Notice of release of Fanny germplasm, Carmel germplasm, and Bonneville germplasm Searls prairie clover: selected class of natural germplasm

Abstract

Three natural-track selected germplasms of Searls’ prairie clover ( Dalea searlsiae (A. Gray) Barneby [Fabaceae]) have been released by the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) for use in revegetation and restoration of semiarid rangelands in the western US. Searls’ prairie clover is a perennial leguminous forb that is native to Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California. Data from common-garden and DNA-marker studies were used to develop and document these releases. The ARS Forage and Range Research Laboratory was asked by the USDI Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Colorado Plateau land managers to identify genetically similar collections within geographical regions and to subsequently release germplasms of Searls’ prairie clover for the Great Basin (Fanny germplasm) and Colorado Plateau (Carmel germplasm). In addition, several collections originating from near the Great Salt Lake in northwestern Utah were genetically distinct from Fanny and Carmel germplasms. Thus, Bonneville germplasm was identified to represent this distinct genetic group. This species is new to the commercial seed trade, and these are the first releases of this species for rangeland improvement.