Registration of Cucharas

Green Needlegrass Germplasm

Cucharas green needlegrass (Nassella viridula [Trin.] Barkw.) germplasm (Reg. no. , PI ) was released as a selected class of certified seed (natural track). This class of prevariety germplasm is eligible for seed certification under guidelines developed by the Association of Seed Certifying Agencies (2001). Participating in the release are the USDA-ARS and the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station. Cucharas is intended for use in the central Great Plains.

Cucharas was collected as T-872 on July 11, 1993 about 7 km northeast of Walsenburg, CO along highway 10 near Cucharas Junction (37^o39'45" N 104^o42'10" W). No intentional selection has been performed on this accession. Associated plant species at the site were the natives western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii [Rydb.] A. Löve), blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis [Kunth] Lag. ex Griffiths), and fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens [Pursh] Nutt.), the introduced smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.), and such ruderal introductions as Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad., Lepidium sp., and Melilotus sp. Elevation of the site is about 1829 m.

T-872 was established in May, 1994 at Greenville Farm (North Logan, UT) in an evaluation of 30 green needlegrass accessions from Alberta, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Colorado, and New Mexico. T-872 had the highest and third-highest germination without prechill for 1995 and 1996-harvested seed, respectively. T-872 was compared to ‘Lodorm’ (Schaaf and Rogler, 1960; 1970) and ‘AC Mallard’¹ in a test at Richmond Farm (Richmond, UT) established in April, 2000. Non-prechill germination of 2001-harvested seed was 31.9% for Cucharas, 16.7% for AC Mallard, and 10.8% for Lodorm. High seed dormancy is recognized as a factor limiting stand establishment in green needlegrass, and genetic variation for this trait has been established (Rogler, 1960).

Seed from the Greenville Farm evaluation (G-1) was used to establish a seed increase (G-2), also at Greenville Farm, in September, 1998, which was harvested in 2000 and 2001. Seed of the G-2 generation will be maintained by the USDA-ARS Forage and Range Research Laboratory, Logan, UT, and seed of G-3 and G-4 generations will be made available to growers by the Utah Crop Improvement Association. Seed through the G-5 generation will be eligible for certification, but sale of Cucharas seed beyond generation G-5 is expressly prohibited to limit genetic shift. Small quantities of seed will be provided to researchers upon request to the corresponding author. Appropriate recognition should be made if this material contributes to the development of a new breeding line or cultivar.

T.A. JONES*, D.C. NIELSON, AND S.A. YOUNG.

¹ ‘AC Mallard’ seed was received from Dr. Paul McCaughey, Brandon Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Brandon, MB.

T.A. Jones and D.C. Nielson, USDA-ARS Forage and Range Research, Utah State Univ., Logan, UT 84322-6300; S.A. Young, Utah Crop Improvement Association, Utah State Univ., Logan, UT 84322-4820.

References

Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies. 2001. Genetic and crop standards of the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies. p. 1-12 to 1-14, 2-69 to 2-72. AOSCA, Boise, ID.

Rogler, G.A. 1960. Relation of seed dormancy of green needlegrass (Stipa viridula Trin.) to age and treatment. Agron. J. 52:467-469.

Schaaf, H.M., and G.A. Rogler. 1960. Selecting green needlegrass for low-dormancy seed. Agron. J. 52:704-707.

Schaaf, H.M., and G.A. Rogler. 1970. Registration of Lodorm green needlegrass. Crop Sci. 10:726-727.