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Native Seed Scoop

2022 Harvest Edition

Pink and purple flowers of long-bracted spiderwort on a background of grasslike leaves

Zombies, spiders, and mummies, oh my! We are happy to find evidence of ecological interactions that promote plant health in our seed production plots: entomopathogenic fungi that turn grasshoppers into “zombies,” predatory arthropods like the yellow garden spider, and aphid mummy wasps controlling aphids on milkweed.

Events

Native Seed Stakeholder Meeting – hosted by the TPC

  • University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA

  • Wednesday, March 8, 2023

  • Save the date - plans are in progress

National Native Seed Conference: Cultivating the Restoration Supply Chain

North American Prairie Conference

Check the TPC online calendar for other upcoming events

What’s Your Scoop?

Have something to share with other native seed stakeholders? Send your news tips to laura.walter@uni.edu.

You can also join our native seed listserv to post news and questions directly to the group. Email laura.walter@uni.edu to join.

Seed Plot Fauna and Pathogens

We are gathering information on insects and pathogens that affect native seed production. Anyone interested in collaborating or simply sharing an observation, please email laura.walter@uni.edu

TPC Seed Scoop

Reviving “lost” ecotypes

We usually freeze a sample of first-generation seed of each ecotype for use in future grow-outs. However, we had no stored seed of Iowa Ecotype Project white prairie clover, Dalea candida, of any zone. We used stored remnant accessions from the late 1990s to early 2000s to start production fields of northern and southern Iowa ecotypes of this species in 2021. Thanks to chicken-wire fencing keeping the rabbits out, we should have seed available for growers later this year.

First harvest from 2021 accessions

Last year’s northern Iowa accessions of (below, left to right) common boneset, Eupatorium perfoliatum; blue vervain, Verbena hastata; and flat-topped aster, Doellingeria umbellata, performed well in our irrigated plots and stock seed should be available to growers by the end of the year. Laura Spies, UNI student and Plant Materials Research Assistant, inspected the flat-topped aster plot prior to harvest.

Trials with hemiparasites

This year, we grew small trials with two hemiparasitic plant species: swamp lousewort, Pedicularis lanceolata (below, left), and slender-leaf false foxglove, Agalinis tenuifolia (below, center to right). Both were started in the greenhouse with Bebb’s sedge host plants. We made several observations that may help us to produce seed from these species in the future.

Phenological differences among Iowa Ecotype zones

The original Iowa ecotype zones divided Iowa in thirds, north to south. As we refresh seed of older ecotypes, we observe evidence that latitude of collection makes a difference in flowering phenology of some species. Below (left and center) are two photos taken on the same day, July 11, of Zone 1 (northern Iowa) and Zone 2 (central Iowa) butterfly milkweed. We saw little pollinator activity on the earlier flowering, Zone 1 plot this summer, and few plants fruited, but many pollinators visited the Zone 2 plot, and it set abundant seed (right, photo taken in August).

Seed Database Moves to SER Website

The Kew Gardens Seed Information Database is being transferred to the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) and will soon be available through the SER and INSR websites. At the TPC, this is our go-to source for basic information on seed characteristics such as 1000-seed weights. https://ser-insr.org/news/2022/3/23/update-on-sid-seed-information-database-survey-results-and-good-news-for-its-future

Research on the Native Plant Materials Supply

Three recent articles address the native seed/plant supply (may require subscription for full access). Note: If the web addresses do not work when you click on them, copy and paste them into your browser.

Nicholas Goldsmith, Shelby Flint, and Ruth Shaw. Factors limiting the availability of native seed for reconstructing Minnesota’s prairies: stakeholder perspectives. Restoration Ecology, March 2022.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/rec.13554

Jack Zinnen and Jeffrey W. Matthews. Native species richness of commercial plant vendors in the Midwestern United States. Native Plants Journal, Spring 2022.

Abstract at: http://npj.uwpress.org/content/23/1/4.abstract

Sara Tangren, Edward Toth, and Shanyn Siegel. A survey of native plant materials use and commercial availability in the eastern United States. Native Plants Journal, Spring 2022.

https://muse.jhu.edu/article/855400

Our Pick of Podcasts

“The Prairie Farm Podcast” from Iowa’s own Hoksey Native Seeds features interviews with folks involved in prairie restoration, conservation, and related topics.

“Native Plants, Healthy Planet” from Pinelands Nursery in New Jersey includes interviews, conversations, and panel discussions on topics related to the native plant industry.

“Minnesota DNR Prairie Pod” covers the science of prairie conservation, restoration, and management.

What’s your pick of podcasts on native plants/seeds, conservation, or restoration? Let us know!

A maturing stand of big bluestem at the Tallgrass Prairie Center this fall. The abnormally dry weather was conducive to harvesting, but we’re ready for rain!

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