
materials for rehabilitating and
restoring lands in the United States.
SOS and the NPGS are
partnering to collect and conserve
key native plant materials.
Approximately 2,000 new native
accessions have been acquired for
the NPGS so far.
National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS)
Ex situ Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources
Examples of U.S. native genera at
the WRPIS
Achillea
Festuca
Achnatherum*
Pseudoroegneria*
Allium*
Lotus
Artemisia
Trifolium
Astragalus
Onobrychis
Bromus*
Leymus*
Elymus*
Lupinus
Poa*
Vicia
*Genecology work underway or planned
Native genetic
resources
on the edge:
-Invasive weeds
-Frequent fires
-Overgrazing
-Revegetation
Gaylen Hansen
Genecology
Plant traits=Environmental variables
→Mapping models → Seed zones
Plant material collected at many diverse locations is
evaluated in common gardens. Plant traits measured.
Analyses of variance is used to uncover genetic variation in
plant traits among source locations. Plants traits with apparent
adaptive genetic variation are selected.
Correlation is used to link selected plant traits to
environmental variables.
Selected plant traits are consolidated into composite traits
using principal components.
Principal components are used with environmental variables
to derive regression models for mapping seed zones; that is,
areas of apparent adaptation.
Extensive climatic data is available at seed source locations
Including:
Annual variables:
Mean annual temp (°C) and precip (mm)
Frost-free period, first frost in fall, last frost in spring
Extreme min temp over 30 years
Seasonal variables:
Winter mean, max, and min temp and precip
Spring mean, max, and min temp and precip
Summer mean, max, and min temp and precip
Autumn mean, max, and min temp and precip
Monthly variables
January - December mean, amx, min temps
January - December precipitation
One Question Genecology
Will Never Answer
Achnatherum hymenoides, Indian ricegrass
Important forage and restoration species for many parts of the
Great Basin and intermountain West
Progress:
Germplasm collection (Tom Jones plus new)
Common gardens established (study 1) (new 2010)
Evaluation of morphological and
phenological diversity (study 1) (new 2010)
Analysis of genetic diversity (study 1)
Determine seed adaptation zones
Report results; presentation and publications
Study 1. Distribution of Indian ricegrass
seed source locations in the NPGS
collection, Pullman, WA. (Mostly
collected by Tom Jones.)
Study 2 (2010) Recent
collections of Indian
ricegrass for new
common gardens at
Central Ferry and Reno
delayed; problem with
seed dormancy in
“fresh” seed.
Study 1. Distribution of Indian ricegrass
seed source locations in the NPGS
collection, Pullman, WA. (Mostly
collected by Tom Jones.)
Study 1. Indian ricegrass gardens at Central Ferry WA
Measurements in 2007 & 2008 in irrigated
and dry-land gardens
Phenology
Heading date
Blooming date
Maturity date
Morphology
Leaf width
Leaf length
Culm length
Inflorescence length
Leaf texture
Leaf abundance
Leaf roll
Plant habit
Flat, unrolled
leaf rated at 1
Cylindrical, rolled
leaf rated at 9
Growth and production
Inflorescences per plant
Seeds per inflorescence
Crown diameter
Dry weight
Regrowth weight
Dry weight less regrowth
Hand sickles were
used to remove above
ground foliage for dry
weight determination
Cut to 1-2 cm height.
regrowth was harvested
one month later
Results for Analyses of Variance
Analyses of variance showed that plant traits
from different seed source locations differed, with
few garden x locations interactions both years.
Results indicated genetic variation among traits
and suggested that plant adaptation varied
depending climatic and environmental factors.
Indian ricegrass study1-Selected correlations between plant traits
and environmental factors at seed sources (P<0.05, n=115)
Trait
Latitude
Longitude
Elevation
Ann Temp Ann Precip.
