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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Logan, Utah » Forage and Range Research » Research » Research Project #426637

Research Project: Development of Novel Cool-Season Grasses for Use in Irrigated and Non-Irrigated Growing Environments

Location: Forage and Range Research

Project Number: 2080-21000-014-030-N
Project Type: Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: May 1, 2014
End Date: Apr 30, 2019

Objective:
The objective of this cooperative research project is to develop novel warm-season grass germplasm and associated management technolgies for use in irrigated and non-irrigated growing environments.

Approach:
Collaborative experiments will be designed and implemented either in the laboratory or the field depending upon the objective. Laboratory experiments will be conducted jointly in Logan, Utah, and the Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province, China (IBJ) where research concerning the evaluation of germplasm for abiotic stress environments is being conducted. Where experiments involve the development of molecular technologies for the identification of unique grass genotypes, work will be performed in Logan, Utah, and by the IBJ. Germplasm evaluation of Chinese and U.S. grass accessions (cultivars and lines) will be conducted in the Great Basin Region of Utah and in Jiangsu Province, China, under irrigatted and non-irrigated growing conditions as deemed appropriate. This research will attempt to: 1) develop plant materials with improved turf grasss characteristics; 2) develop plant materials adapted to wet and dry temperate regions under reduced management inputs (e.g., irrigation and fertilizer); 3) develop improved breeding procedures; 4) develop new genomic resources for use in evaluation and breeding, and 5) elucidate the role of endophytes in abiotic stress (e.g., drought, salinity, and heat) environments.