Southwest Peach (Prunus Persica) and Navajo Spinach (Cleome Serrulata)

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Southwest Peach (Prunus Persica) and Navajo Spinach (Cleome Serrulata) Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 8-2019 Explorations and Collaborations on Two Under-Recognized Native American Food Crops: Southwest Peach (Prunus Persica) and Navajo Spinach (Cleome Serrulata) Reagan C. Wytsalucy Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd Part of the Plant Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Wytsalucy, Reagan C., "Explorations and Collaborations on Two Under-Recognized Native American Food Crops: Southwest Peach (Prunus Persica) and Navajo Spinach (Cleome Serrulata)" (2019). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 7612. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/7612 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EXPLORATIONS AND COLLABORATIONS ON TWO UNDER-RECOGNIZED NATIVE AMERICAN FOOD CROPS: SOUTHWEST PEACH (PRUNUS PERSICA) AND NAVAJO SPINACH (CLEOME SERRULATA) by Reagan C. Wytsalucy A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in Plant Science Approved: _______________________ _______________________ Brent Black, Ph.D. Daniel Drost, Ph.D. Major Professor Committee Member _______________________ _______________________ Grant Cardon, Ph.D. Randy Williams, M.S. Committee Member Committee Member _______________________________________ Richard S. Inouye, Ph.D. Vice Provost for Graduate Studies UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 2019 ii Copyright © Reagan C. Wytsalucy All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Explorations and Collaborations on Two Under-recognized Native American Food Crops: Southwest Peach (Prunus persica) and Navajo spinach (Cleome serrulata) by Reagan C. Wytsalucy, Master of Science Utah State University, 2019 Major Professor: Dr. Brent Black Department: Plants, Soils, and Climate Agricultural production among the Native American populations of the Southwest declined significantly during the twentieth century. Although production of corn, beans, and squash, the three most recognized traditional food crops, remains widespread, knowledge regarding the traditional management of these crops was lost. The loss of traditional knowledge is more pronounced for some of the under-recognized traditional food crops including Southwest peach (Prunus persica) and Navajo spinach (Cleome serrulata Pursh). Decreased peach production during the late twentieth century left only a few sparse historic peach orchards. There is little to no documentation on importance, cultivation or use of Navajo spinach to the Southwest Native American Tribes. The Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni Nations seek to increase the availability of traditional crops for their original uses, such as for food and wool dye. In order for these Native American communities to revitalize traditional agriculture, information was gathered regarding each of these crops, including: varieties and their characteristics, management practices and the iv horticultural basis for these practices, along with uses and cultural significance. Southwest peach orchards were located, seeds and plant material obtained and characterized genetically to test the hypothesis that Southwest peaches are divergent from modern cultivars. Information on peach management was collected by interviewing traditional farmers, evaluating historic orchard location features, and through dendrochronology. Dendrochronology involved collecting tree stumps or cores from tree trunks to evaluate growth rings in order to determine seasonal irrigation practices, age and life span of the orchard trees. Navajo spinach seed was collected from multiple locations and compared. Optimum germination conditions were assessed including requirements for overcoming seed dormancy through scarification, plant hormone addition, and chilling and hydration period. Oral histories were gathered from elders of the Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni Nations on management and use of Navajo spinach; the interviews were translated and transcribed. Information on both Southwest peach and Navajo spinach will be useful to encourage traditional management of these culturally important crops. (195 pages) v PUBLIC ABSTRACT Explorations and Collaborations of Two Under-recognized Native American Food Crops: Southwest Peach (Prunus persica) and Navajo spinach (Cleome serrulata) Reagan C. Wytsalucy Agricultural production among the Native American populations of the Southwest declined significantly during the twentieth century. Corn, beans and squash, the three most recognized traditional food crops, remains widespread, but knowledge regarding the traditional management of these crops was lost. The loss of traditional knowledge for Southwest Indigenous Nations was more pronounced for the Southwest peach (Prunus persica) and Navajo spinach (Cleome serrulata Pursh). The Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni Nations are all seeking to increase the availability of traditional crops for their original uses, such as for food and wool dye. In order to revitalize traditional agriculture for these tribes, information regarding these crops was gathered, including: variety characterization, the horticultural basis for traditional management practices, and cultural uses and significance. Southwest peach orchards were located for seed and plant material collections to characterize their genotype and relate them to modern peach cultivars. Traditional farmers were interviewed on management practices and irrigation strategies to correlate to dendrochronology (tree-ring analysis) techniques. Dendrochronology samples included tree stumps or cores to evaluate ring growth variability, age, and life span of the orchard trees. Navajo spinach seed was collected from Chinle, Arizona for germination studies on overcoming seed dormancy. Information on both Southwest peach and Navajo spinach will be useful to encourage culturally important traditional crop management. