Southwestern Plant Materials Centers in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Nevada collaborate to explore the climate adaptation potential of Plant Materials products and technology in accordance with the NRCS Climate Adaptation Plan. This plan aims to address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, providing technical assistance to farmers and ranchers, improving ecosystem resilience, and enhancing NRCS staff capacity. Further, it emphasizes collaboration and outlines actions such as promoting sustainable agriculture, implementing climate-smart conservation practices, and monitoring outcomes.
The anticipated effects of climate change are linked to resource concerns such as declining water supplies, decreased agricultural yields, flooding, and erosion. The emphasis of Plant Materials Centers has historically been to provide releases of suitable plants to address conservation needs, test for adaptation, and develop techniques for their successful establishment and maintenance. Plant releases are tested over a wide area and then supplied to commercial seed companies to ensure that adequate seed is available to solve conservation problems and needs, including the present concerns of conserving water and controlling soil erosion.
Catering to their local environments, Southwestern PMCs have evaluated conservation plants adapted to this environment. As the climate in this area, while variable, is trending toward becoming hotter and drier, these tested plants become increasingly important as resource concerns become more widespread. The links below lead to information on these drought-adapted conservation plants and studies evaluating drought-tolerant cover crops.
The Arizona PMC has several drought-adapted conservation plants including: Pima Germplasm pima pappusgrass, Saltillo Origin Germplasm cane bluestem, 'Seco' barley, Cochise Germplasm spike dropseed, Vegas Germplasm alkali sacaton, and ‘Loetta’ Arizona cottontop.
The California PMC has studied drought-tolerant cover crops, including: Evaluation of Drought Tolerant Cover Crops for California’s Central Valley and Evaluation of Drought Tolerant Cover Crops for California’s Central Valley at the Lockeford PMC in 2015.
The New Mexico PMC has several drought-adapted native grasses including: ‘Lovington’, 'Hachita', and ‘Alma’ blue grama, 'Nogal' black grama, ‘Paloma’ Indian ricegrass, ‘Viva’ galleta grass, and ‘Salado’ alkali sacaton.
The Southwestern Plant Materials Centers are excited to continue their evaluation of drought-tolerant plants to address resource concerns and continue to deliver conservation solutions to NRCS Field Offices and growers.
For more information on the use of conservation plants to address resource concerns contact the nearest Plant Materials Center or specialist. For additional information on species of plants, please see the USDA PLANTS database.
Original source can be found here.