Native Forb Cultivation: A Project
Overview
Climate Change and Invasive
Species
Increase in Wildland Fire
2004
2000
1996
1992
1988
1984
1980
1976
1972
1968
1964
1960
1956
1952
1948
1944
1940
1936
1932
1928
1924
1919
1915
1911
1900
1870
Yearly Acres Burned.
Great Basin Fires: 1870-2007
3,000,000.0
2,500,000.0
2,000,000.0
1,500,000.0
1,000,000.0
500,000.0
0.0
264,6614.0 Acres
264,6614.0 Total Acres (0.2% of GB)
2,722,782.2 Acres
16,756,351.1 Total Acres (11.5% of GB)
War on Cheatgrass
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1,000,000
500,000
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
1,318,400
1,484,295
1,500,000
2001
2002
2003
2004
530,000
970,000
667,750
654,550
2,000,000
2005
1,890,000
1,535,000
2,521,395
3,500,000
2006
3,020,000
2,920,000
2,396,000
1,803,750
3,000,000
972,235
1,053,255
2,500,000
2,089,245
4,500,000
4,045,000
4,486,650
5,000,000
493,500
534,650
230,400
169,590
0
238,450
135,330
701,650
327,670
LBS OF SEED
BLM CONSOLIDATED
SEED BUYS QUANITY
Non-Native Seed
Native Seed
4,000,000
2007
2008
Why Are Natives Important?
Increase diversity
Reduce weed
spread
Improve wildlife
and range habitat
Goal:
Restore Degraded Ecosystems
Shrubs
Grasses
Forbs
Shrubs Can be Efficiently Collected
in Large Quantities From Wildland
Stands
Grasses
• Most Grass are not practical in a wildland
collection setting however there are
several species and accessions currently
in production.
What Do Forbs Add to the Mix?
* Support a greater variety of
organisms
* Provide cover and soil
stabilization
* Extend forage availability
* Improve esthetics
* Increase forage quality
* Supply critical nutrients
and succulence
* Forb fruits, seeds, and leaves
are frequently important
foods of upland game birds
$80+
Market Demand for
Forbs
Lupines
Beeplant
Globemallows
Annual sunflower
Yarrow
Palmer penstemon
Flax
< $4 lb
Sainfoin
Alfalfa
Small Burnet
1,000 lbs
10,000 lbs
100,000 lbs
Utilization Generalities
• High Seed Yields
• Low Cost Seed
• Wide Utilization
Establish well
Persist
Desirable
Cultivating Native Forbs
There are a plethora of plants on the
landscape, which are good
candidates for agronomic production?
Seed is Collected From Wildland Stands
For Research:
1.Develop Propagation Protocols
and Cultivation Methods
2. Screen Species for Practicality of Cultivation
Seed Is Increased Through
Agriculture and Sold to Seed
Vendors
Seed is Purchased by Federal and State Agencies
and Used in Restoration
of Degraded Areas or Post Fire Rehabilitation
Selecting New Species
A Different Approach
•
•
•
•
Collecting - few (2-3) biotypes
Propagation screening
Observation plots
Proof of concept
Desirable Attributes for Agronomic
Production :
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Tall 1-6 ft. Upright growth habit
Determinate flowering
Good seed retention
Abundant seed set
Annually productive
Easily established from seed
Long lived
Disease resistant
Broad distribution
Genera in the Screening
Process
Genus
Common Name
Genus
Common Name
Agastache
giant hyssop
Helianthus
sunflower
Amsinckia
fiddleneck
Hymenopappus
hymenopappus
Argemone munita
flatbud pricklypoppy
Hymenoxys
rubberweed
Aster
aster
Iris
iris
Astragalus
milkvetch
Linum subteres
sprucemont flax
Balsamorhiza hookeri
Hooker's balsamroot
Lithospermum
stoneseed
Calochortus
mariposa lilly
Lomatium nudicaule
barestem biscuitroot
Castilleja
paintbrush
Mentzelia
blazingstar
Chaenactis
Nicotiana attenuata
coyote tobacco
Cleome serrulata
pincushion
Rocky Mountain
beeplant
Oenothera
evening primrose
Cryptantha
cryptantha
Packera
groundsel
Enceliopsis nudicaulis
nakedstem sunray
Penstemon
Erigeron
fleabane
Phacelia crenulata
beardtongue
cleftleaf
wildheliotrope
Frasera albomarginata
desert frasera
Gaillardia
blanketflower
Potentilla
Thelypodium
milleflorum
slender cinquefoil
manyflower
thelypody
Helianthella
one flower helianthella
Species Screening
Species Screening
• Agoseris
–
–
–
–
•
heterophylla
aurantiaca
grandiflora
glauca
Traits
– 1-3 scapes
– Solitary heads
– Wind dispersed
– Flower can be
extended with
supplemental water
Agoseris glauca
Agoseris heterophylla
Agoseris aurantiaca
Agoseris grandiflora
Agoseris
- heterophylla
- grandiflora
Agoseris
- glauca
- aurantiaca
Agoseris grandiflora
Lucky Peak Nursery
Agoseris Production Categories
A. glauca
A.