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Funding for this research was provided by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food Specialty Crop Block Grant program, the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Graduate Student Grant program (#GW17-060), and by Utah Humanities and Utah Division of State History (#OH18.04). Canyon de Chelly National Monument Park Service approved this research to take place with the residents living within the monument grounds (CACH- 2015-SCI-0002). Tribal research approvals were obtained through the Navajo Nation Research Review Board (#NNR-17.270T), the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office (#16- 001), and the Zuni Tribal Government (Peach Project approved April 23, 2018). Utah State University Institutional Review Board approved this research for each collaborating tribe (Navajo: IRB-7734; Zuni: IRB-9458; Hopi: IRB-8500). Thank you to all tribal and specialist community members who contributed to this research. A special thanks go to my committee for their guidance and support. James Frisby and Karen South consistently gave assistance through a majority of research pursuits; thank you for all your assistance. My parents, Roy and Donna Talker, continually gave their time to be a part of this research, serving as guides, labor, and company. I am lucky to have them as my parents! More thanks are needed for my husband, Anthony Wytsalucy, who always supported me through this long road and learning venture. This project would not have been near the success that was accomplished without all of you! Reagan. C. Wytsalucy vii CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... iii PUBLIC ABSTRACT .........................................................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................ vi LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ ix LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................x CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION--LITERATURE REVIEW .....................................................1 Introduction .............................................................................................................1 Species Background ............................................................................................... 3 Revitalize the Peach and Spinach foods in the Southwest ....................................12 Research Objectives ...............................................................................................14 Literature Cited ......................................................................................................16 2. CHARACTERZING PEACHES GROWN BY NATIVE AMERICANS OF THE DESERT SOUTHWEST ............................................................................23 Abstract .................................................................................................................23 Introduction ...........................................................................................................24 Materials and Methods ..........................................................................................26 Results ...................................................................................................................32
Recommended publications
  • Revegetation Strategies for Rangelands
    Revegetation Strategies for Rangelands Russellagri.nv.gov Wilhelm, Seed Program Manager January 7, 2021 About the Presenter • Russ Wilhelm • Seed Program Manager at Nevada Dept. of Agriculture – Since January 2015 • Graduate from University of Nevada, Reno • Been working intensively with native seed in NV for past 4 years agri.nv.gov Synopsis of Presentation Martin Fire, 2018 – High Country News 440,000 acres burnt Restoration of rangelands throughout the intermountain West has been an excitedly discussed topic for centuries. New strategies are on the rise throughout the West that will help promote rangeland health and longevity, while assisting to suppress wildfire intensity and decrease frequency. Martin Reseeding - USFWS Photo taken by SKulpa Several revegetation methods and new reseeding technologies will be investigated and the use of locally adapted, genetically appropriate, seed will be the focal point. agri.nv.gov Primary Reasons for Rangeland Restoration Wildfire Mining reclamation rehabilitation Preventing spread Erosion control of invasive species Preserving wildlife Many, many more… habitat agri.nv.gov Common Restoration Methods Revegetation Grazing Management The use of plant propagules Controlling grazing habits of livestock or game to decrease (seed), native or non-native, the level of disturbance to a to reintroduce desirable landscape. species to a disturbed site. Ex. Implementing stockmanship Ex. Designing an herbicide protected principles to effectively rotate livestock seed mix, to re-apply to a burn site. across allotments. Invasive Species Inventory & Monitoring Management Assessing the conditions of an Preventing the introduction or area to determine the needs spread of undesirable species and strategize on control to a vulnerable site. methods.
