Recurrent selection increases seed germination in little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)

Euphytica ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 213 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim L. Springer
Keyword(s):  
Seed Germination ◽  
Recurrent Selection ◽  
Schizachyrium Scoparium ◽  
Little Bluestem

Identifying Native Prairie Grass Seedlings

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 450e-451
Author(s):  
Virginia A. Gaynor ◽  
Mary Hockenberry Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Panicum Virgatum ◽  
Schizachyrium Scoparium ◽  
Sorghastrum Nutans ◽  
Native Prairie ◽  
Switch Grass ◽  
Little Bluestem ◽  
Prairie Grass ◽  
Central United States ◽  
Prairie Restorations ◽  
Sideoats Grama

There is great interest in prairie gardens and prairie restorations in the central United States. Small prairie gardens are often established with plugs, but most restorationists and landscape contractors use seed for large plantings. If initial establishment is poor, restorations are often interseeded the second or third season. However, to evaluate early establishment and determine if interseeding is necessary, contractors must be able to identify native grasses in the seedling and juvenile stages. In this study we investigated vegetative characteristics of native prairie grass seedlings. Seven species of native prairie grass were grown in the greenhouse: Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem), Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass), Panicum virgatum (switch grass), Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem), Bouteloua curtipendula (sideoats grama), Elymus canadensis (Canada wildrye), and Bromus kalmii (Kalmís brome). Every 2 to 3 weeks after germination, seedlings were photographed, pressed, and mounted. Additional photographs were taken through the dissecting scope at key stages of development. Ligules and auricles were found to be useful in distinguishing species, and our close-up photographs highlight these structures. Hairiness and color were variable within a species and could not be used reliably in identification. A seedling identification key will be presented for the species studied.

scholarly journals Seed Preferences of Wintering Henslow's Sparrows

The Condor ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 109 (3) ◽  
pp. 595-604
Author(s):  
Jennifer K. Dimiceli ◽  
Philip C. Stouffer ◽  
Erik I. Johnson ◽  
Claudia Leonardi ◽  
Edgar B. Moser
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Active Management ◽  
Schizachyrium Scoparium ◽  
Bird Abundance ◽  
Characteristic Structure ◽  
Little Bluestem ◽  
Species Of Conservation Concern ◽  
Ammodramus Henslowii ◽  
Pine Savannas ◽  
Henslow's Sparrow

Abstract Abstract. The Henslow's Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii), a species of conservation concern, winters primarily in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) forest ecosystems in the southeastern U.S. These pine savannas have been reduced to 5% of their former range, with remaining patches requiring active management with fire to maintain characteristic structure and plant diversity. Wintering Henslow's Sparrow abundance tracks growing-season fires; bird abundance peaks in the winter following burning, then declines in subsequent winters. Fire also determines dominant plant species, suggesting that Henslow's Sparrows may respond to abundance of preferred seeds. To determine diet preferences of Henslow's Sparrows, we tested seeds from eight species of native plants from southeastern Louisiana pine savannas, including species common in the first winter after burning (‘fire grasses’) and species that increase in abundance in the second and subsequent winters after burning. Seed consumption by individual birds differed considerably, suggesting that Henslow's Sparrows forage on a variety of resources in the highly diverse savannas. Henslow's Sparrows preferred fire grasses, especially Muhlenbergia expansa (cutover muhly). They also preferred Dichanthelium angustifolium (needleleaf rosette grass), a species more common in the second year after burning, but consumed relatively little of the sedges Rhynchospora plumosa (plumed beaksedge) and R. gracilenta (slender beaksedge), species common in the second winter after fire. Birds consumed almost none of the ubiquitous grass Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem). These results suggest that preferred seeds may include those that are most common in the first winter after burning, but that some suitable seeds are available for at least another winter.

scholarly journals Propagation Time Affects Winter Survival and Finishing Date for Ornamental Grasses

2002 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 201-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce A. Cunliffe ◽  
Mary Hockenberry Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Survival Rates ◽  
Winter Survival ◽  
Schizachyrium Scoparium ◽  
Miscanthus Sinensis ◽  
Propagation Time ◽  
Little Bluestem ◽  
Ornamental Grasses ◽  
One Year

Abstract Five grasses: little bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash; prairie dropseed, Sporobolus heterolepis (A. Gray) A. Gray; feather reedgrass, Calamagrostis x acutiflora (Schrad.) DC. ‘Karl Foerster’; redflame miscanthus, Miscanthus Anderss. ‘Purpurascens’; and variegated Japanese silvergrass, Miscanthus sinensis Anderss. ‘Variegatus’; were propagated in fall and spring by plugs or field divisions into 480 ml (4 in round), 2.7 liter (#1), or 6.2 liter (#2) nursery containers. Plants were evaluated for finish date and winter survival. Three fall handled species consistently finished as a salable plant within one year: Schizachyrium scoparium plugs, Calamagrostis xacutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ divisions, and Miscanthus ‘Purpurascens’ divisions. Sporobolus heterolepis and Miscanthus sinensis ‘Variegatus’ grew faster and finished with significantly higher survival rates from spring divisions. Spring planted plugs of S. heterolepis and S. scoparium finished within 9 weeks. The two smaller container sizes finished significantly ahead of the larger size.

