GREAT BASIN NATIVE PLANT PROJECT 2015 PROGRESS REPORT USDA FOREST SERVICE, ROCKY MOUNTAIN RESEARCH STATION AND USDI BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, BOISE, ID APRIL 2016 COOPERATORS USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station Grassland, Shrubland and Desert Ecosystem Research Program, Boise, ID, Provo, UT, and Albuquerque, NM USDI Bureau of Land Management, Plant Conservation Program, Washington, DC Boise State University, Boise, ID Brigham Young University, Provo, UT College of Western Idaho, Nampa, ID Eastern Oregon Stewardship Services, Prineville, OR Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ Oregon State University, Bend, OR Oregon State University Malheur Experiment Station, Ontario, OR Private Contractors and Land Owners Native Seed Industry Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX University of California, Browns Valley, CA University of Idaho, Moscow, ID University of Nevada, Reno, NV University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, Elko and Reno, NV Utah State University, Logan, UT US Army Corps of Engineers, Junction City, OR USDA Agricultural Research Service, Pollinating Insects Research Center, Logan, UT USDA Agricultural Research Service, Eastern Oregon Agriculture Research Center, Burns, OR USDA Agricultural Research Service, Forage and Range Research Laboratory, Logan, UT USDA Agricultural Research Service, Great Basin Rangelands Research Unit, Reno, NV USDA Agricultural Research Service, Western Regional Plant Introduction Center, Pullman, WA USDA Forest Service, National Seed Laboratory, Dry Branch, GA USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Corvallis, OR USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Aberdeen Plant Materials Center, Aberdeen, ID USDI Bureau of Land Management, Morley Nelson Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, Boise, ID USDI Bureau of Land Management, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington State Offices US Geological Survey Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise, ID US Geological Survey Snake River Field Station, Boise, ID US Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center, Las Vegas, NV Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Great Basin Research Center, Ephraim, UT GREAT BASIN NATIVE PLANT PROJECT ROGRESS EPORT 2015 P R The Interagency Native Plant Materials Development Program outlined in the 2002 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and United States Department of Interior (USDI) Report to Congress encouraged use of native plant materials for rangeland rehabilitation and restoration where feasible. The Great Basin Native Plant Project is a cooperative project lead by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Plant Conservation Program and the United States Forest Service (USFS), Rocky Mountain Research Station that was initiated to provide information that will be useful to managers when making decisions about the selection of genetically appropriate materials and technologies for vegetation restoration. The Project is supported by the USDI Bureau of Land Management, Plant Conservation Program and administered by the USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station’s Grassland, Shrubland and Desert Ecosystem Research Program. Research priorities are to: . Increase the variety of native plant materials available for restoration in the Great Basin. Provide an understanding of species variability and potential response to climate change to improve seed transfer guidelines. Develop seeding technology and equipment for successful reestablishment of native plant communities. Transfer research results to land managers, private sector seed growers, and restoration contractors. We thank our many collaborators for their dedication and their institutions for their in-kind contributions. The wide array of expertise represented by this group has made it possible to address the many challenges involved with this endeavor. We especially thank Alexis Malcomb for the many hours she spent carefully editing and compiling this report and other outreach materials and Jessica Irwin for help in editing, as well as Corey Gucker for help in managing our financial reporting. Special thanks also to our resident technicians and volunteers: Nancy Shaw, Matt Fisk, Jameson Rigg, and Kristof Bihari for managing our field and laboratory research. Francis Kilkenny USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station Boise, ID [email protected] Great Basin Native Plant Project www.GreatBasinNPP.org Citation Kilkenny, Francis; Edwards, Fred; Malcomb, Alexis. 