    [Show full text]
  • Willi Orchids
    growers of distinctively better plants. Nunured and cared for by hand, each plant is well bred and well fed in our nutrient rich soil- a special blend that makes your garden a healthier, happier, more beautiful place. Look for the Monrovia label at your favorite garden center. For the location nearest you, call toll free l-888-Plant It! From our growing fields to your garden, We care for your plants. ~ MONROVIA~ HORTICULTURAL CRAFTSMEN SINCE 1926 Look for the Monrovia label, call toll free 1-888-Plant It! co n t e n t s Volume 77, Number 3 May/June 1998 DEPARTMENTS Commentary 4 Wild Orchids 28 by Paul Martin Brown Members' Forum 5 A penonal tour ofplaces in N01,th America where Gaura lindheimeri, Victorian illustrators. these native beauties can be seen in the wild. News from AHS 7 Washington, D . C. flower show, book awards. From Boon to Bane 37 by Charles E. Williams Focus 10 Brought over f01' their beautiful flowers and colorful America)s roadside plantings. berries, Eurasian bush honeysuckles have adapted all Offshoots 16 too well to their adopted American homeland. Memories ofgardens past. Mock Oranges 41 Gardeners Information Service 17 by Terry Schwartz Magnolias from seeds, woodies that like wet feet. Classic fragrance and the ongoing development of nell? Mail-Order Explorer 18 cultivars make these old favorites worthy of considera­ Roslyn)s rhodies and more. tion in today)s gardens. Urban Gardener 20 The Melting Plot: Part II 44 Trial and error in that Toddlin) Town. by Susan Davis Price The influences of African, Asian, and Italian immi­ Plants and Your Health 24 grants a1'e reflected in the plants and designs found in H eading off headaches with herbs.
    [Show full text]
  • Plant Checklist These Details May Help You Identify It
    Urban Landscape Shortgrass Prairie Ecosystem Lowland Riparian Ecosystem The urban landscape is human-built. Interspersed with homes, Minimal rainfall (less than 15 inches a year), ever-present winds The lowland riparian ecosystem is characterized by narrow offices, roads, and other infrastructure are yards, community and a treeless landscape make up the shortgrass prairie. Plants bands of distinctive vegetation along the margins of streams, green spaces, local parks and natural areas. Plant life in the here generally grow low to the ground, are drought tolerant and rivers, ponds, and lakes. It is lower in elevation, and often urban landscape may benefit from additional stormwater have extensive root systems. shaded from sun and wind by abundant trees and shrubs. All runoff and added fertilizers, but it may also be subject to plant life here is governed and shaped by water. frequent disturbance and human manipulation. Because urban Shrubs landscape plants can come from many different places, this list Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus) Trees addresses common “volunteer” species in unmaintained areas. *Fringed sage (Artemisia frigida) Plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides) Snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae) Narrowleaf cottonwood (Populus angustifolia) Trees Four-winged saltbush (Atriplex canescens) Peach-leaved willow (Salix amygdaloides) Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) Winterfat (Krascheninnikovia lanata) Yucca (Yucca glauca) **Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila) Shrubs **Russian-olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) Chokecherry (Padus virginiana)
    [Show full text]
  • Creating Sustainable Wildflower Meadows in Arid Climates Introduction WILDFLOWER MEADOWS Are Ecologically Sound Tools Stephen L
    BUL 944 From Weeds to Flowers: Creating Sustainable Wildflower Meadows in Arid Climates Introduction WILDFLOWER MEADOWS are ecologically sound tools Stephen L. Love for managing private or public lands. As sustainable Katie Wagner management practices become increasingly more accepted, meadows plantings will become more popular. Wildflower Pamela J.S. Hutchinson meadows have the potential to benefit homeowners, public Tony McCammon land managers, and commercial property caretakers in numerous ways. They can beautify landscapes, simplify Derek J. Tilley maintenance, strengthen soil and water conservation efforts, and offer an attractive habitat to pollinators, birds, and small mammals. Meadows also provide habitat and Contents forage for many insects whose presence may help to reduce 1 Introduction or eliminate a gardeners’ pesticide use. 2 Preparatory Control of Perennial To take advantage of these potential assets in the arid Weeds climates of the West, gardeners should design wildflower 3 Establishing and Caring for a meadows according to their ability to provide irrigation. Meadow Using Organic Principles In arid climates, the amount of irrigation supplied 3 Soil Preparation will strongly influence a meadow’s appearance. A nonirrigated meadow produces flowers in the spring 4 Selection of Appropriate Plant and early summer but goes dormant and offers limited Species aesthetic value thereafter. A minimally irrigated meadow Seeding Rates 9 shows color through most of the summer with occasional 9 Planting Strategy irrigation. A moderately irrigated meadow provides 10 Transplanting Wildflowers significant season-long color but requires larger amounts of applied irrigation water; however, this will allow the 11 Weed Control During the Establishment introduction of a wider arrangement of less drought- tolerant plant materials.
