Native Seed Production Manual Amy Bartow Corvallis Plant Material Center

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1 Native Seed Production Manual Amy Bartow Corvallis Plant Material Center

2 USDA NRCS Corvallis Plant Materials Center One of 25 centers across the US. Serving western Washington, Oregon, and northwest California. Since 1957, the Corvallis Plant Materials Center (PMC) has been solving resource concerns critical to the Pacific Northwest.

3 Solving Resource Concerns Soil Health Cover crop mixtures No-till methods Erosion control Pollinator Habitat Which species are important Establishment Availability

4 Solving Resource Concerns Technology Transfer- directly supply information to public, federal agencies, and non-profits. Workshops/ Trainings Technical Documents Presentations/ Tours Website

5 Reimbursable Projects Began in the early 1990 s with NPS Plant material not available from private growers Needed genetically appropriate seed or plants Propagation techniques were unknown

6 Reimbursable Projects Technology Development for Native Plants On the farm Performing germination studies Developing propagation protocols Figuring out seed increase techniques Creating seed mixes In restoration sites real world Establishment techniques Seeding or planting rates Management (mowing, burning, etc.)

7 Reimbursable Projects National Park Service Bureau of Land Management United States Fish and Wildlife Service United States Forest Service US Army

8 Reimbursable Projects Over 150 species researched 80 different production plots per year 65 species Plots range from 100 sq ft to three acres

9 Products from Reimbursable Projects PMC s can work with these species and pass on the information (and seed!) on to private growers Lowers risks May lower costs Seed is more available on private market

10 Products from Reimbursable Projects Annual reports Plant Propagation Protocols on the Native Plant Network. No where to put all the seed production information. Idea for the Seed Production Manual was born

11 Why is it so difficult? Native plants have not been bred or selected for seed production traits Need to be genetically diverse Adaptability Persistence in environment

12 Desirable Seed Crop Features Genetically uniform Rapid, uniform growth rate

13 Traits of Typical Native Plants Genetically non-uniform Variable growth rate

14 Desirable Seed Crop Features Little or no seed dormancy: rapid germination Early vigor, competes well with weeds

15 Traits of Typical Native Plants Low seedling vigor, slow to establish

16 Traits of Typical Native Forbs

17 Traits of Typical Native Forbs Medium to high seed dormancy, variable germination

18 Desirable Seed Crop Features Even flowering and seed set Non-shattering seed

19 Traits of Typical Native Forbs Uneven flowering and seed set Shattering seed

20 Challenges of Producing Native Seed Establishment methods Weed control Harvest methods Seed cleaning methods

21 Establishment Seeds are often small- drills often have large openings Wild collections are not plentiful- drills are made to use large amounts of seed Seeds need to be shallowly sown-drills usually plant deeply Native seed growers typically put in multiple small fields- calibration of equipment takes time.

22 Establishment Slow to germinate (weeds are not) Dormant seed must be fall planted- 6 months until germination

23 Establishment Grow plugs over winter Transplant into clean fields in early spring Large plant/less weeds Flower first year High survival

24 Establishment Challenges in overcoming seed dormancy for growing plugs Materials- containers, media, fertilizer, pest control, etc Need a greenhouse Labor

25 Weed control Tolerance of weed seeds in seed for restoration is extremely low! Fields need to be very clean (weed free)

26 Weed control A few herbicides labeled for use in native grass seed production 1 or 2 for use on forbs Heavy reliance hand labor Spot spraying Hoeing

27 Harvest methods Traditional harvest equipment is not appropriate Variable seed ripening High seed shattered One-time harvest will have low yields.

28 Combine Harvest methods

29 Harvest methods

30 Get Creative!

31 Weed Fabric as a seed collector

32 Harvest Methods hand

33 Seed Cleaning Usually involves many steps (specialized equipment) Remove appendages like awns and pappas Screen out other plant parts Blow out debris and empty seeds

34 Reimbursable project Oregon Silverspot Butterfly habitat restoration USFWS & USFS Highly degraded, WEEDY sites to diverse coastal meadows. The butterfly depends on species not suited for seed production

35 Oregon Silverspot Butterfly Threatened due to loss of habitat Caterpillars eat early blue violet (Viola adunca) Adult butterflies need nectar sources Threats to habitat- exotic grasses, salal, blackberries. Need to establish diverse, functional habitat

36 Highly variable ripening (months) Very short Seeds immediatley shoot out of the capsule when mature. Viola adunca

37 Viola adunca

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39 Native Seed Production Manual New publication from the NRCS Corvallis Plant Materials Center- on our website. Free! me or pick up a copy. Contains species specific information on seed production of over 80 species native to Western Oregon and Washington. Target audience is seed producers. Info is relevant to land managers or anyone working with establishment of native plants.

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41 Uses for non-growers Purchasing/creating mixes Calculating seeding rates Plugs or direct seeding Seedling ID Management strategies Wild collections

42 Seed Mixes Annuals and Perennials- Great for quick cover Can compete with other non-native annual weeds Provide a feeling of accomplishment

43 Seed mixes Timing of seeding- Spring or fall?? Some species require fall sowing in order to germinate the following spring Match your seeding date to the needs of the species in your mix, or vice versa.

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48 Seeding rates Manual includes rates for full stand of a single species. This can be altered to fit your site. Use the listed rate and multiply by the percent you d like to have in your mix- Clarkia at 5% in your mix= 2 lbs/acre X 0.05= 0.1 lbs

49 Seeding rates Manual also displays seeds per pound data Useful for deciding seeding rates, especially if using a seed calculator.

50 Direct seeding vs Plugs

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54 Seedling pictures Not enough info to truly identify a species. But maybe a good starting place to narrow down possibilities? Rose checkermallow Sea blush Clarkia farewell to spring

55 Management strategies Look at the establishment info for the speciesdo they germinate in the fall? Do your best to use the seedling pictures to determine if the seedlings you see are native ones.

56 Wild collections

57 Thank you!