English

Abstract

The Development of Acid/Heavy Metal Tolerant Releases (DATR) project (formerly the Development of Acid/Heavy Metal Tolerant Cultivars (DATC) project), was initiated in 1995 to address a critical need for native plants adapted to the edaphic and climatic conditions found in the Anaconda - Butte area. The goal of the project was to select plant materials demonstrating superior tolerance of low pH and/or heavy metal contaminated soils that are also adapted to the severe environmental conditions characterized by the intermountain foothills and mountains of Montana and Wyoming. Whereas most seeds and plants used for mine land reclamation have been cultivar releases from universities, USDA Plant Materials Centers, USDA Agricultural Research Service, or private plant breeders, pre-varietal release is a streamlined process encompassing a series of release classes determined by incremental levels of specified testing. The time interval to release and commercial availability of selected material can be reduced by as much as half by using pre-varietal release versus the traditional cultivar. To date, the DATR project has assembled 130 seed collections of 72 native species of grasses, forbs, shrubs, and trees within the Upper Clark Fork River Basin (UCFRB). These collections have been planted at various study sites in comparison with non-local native and introduced plant species. Five species indigenous to the UCFRB have demonstrated superior survivability and vigor on amended acidic, heavy metal-contaminated soils at varying elevations in western Montana, and have been released through the DATR project using the Pre- Varietal release mechanism. Opportunity Germplasm Nevada bluegrass is one of three selections made from indigenous material collected near Anaconda, Montana and tested at Stucky Ridge. In 2006, this selection proved significantly (ANOVA; Tukey; p=0.05) superior to four other seed sources (2 indigenous; 2 cultivars) for percentage stand cover, vigor rating, and biomass production on a lime and fertilizer amended site.