    [Show full text]
  • The Sacred and the Scientific the Botany of Northern Arizona
    The Sacred and the Beautiful Portraits of Just a Few Northern Arizonan Plants Andrea Hazelton Springs Stewardship Institute Museum of Northern Arizona Arizona Native Plant Society Annual Meeting 6 October 2020 Please allow me to introduce myself… Verde River, 2008 Rosilda Spring, Kaibab NF, 2020 Tsegi Canyon, 2010 Gray Mountain, 2014 Grand Canyon, 2018 The Sacred and the Beautiful The Sacred and the Beautiful… Sacred… 2a Worthy of religions veneration: Holy 2b Entitled to reverence or respect 3b Highly valued and important 1 Spirituality… The search for meaning in life… consideration of one’s relationship with self, others, nature, and whatever else one considers to be ultimate 2 1 Merriam-Webster Dictionary 2 Paraphrased from Wikipedia page on secular spirituality Monument Valley More sand than you can shake your fist at Kaibab Plateau Echo Cliffs Black Mesa Chuska Mtns Grand Canyon Hot Stinking Desert San Fran Peaks Dilkon Buttes Hualapai Mtns Petrified Forest Verde Valley Flagstaff: Rocky Mountain Bee Plant Photo by T. Liggett, Williams-Grand Canyon News Rocky Mountain Bee Plant • Peritoma serrulata, syn. Cleome serrulata • Navajo: Waa’ • Cleomaceae- Related to mustard and caper families. Photo by Patrick Alexander Photo by Tony Frates Photo by Max Licher Photo by Frankie Coburn Up in the Peaks: San Francisco Peaks Groundsel Photo by Max Licher This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC San Francisco Peaks Groundsel • Packera franciscana • Asteraceae, the sunflower family Photo by Max Licher • Protected by Endangered Species Act (Listed Threatened) • Lives on volcanic talus above timberline • Off-trail hiking & camping PROHIBITED over 11,400 ft.
    [Show full text]
  • ROCKY MOUNTAIN BEEPLANT Peritoma (Cleome) Serrulata (Pursh) De Candolle Cleomaceae – Spiderflower Family Nancy L
    ROCKY MOUNTAIN BEEPLANT Peritoma (Cleome) serrulata (Pursh) de Candolle Cleomaceae – Spiderflower family Nancy L. Shaw and Corey L. Gucker | 2020 ORGANIZATION NOMENCLATURE Names, subtaxa, chromosome number(s), hybridization. Rocky Mountain beeplant (Peritoma serrulata [Pursh] de Candolle) is a member of the Cleomaceae or spiderflower family (Vanderpool and Iltis 2010) but was formerly placed in Range, habitat, plant associations, elevation, soils. family Capparaceae. The earliest specimen was collected in 1804 by Meriwether Lewis along the Missouri River near Vermillion in Clay County, South Dakota (Reveal et al. 1999). Recent Life form, morphology, distinguishing characteristics, reproduction. molecular work leaves the taxonomic placement of the family, genus, and species in question (see Hall 2008; Iltis et al. 2011; Roalson et al. 2015). Growth rate, successional status, disturbance ecology, importance to NRCS Plant Code. PESE7, CLSE (USDA NRCS animals/people. 2020). Subtaxa. No subspecies or varieties are Current or potential uses in restoration. recognized by the Flora of North America (Vanderpool and Iltis 2010). Welsh et al. (2015), using the synonym Cleome serrulata, recognized two intergrading phases in Utah: C. s. (Pursh) Seed sourcing, wildland seed collection, seed cleaning, storage, var. serrulata, which is widespread and C. s. var. testing and marketing standards. angusta (M. E. Jones) Tidestrom, which occurs only in Utah’s southern counties. Recommendations/guidelines for producing seed. Synonyms. Cleome serrulata Pursh, C. serrulata subsp. angusta (M. E. Jones), Peritoma inornata (Greene) Greene, P. serrulata var. albiflora Cockerell, P. serrulata var. clavata Lunell Recommendations/guidelines for producing planting stock. (Vanderpool and Iltis 2010). Common Names. Rocky Mountain beeplant, a’ pilalu (Zuni name), bee spiderflower, guaco, Navajo Recommendations/guidelines, wildland restoration successes/ spinach, pink cleome, pink bee plant, skunk weed, failures.