scholarly journals 406 Plant Diversity Influences Effectiveness of Associated Arbuscular–Mycorrhizal Fungi

HortScience ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 463A-463
Author(s):  
Rhoda Burrows ◽  
Francis Pfleger
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Fungal Community ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽  
Am Fungi ◽  
Schizachyrium Scoparium ◽  
Plant Host ◽  
Little Bluestem

Growing a plant host in association with other plant species (i.e., increasing diversity) changes the composition of the associated arbuscular–mycorrhizal (AM) fungal community. We tested whether this alteration in the fungal community causes significant differences in the growth of Schizachyrium scoparium L. (Little Bluestem, a C4 grass) or Lespedeza capitata L. (Bush clover, a legume). Seedlings were transplanted into pasteurized soil inoculated with soil from monoculture plots of Schizachyrium or Lespedeza, respectively, vs. plots containing one, seven, or 15 additional plant species. Soil washes from a composite of the plots were added to all pots, including non-inoculated controls, to reduce differences in the non-AM microbial communities. Spore counts of the inoculum from Lespedeza plots showed increasing numbers of AM fungal spores and species richness with increasing plant diversity; this was not true with the Schizachyrium plots, possibly because Schizachyrium may be a better host to more species of AM fungi than Lespedeza. Both Schizachyrium and Lespedeza responded to inoculation with increased growth compared to non-inoculated controls. Tissue analyses of both species showed that inoculation increased the percentage of Cu, and lowered the percentage of Mn compared to control plants. Schizachyrium showed no significant differences in growth due to inoculum source (1-, 2-, 8-, or 16-species plots); while Lespedeza showed increases in root and shoot weights with increasing source-plot diversity.

scholarly journals Development and Characterization of Microsatellite Markers for a Little Bluestem Collection

2015 ◽  
Vol 140 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Harris-Shultz ◽  
Melanie Harrison ◽  
Phillip A. Wadl ◽  
Robert N. Trigiano ◽  
Timothy Rinehart
Keyword(s):  
Microsatellite Markers ◽  
Ploidy Level ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Genomic Library ◽  
Long Terminal Repeat Retrotransposons ◽  
Schizachyrium Scoparium ◽  
Little Bluestem ◽  
Sequence Identifier ◽  
Primer Sets ◽  
Successful Amplification

Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) is a perennial bunchgrass that is native to North American prairies and woodlands from southern Canada to northern Mexico. Originally used as a forage grass, little bluestem is now listed as a major U.S. native, ornamental grass. With the widespread planting of only a few cultivars, we aimed to assess the ploidy level and genetic diversity among some popular cultivars and accessions in the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Plant Germplasm System collection. Ten microsatellite markers, with successful amplification, were developed by using sequences available in Genbank and additional simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were generated by using ion torrent sequencing of a genomic library created from the cultivar The Blues. A total of 2812 primer sets was designed from high-throughput sequencing, 100 primer pairs were selected, and 82 of these primers successfully amplified DNA from the Schizachyrium accessions. Only 35 primer pairs, generating 102 scored fragments, were polymorphic among S. scoparium accessions. Twenty-two primer pairs generated more than four fragments per accession. The use of a repetitive sequence identifier found that of 117 examined sequences, only nine sequences did not have similarity to DNA transposons, retrotransposons, viruses, or satellite sequences. The most frequently identified fragments were the long terminal repeat retrotransposons Gypsy (177 fragments) and Copia (98 fragments) and the DNA transposon EnSpm (60 fragments). Using the software program Structure, cluster analysis of the SSR data for S. scoparium revealed four groups. The lowest genetic similarity between little bluestem samples was 86%, which was surprising as a high degree of morphological variation is seen in this species. Furthermore, no variation in ploidy level was seen among little bluestem samples. These microsatellite markers are the first sequence-specific markers designed for little bluestem and can serve as a resource for future genetic studies.

Ecological interaction of little bluestem and vesicular–arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (11) ◽  
pp. 2272-2277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura A. Dickman ◽  
Anthony E. Liberta ◽  
Roger C. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽  
Schizachyrium Scoparium ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Little Bluestem ◽  
Acaulospora Laevis ◽  
Vesicular Arbuscular ◽  
Vam Colonization ◽  
Hill Prairie

The percentage of vesicular–arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) colonization of little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) (Michx.) Nash.) and VAM spore populations in the rhizosphere of little bluestem from four prairie areas in Illinois were studied. At Goose Lake Prairie, a significant positive correlation (r = 0.77, p < 0.01) was found between soil moisture and density of VAM spores, but soil moisture and percent VAM colonization were not significantly correlated at any of its sites. Percentage of VAM colonization tended to be higher at study areas where little bluestem was a dominant species. However, spore numbers and abundance of little bluestem tended to be inversely related. Colonization decreased from May to July at all areas and this trend frequently continued into September. Month of sample collection had no significant effect on spore numbers except at Reavis Hill Prairie. The endophyte isolated at all areas was Glomus fasciculatum (Thaxter sensu Gerd.) Gerd. & Trappe. Other species, such as Gigaspora heterogama (Nicol. & Gerd.) Gerd. & Trappe and Acaulospora laevis Gerd. & Trappe, were more restricted in their distribution.

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