Lftex07
-0.115
0.103
0.307
-0.255
0.016
Lftex08
-0.364
0.225
0.240
0.020
-0.071
CulmLn07
0.192
0.210
-0.04
-0.149
0.315
CulmLn08
0.299
-0.010
-0.094
-0.155
0.214
InflorLn07
0.202
0.009
-0.137
-0.054
0.093
InflorLn08
0.232
0.084
-0.016
-0.171
0.231
Seeds/hd07
0.405
-0.094
-0.246
-0.100
0.193
Seeds/hd08
0.409
-0.027
-0.086
-0.270
0.301
LfRoll0708
-0.199
0.255
0.245
-0.105
-0.069
LfLn/Wd07
-0.089
0.282
0.062
-0.029
-0.009
LfLn/Wd08
-0.056
0.241
0.003
0.047
0.081
LfLnXLfWd07
0.207
0.012
-0.341
0.166
0.050
LfLnXLfWd08
0.301
-0.117
-0.320
0.063
0.069
CrownArea0708
0.178
0.044
-0.184
0.043
0.109
DryWt07
0.023
0.043
-0.267
0.248
-0.045
Summary of principal component analysis on selected
traits from Indian ricegrass common gardens
Principal
component
1
2
3
4
5
Eigenvalue
8.903
2.773
1.752
1.678
1.282
Variation
explained (%)
Cumulative
Variation (%)
40.5
12.6
8.0
7.6
5.8
40.5
53.1
61.0
68.7
74.5
Regression model for predicting principal component 1
in Indian ricegrass (R-square=0.41)
Environmental
variables
Regression
coefficients
Pr > |t|
Standardized
coefficients
Intercept
38.742
0.054
0.00
Elevation
-0.002
0.120
-0.30
Ave T Oct
3.316
<.0001
2.89
Mean max T May
-3.028
0.001
-2.96
Mean max T Jun
2.727
0.005
2.74
Mean max T Sep
-0.976
0.091
-0.95
Mean min T Dec
2.298
<.0001
2.38
Precip Apr
0.110
0.007
0.38
Precip Oct
-0.138
0.002
-0.42
Ave T spring
5.344
<.0001
4.83
Degree days<0 C
0.032
<.0001
2.71
Degree days>5 C
-0.018
0.000
-3.98
Frost free days
-0.215
0.002
-2.76
Allium acuminatum, Tapertip onion
Common and important Great Basin species associated with healthy
rangeland and good habitat for sage grouse
Progress:
Germplasm collection
Common gardens established
Evaluation of morphological and phenological diversity
Analysis of diversity
Determine seed adaptation zones
Report results; presentation and publications
Allium acuminatum collection 2005—55 locations
Twenty Level 4 Ecoregions
Collectionn
sites
Semiarid Hills and Low Mountains
1
Southern Forested Mtns/Dry Partly Wooded
Mtns
1
Mountain Home Uplands
1
Southern Forested Mountains
1
Pluvial Lake Basins
1
High Desert Wetlands
1
Continental Zone Foothills
1
Unwooded Alkaline Foothills
1
Semiarid Foothills
1
High Glacial Drift-Filled Valleys
1
Central Nevada Mid-Slope Woodland and
Brushland
1
Central Nevada High Valleys
1
Carbonate Woodland Zone
2
Carbonate Sagebrush Valleys
2
Mid-Elevation Ruby Mountains
3
Semiarid Uplands
4
High Lava Plains
5
Upper Humboldt Plains
6
Owyhee Uplands and Canyons
8
Dissected High Lava Plateau
13
Umbel,
Flower
Leaf
Scape
A. acuminatum field
evaluation at Pullman
(Palouse prairie) and
Central Ferry (Snake
River canyon)
Common gardens were established at Central Ferry
(Lower Snake River, ≈200 m) and Pullman WA
(Palouse Prairie, ≈700 m)
Phenological, morphological, and biomass plant
traits were measured
Analyses of variation showed there were strong
differences among sources locations for all traits.
Traits with expected adaptive variation were selected.
Correlations of selected plant traits from common gardens with environmental
variables at source location for Allium acuminatum (P<0.05, n=55)
Latitude
Elev
Ann precip
Frost free
days
Bolting date
-0.084
0.373
0.336
-0.514
-0.523
Bolting to flowing days
0.173
-0.515
-0.442
0.469
0.484
Flower color
-0.308
0.312
-0.008
-0.124
-0.053
Flowers per umbel
-0.180
0.344
0.097
-0.375
-0.230
Leaf length to width CF
0.317
-0.340
-0.078
-0.029
0.038
Leaf number
0.356
-0.011
0.469
-0.104
-0.277
Leaf width
-0.313
0.267
0.100
0.070
0.068
Seeds per plant
0.194
0.131
0.427
-0.379
-0.325
Scape diameter
-0.252
0.342
0.175
-0.167
-0.075
Scape length to diameter
0.159
-0.335
-0.313
0.107
0.073
Scape length
-0.055
-0.051
-0.215
-0.044
0.014
Survival
0.019
0.320
0.333
-0.425
-0.469
Umbel diameter PU
-0.196
0.196
-0.030
-0.052
-0.036
Flowers umbel/umbel dia
-0.039
0.268
0.157
-0.488
-0.300
Trait
Ave temp
Principal component (PC) analysis of
selected traits
PC
Eigenvalue Proportion Cumulative
1
2
3
4
5
----%---40.9
23.3
10.2
6.0
5.3
5.3204
3.0275
1.3250
0.7828
0.6829
----%---40.9
64.2
74.4
80.4
85.7
Regression models used to map Allium
acuminatum in the Great Basin
Prin 1=
14.36433 + JanPre(0.33609) + JunPre(0.14777) + OctPre(-0.39504)
+ DecPre(-0.22920) + MinTMay(-4.61692) + MinTJul(3.64408) +
FrostFree(-0.07149) + AveTApr( 4.73421) + AveTJun(-3.85040)
R2 = 0.52
Prin 2=
94.70492 + Longitude(0.55220) + JunPre(-0.17092) +
MaxTMay(1.62725) + MinTMar(0.92534) + MinTAug(1.36209) +
AveTApr(1.80804) + AveTJun(-3.53444) + AveTOct(-2.66603)
R2 = 0.58
Maps of principal components 1 and 2 for Allium
acuminatum in the Great Basin
Oregon
Idaho
Oregon
Nevada
Nevada
Idaho
Preliminary seed zones for Allium acuminatum for
Great Basin areas in Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada
Idaho
Oregon
Nevada
Summary
Genecology for Indian ricegrass and Tapertip onion
resulted in regression models sufficiently strong for
landscape mapping and seed zone development
There was apparent adaptation in these species associated
with temperature and precipitation gradients across the
sampling regions.
Continued work on Indian rice grass for the Central Great
Basin and on other species is ongoing to develop seed
zones useful to provide adapted plant materials for
revegetation.
Palouse moon by Gaylen Hansen