    [Show full text]
  • Garden Smart Colorado
    Garden Smart Colorado A Guide to Non-Invasive Plants for Your Garden Colorado Weed Management Association Colorado Big Country, RC&D, Inc. Garden Smart Colorado A Guide to Non-Invasive Plants for Your Garden Produced by: Colorado Weed Management Association and Colorado Big Country Resource, Conservation & Development, Inc. Written and Edited by: Irene Shonle, Project Leader COVER: Original line drawing of Penstemon and Golden banner by Steve Anthony Mary Ann Bonell Tina Booton Lisa DiNardo Alicia Doran Summer 2007 Stephen Elzinga Jennifer Mantle Colorado Weed Management Association 6456 S. Niagara Ct., Centennial, CO 80111 Judy Noel Phone: 303-779-7939 Paul Schreiner www.cwma.org Karen Scopel Jude Sirota Colorado Big Country Resource, Conservation & Development, Inc. Offi ce: 401 23rd Street, Suite 105, Glenwood Springs, CO 81602 Emily Spencer Mail: PO Box 2168, Glenwood Springs CO 81602. Lisa Tasker Phone: 970-945-5494 Ext. 4 Kelly Uhing www.coloradobigcountry.org Graphics by: Alicia Doran About This Book We have arranged this book into sections divided by invasive ornamentals that are listed in Colorado as noxious weeds. Colorado's noxious weed list is divided into A, B and C categories which require specifi c levels of man- agement. These plants are no longer allowed to be sold in our state and should not be planted. Specifi c information is available from the Colorado We Wish to Thank ... State Noxious Weed Program or from your local county weed manager. Included for each invasive are alternatives that may be planted instead. We Irene Shonle, CSU Extension, for her project leadership have divided the choices by native and cultivated options and regionally by mountain and lower elevations.
    [Show full text]
  • Low-Water Native Plants for Colorado Gardens: Mountains 7,500’ and Above
    Low-Water Native Plants for Colorado Gardens: Mountains 7,500’ and Above 1 Mountains 7,500’ and Above Region This range map is approximate. Please be familiar with your area to know which booklet is most appropriate for your landscape. The Colorado native plant gardening guides cover these 5 regions: Plains/Prairie Front Range/Foothills Southeastern Colorado Mountains above 7,500 feet Lower Elevation Western Slope This publication was written by the Colorado Native Plant Society Gardening Guide Committee: Irene Shonle, Director, CSU Extension, Gilpin County; Nick Daniel, Horticulturist, Denver Botanic Gardens; Deryn Davidson, Horticulture Agent, CSU Extension, Boulder County; Susan Crick, Front Range Chapter, Wild Ones; Jim Tolstrup, Executive Director, High Plains Environmental Center (HPEC); Jan Loechell Turner, Colorado Native Plant Society (CoNPS); Amy Yarger, Director of Horticulture, Butterfly Pavilion. Scientific names are from the Flora of North America. Photo credits: Gardening Guide Committee members or otherwise listed. Map: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Front Cover (Silvery Lupine) and Back Cover (Prairie Smoke) Photos© Jane Hendrix 2 Terrace Garden - Wallflowers and Blue Mist Penstemons Photo by Irene Shonle Introduction This is one in a series of regional native planting guides that are a collaboration of the Colorado Native Plant Society, CSU Extension, Front Range Wild Ones, the High Plains Environmental Center, Butterfly Pavilion and the Denver Botanic Gardens. Many people have an interest in landscaping with native plants, and the purpose of this booklet is to help people make the most successful choices. We have divided the state into 5 different regions that reflect different growing conditions and life zones.