aurantiaca
A. grandiflora,
A. heterophylla
Western Yarrow
Needed: Collections from
low precipitation areas.
Lewis Flax•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Seed set controlled
by irrigation
practices
Upright habit
mechanically
harvested
2nd year seed
producer
3-5 years good
seed production
500 pounds per
acre ($13-24 per
pound)
some rust issues
wide distribution
(U.S. and Canada)
Sand or sharpleaf penstemon
•Determinate
•Upright Habit Collected
with Combine W/alfalfa
concave
•2 years to seed production
•Short-lived (4 years)
•250-300lbs. Per Acre (est.
$100+ Per Pound)
•No Disease issues reported,
it drops seed shortly after
ripening
•Distribution, NV, ID, OR,
WA, (Requires sandy soils)
Showy Goldeneye
• Indeterminate (some
ability to control with
irrigation)
• Upright growth habit
(collected with combine)
• 1st year seed production
• 2 years of good seed
production
• Seed per acre?
• $40-140 per pound
• Disease issues unknown
• Distribution, broad found
across UT and in most
counties of NV
Globemallow Species
• Indeterminate
• Upright growth habit a lot
of hand harvesting some
mechanical (swath then
combine method)
• 2nd year seed producer
• At least 5 years good
seed production
• 250 pounds per acre
• $50-90 dollars per pound
• Susceptible to rust
• Broad distrabution in the
west
Potential Yield
Rhonda Pace 5.1 Pounds of Seed
Produced in 2007 and 5.3 pounds
of seed in 2008 on 500 square feet
of land= 15,000 dollars per acre
(Box Elder County)
Globemallow Species Average Per Plant Seed
Production at 18" or 12" Plant Spacing
ms
8
7
6
Grams seed
5
Globemallow Seed Production Per Acre at $35/lb
$10,000.00
4
18
3
12
2
$9,000.00
1
$8,000.00
$7,000.00
0
$6,000.00
SPCO2
$5,000.00
SPGR
SPPA
Species
$4,000.00
$3,000.00
$2,000.00
$1,000.00
$0.00
36" X 18"
36" X 12"
22" X 18"
Row and Plant Spacing
22" X 12"
SPPS
The Hawksbeard Species
•
•
•
•
Determinate
Upright habit
3 years to establish
Persist for at least 5 years
once established
• Seed per acre data in the
works
• Disease issues, very prone
to insect damage in the
seedling stage of
development
• Wide distribution
Arrowleaf Balsamroot
• Determinate
• Upright growth habit (facilitating
combine)
• 3-5 years to establish and
produce seed
• Persist 20 to 30 years after
established
• 75 to 125 pounds of seed per
acre
• $33-120 per pound
• Disease issues none however
seed predation by insects is a
real issue
• Distribution, Broad distribution
in the western US
Hooker's balsamroot
Fernleaf
Biscuitroot
Determinate
•
• Very large, upright habit,
Hand Harvest
• 3 to 4 years to establish
• Persist and produce seed
for over 20 years
• 200-400 pounds of seed
per acre
• No disease issues
reported can be polinator
limited
• Distribution western and
northwestern U.S.
