Location: Agricultural Systems Research
Project Number: 3032-21600-001-002-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jan 1, 2023
End Date: May 31, 2027
Objective:
To identify trait-based seed mix design approaches that can overcome physical and biotic barriers that limit Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) plant establishment and ecosystem services in dryland areas of the U.S. Great Basin and central and northern Great Plains. To design seed mixes that provide 1) a high functional diversity and/or a high degree of trait overlap with highly competitive weed species for biocontrol of weeds, 2) trait complexes that increase community resilience to drought and 3) increased native seedling recruitment and stand resilience in a changing climate.
Approach:
To accomplish these objectives a database of plant functional trait information for CRP seed mix design will be developed. A greenhouse study will evaluate intensive trait screening of seeded species from Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Pollinator plantings tested in prior experiments at CO, MT, UT. This information will help to develop a database of plant functional trait information for candidate CRP Pollinator seed mix species. The USDA PLANTS database will be utilized as a repository for trait data that will be used to identify CRP plant functional traits for semiarid CRP plantings in the region. This information will be used in our meta-analysis and leveraged to create a decision-support/management tool.