2016. Great Basin Native Plant Project: 2015 Progress Report. Boise, ID: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 238 p. ii FY2015 Summary NE W PR OJE GBNPPCTS PROJECTS Closing Projects 6 Continuing Projects 17 New Projects 11 PROJECT ACTIVITY Presentations 38 Publications 30 Webinars 2 iii Results in this report should be considered preliminary in nature and should not be quoted or cited without the written consent of the Principal Investigator for the study. The accuracy, reliability, and originality of work presented in this report are the responsibility of the individual authors. The use of trade or firm names in this report is for reader information only and does not imply endorsement by the USDA or USDI of any product or service. Pesticide Precautionary Statement: This publication reports some research involving pesticide use. It does not contain recommendations for their use, nor does it imply that the uses discussed here have been registered. All uses of pesticides must be registered by appropriate State and/or Federal agencies before they can be recommended. CAUTION: Pesticides can be injurious to humans, domestic animals, desirable plants, and fish or other wildlife― if they are not handled or applied appropriately. Use all pesticides selectively and carefully. Follow recommended practices for the disposal of surplus pesticides and pesticide containers. The USDA and USDI are equal opportunity providers and employers. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS I. ROJECT VERVIEW GBNPP P O COOPERATORS i PROGRESS REPORT INTRODUCTION ii FY2015 SUMMARY iii DISCLAIMER iv II. ROJECT IGHLIGHTS P H NEW PROJECTS 1 CONTINUING PROJECTS 6 III. GENETICS AND CLIMATE CHANGE Testing the Efficacy of Seed Zones for Re-Established and Adaptation of Bluebunch Wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata) Holly Prendeville, Francis Kilkenny, and Brad St. Clair 15 Conservation, Adaptation, and Seed Zones for Key Great Basin Species Richard C. Johnson, Elizabeth Leger, Mike Cashman, and Ken Vance-Borland 22 Ecophysiological Analyses of Common Gardens to Inform Seed Transfer Guidelines Matthew J. Germino, Martha Brabec, and Bryce Richardson 31 Species and Population-level Variation in Germination Strategies of Cold Desert Forbs Elizabeth A. Leger and Sarah Barga 39 Dynamics of Cold Hardiness Accumulation and Loss in Sulphur-flower Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum) Anthony S. Davis, Matthew R. Fisk, and Kent G. Apostol 47 NEW PROJECTS Morphological and Genetic Characterization of Blue Penstemon (Penstemon cyaneus) Mikel Stevens and Robert Johnson 54 v A Field Test of Local Adaptation in Bluebunch Wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata) Kathryn Alexander, Matt Orr, Ron Reuter, Francis Kilkenny, Brad St. Clair, and Holly Prendeville 58 Genetic and Environmental Regulation of Functional Traits: New Approaches for Restoration in Climate Change Brad Butterfield and Troy Wood 63 Climate Change Effects on Native Plant Establishment and Annual Grass Invasion: Implications for Restoration Beth Newingham and Keirith Snyder 67 Evaluation of Local Adaptation in Achnatherum hymenoides and Artemisia spp.: Implications for Restoration in a Changing Regional Climate Lesley DeFalco, Daniel Shyrock, and Todd Esque 70 IV. LANT ATERIALS AND ULTURAL RACTICES P M C P Smoke-Induced Germination of Great Basin Native Forbs Robert Cox 78 Developing Protocols for Maximizing Establishment of Great Basin Legume Species Douglas A. Johnson and B. Shaun Bushman 83 Bee Pollination and Breeding Biology Studies James H. Cane 93 Native Forb Increase and Research at the Great Basin Research Center Kevin Gunnell and Danny Summers 96 Plant Material Work at the Provo Shrub Sciences Lab Scott Jensen 109 Aberdeen Plant Materials Center Report of Activities Derek Tilley 112 Seed Production of Great Basin Native Forbs (7 Reports) Clint C. Shock, Erik B. Feibert, Joel Felix, Nancy Shaw, and Francis Kilkenny 1. Irrigation Requirements for Native Buckwheat Seed Production in a Semi-Arid Environment 116 2. Irrigation Requirements for Seed Production of Five Lomatium Species in a Semi-Arid Environment 124 3. Irrigation Requirements for Seed Production of Five Native Penstemon Species in a Semi-Arid Environment 137 4. Prairie Clovers and Basalt Milkvetch Seed Production in Response to Irrigation 149 5. Native Beeplant (Cleome spp.) Seed Production in Response to Irrigation in a Semi-Arid Environment 155 vi 6. Irrigation Requirements for Seed Production of Various Native Wildflower Species Started in Fall of 2012 160 7. Direct Surface Seeding Systems for the Establishment of Native Plants in 2015 168 NEW PROJECTS Characterizing Germplasm Relationships and Maximizing Seedling Establishment of Utah Trefoil (Lotus utahensis Ottley) B. Shaun Bushman and Douglas A. Johnson 177 V. EED NCREASE S I Coordination of Great Basin Native Plant Materials Development, Seed Increase, and Use Berta Youtie 182 Seed Increase of Great Basin Native Forbs and Grasses for Restoration Research Projects Clint C. Shock, Erik B. Feibert, Joel Felix, Nancy Shaw, Francis Kilkenny, Holly Prendeville, Brad St. Clair, and Anne Halford