    [Show full text]
  • Capparaceae – Caper Family
    CAPPARACEAE – CAPER FAMILY Plant: herbs, shrubs and trees and rarely woody vines Stem: Root: Leaves: simple or palmate, alternate; small stipules usually present Flowers: bisexual or unisexual; radially or bilaterally symmetrical; 4 sepals (up to 8); 4 petals (or none to many), often 2 larger than others; 4 stamens (or more); ovary superior, pistil often elevated; 2 carpels (or 4), 1-chambered ovary Fruit: usually a capsule, sometimes a berry or a nut; seeds reniform (kidney- shaped) Other: family not well defined at this time; most common in tropics but some occur in warmer temperate areas (some put Polanisia and Cleome in the Cleomaceae family); Dicotyledons Group Genera: 24+/- genera; locally Polanisia (clammyweed), Cleome (spider flower) – Some assign these plants to the Cleomaceae (Cleome Family) WARNING – family descriptions are only a layman’s guide and should not be used as definitive CAPPARACEAE – CAPER FAMILY Spider Flower [Pink Queen]; Cleome hassleriana Chod. (Introduced) Redwhisker Clammyweed; Polanisia dodecandra (L.) DC. (Introduced) Spider Flower [Pink Queen] USDA Cleome hassleriana Chod. (Introduced) Capparaceae (Caper Family) Mackinac Island, Mackinac County, Michigan Notes: 4-petaled flower on slender stalks, white to pink, stamens very long; leaves mostly palmate with 5-7 leaflets; stem with sticky hairs; garden escapee; mid to late summer [V Max Brown, 2008] Redwhisker USDA Clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra (L.) DC. (Introduced) Capparaceae (Caper Family) Maumee Bay State Park, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: 4-petaled flower, white to pink, narrowed at base, notched at top; stamens purplish to red; leaves with 3 leaflets, entire; fruit a pea-like pod; plant hairy; common on shores; bad odor; summer to fall (subspecies present) [V Max Brown, 2006].
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Molecular Mechanisms of Seed Dormancy for Improved Germination in Traditional Leafy Vegetables: an Overview
    agronomy Review Understanding Molecular Mechanisms of Seed Dormancy for Improved Germination in Traditional Leafy Vegetables: An Overview Fernand S. Sohindji, Dêêdi E. O. Sogbohossou , Herbaud P. F. Zohoungbogbo, Carlos A. Houdegbe and Enoch G. Achigan-Dako * Laboratory of Genetics, Horticulture and Seed Science, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 526 Tri Postal, Cotonou, Benin; [email protected] (F.S.S.); [email protected] (D.E.O.S.); [email protected] (H.P.F.Z.); [email protected] (C.A.H.) * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +229-95-39-32-83 Received: 28 October 2019; Accepted: 24 December 2019; Published: 1 January 2020 Abstract: Loss of seed viability, poor and delayed germination, and inaccessibility to high-quality seeds are key bottlenecks limiting all-year-round production of African traditional leafy vegetables (TLVs). Poor quality seeds are the result of several factors including harvest time, storage, and conservation conditions, and seed dormancy. While other factors can be easily controlled, breaking seed dormancy requires thorough knowledge of the seed intrinsic nature and physiology. Here, we synthesized the scattered knowledge on seed dormancy constraints in TLVs, highlighted seed dormancy regulation factors, and developed a conceptual approach for molecular genetic analysis of seed dormancy in TLVs. Several hormones, proteins, changes in chromatin structures, ribosomes, and quantitative trait loci (QTL) are involved in seed dormancy regulation. However, the bulk of knowledge was based on cereals and Arabidopsis and there is little awareness about seed dormancy facts and mechanisms in TLVs. To successfully decipher seed dormancy in TLVs, we used Gynandropsis gynandra to illustrate possible research avenues and highlighted the potential of this species as a model plant for seed dormancy analysis.