Gray’s biscuitroot
• Determinate
• Upright habit, usualy hand
harvested mechanical harvest?
• 2nd year seed production
• Not known, tends to be
between 15 and 20 years for
other species of Lomatium
• Not known usually between
200-400 pounds per acre for
other Lomatium Species
• No known disease issues
• Not widely distributed
Long time to establishment
• Don’t want to take up valuable field space
• Dense plantings in raised beds
Crop Lifter
Winter and summer
senescent harvest at
different ages.
What Species Will Work on My
Land?
• What equipment do I have for
cultivating/harvesting?
• How much space do I have?
• Am I dependent on the crop to sustain me the
first year?
• What is my water situation?
• What are my soils like?
• What is the climate like?
• What are my interests?
Shotgun Approach
• Plant several species
• Small quantities
• Keep isolation distances in mind! (you can
find this information from state agriculture
agency)
Acreage
Seeded
State
County
Common
name
2008 Planting Information
Canaday Farm, Elko, NV.
longspur lupine
hairy bigleaf lupine
silvery lupine
annual agoseris
barestem biscuitroot
yellow spiderflower
Nevada goldeneye
western stoneseed
scarlet gilia
Elko
Juab
Elko
Humboldt
Elko
Nye
Lincoln
Elko
VNS
NV
UT
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
UT
0.06
0.07
0.04
0.04
0.06
0.58
0.09
0.06
0.06
flatbud pricklypoppy
Blazingstar
Menzies' fiddleneck
Menzies' fiddleneck
desert frasera
manyflower thelypody
silky lupine
Slender cinquefoil
scarlet globemallow
gooseberryleaf globemallow
sulphur-flower buckwheat
sharpleaf penstemon
sharpleaf penstemon
fernleaf biscuitroot
limestone hawksbeard
Juab
Juab
Eureka
Elko
Iron
Eureka
Juab
Elko
Davis/Utah
UT
UT
NV
NV
UT
NV
UT
NV
UT
NV
ID/OR/NV
ID/OR/NV
ID/OR
ID
NV
0.07
0.02
0.06
0.03
0.06
0.06
0.03
0.06
0.62
0.58
0.14
1.29
0.97
0.21
0.37
Gooding
Elko
Seedling Establishment
Canaday Farm
May 12, 2009
avg # plants per linear ft
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
N-sulate
Uncovered
Cultural Practices
Seeding Rates for 1 Plant / Linear Foot.
Elko NV, 2008
N-sulate
Lot #
AMSIN-P4-2008
Amsin-P6-2008
CRIN-U2-08
HEMUN-B4-2006
LONU2-P1-2008
LUAR3-U5-2007
LUARB6-P4-2008
LUSE4-B28-2006
POGR9-P1-2008
Peac-Pooled
NBR13,19,20,35,36,43,53
Peac-Pooled SRP12jha
THMI5-P2-2008
VNS - IPAG
Rate
Plants/ft PLS / ft lbs/acre
13.6
6.1
1
2.3
11.9
1.5
3.2
1.8
6.3
3.74
2.83
32.43
7.87
5.77
14.73
5.42
10.75
4.03
0.50
0.35
1.70
0.26
0.94
7.01
3.68
10.64
0.05
10.4
1.5
9.5
3
11.01
49.15
7.64
2.36
0.20
0.90
0.05
0.08
Additional Seed
Quantity
Uncovered
Rate
Plants/ft PLS / ft lbs/acre
1.4 37.21
4.96
0.0
?
0.2 194.61 10.19
0.0
?
0.1 1030.15 167.81
0.2 94.71 45.08
0.0
?
0.6 30.56 30.24
0.0
?
0.0
0.9
0.0
0.0
?
78.99
?
?
1.45
10.0 X
6.0 X
178.5X
6.4X
2.8X
1.6X
Cultural Practices
Native Forb Utilization
Categories
Limited
competition
Difficult to
produce
< 100 lbs
Niche
Market
Species
Special Use
Species
Least
expensive
100-1000 lbs
1000 + lbs
Restoration Species
Moderate Cost