    [Show full text]
  • Wildflower Guide Pure Stand Seeding Rates (Pls
    WILDFLOWER GUIDE PURE STAND SEEDING RATES (PLS SCIENTIFIC NAME COMMON NAME HEIGHT BLOOM PERIOD COLOR LBS/ACRE) Abronia vilosa Desert Sand Verbena 3"–6" E 8 Achillea millefolium White Yarrow 3' M 0.5 Achillea millefolium occidentalis Western Yarrow 2' M, L 0.5 Agastache foeniculum Anise (Fragrant Giant) Hyssop 3' M, L 1.0 Agastache scrophulariifolia Purple Giant Hyssop 6' M, L 1.0 Alisma subcordatum American (Common/Mud) Plantain 3' M, L 1.8 Alisma triviale Northern Water Plantain 3' M 1.5 Allium canadense Wild Garlic 1.5' E, M 150.0 Allium cernuum Nodding Onion 1.5' M 8.0 Allium stellatum Prairie Onion 1.25' M 8.8 Anemone canadensis Canada (Meadow) Anemone 1' E, M 12.0 Anemone cylindrica Thimble Weed 2' E, M 3.5 Anemone patens Pasque Flower 6" E 6.0 Anemone virginiana Tall Thimble Weed (Anemone) 3' M 3.5 Angelica atropurpurea Angelica 7' E, M 15.0 Aquilegia canadensis Columbine 2' E, M 2.5 Aquilegia coerulea Colorado Blue Columbine 2' M 4.5 Asclepias incarnata Swamp Milkweed 4' M 20.0 Asclepias syriaca Common Milkweed 3' M 22.5 Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly Milkweed 2' M 22.5 Asclepias verticillata Whorled Milkweed 2' M, L 9.0 Aster azureus Sky Blue Aster 3' M, L 1.5 Aster ericoides Heath Aster 2' M, L 0.5 Aster laevis Smooth Blue Aster 4' M, L 1.5 Aster novae-angliae New England Aster 4' M, L 0.8 Aster sagittifolius Arrow-leaved Aster 3' L 1.0 WILDFLOWER GUIDE WILDFLOWER Aster sericeus Silky Aster 1' M, L 1.0 Aster umbellatus Flat-Topped Aster 5' M, L 1.5 Astragalus canadensis Canada Milk Vetch 3' M, L 6.0 Astragalus crassicarpus Ground
    [Show full text]
  • Your Beautiful Flower Garden
    Chapter Three Your Beautiful Flower Garden Introduction Whether it’s one planter next to your door, or a show-stopping floral garden, flowers are a bonus of color and texture we can all appreciate. If you’re an experienced green thumb, or have read up on basic gardening in Chapter Two, you’ll know that, rather than insects and diseases, most plant problems are cultural—meaning that if you give plants what they need (proper soil, location and care), they’ll be healthy most of the time. Keep an eye on your garden. Noticing problems and identifying them early are essential steps toward a satisfying result. What follows are common cultural, disease, and insect problems, and their solutions. That’s a lot to cover. We’ll start with general concerns, then focus on specifics for annuals, tender perennials, biennials, and perennials. (Don’t worry if you see a plant in both the Perennial and Annual charts. Some, like verbena and geranium, can be perennial in warmer climates.) Later we’ll discuss hostas, roses, bulbs and peonies. Photo: Pixabay. Perennial, biennial, or annual? Perennials tend to come back In this chapter: over repeated years and expand each season. They may live three or four years, thirty or a hundred. Biennials need two years to Common Cultural (Abiotic) Problems complete their life cycle but because of re-seeding, some may of Annuals, Perennials, Bulbs, and seem to be perennial when they re-appear in the same spot for Groundcovers years. Annuals can, but rarely, make it through more than one IPM Solutions for Cultural (Abiotic) season depending on the climate, or come back from seed.
    [Show full text]