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Submitted to: The Progressive Rancher
Publication Type: Trade Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 12/20/2018 Publication Date: 1/10/2019 Citation: Clements, D.D., Harmon, D.N. 2019. "Snowstorm' forage kochia: A new rangeland rehabilitation species. The Progressive Rancher. 19(1):30-31. Interpretive Summary: Forage kochia, (Bassia prostrata) formerly (Kochia prostrata), native to the semi-arid regions of Eurasia has been referred to as “Russian alfalfa” as well as “alfalfa of the desert”. Forage kochia was first introduced to the United States in 1966 by researchers looking for plant materials that could biologically suppress the exotic and noxious weed, Halogeton (Halogeton glomeratus). Crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum) was widely planted on big sagebrush sites throughout the Great Basin and successfully suppressed Halogeton, but crested wheatgrass was not successful on droughty saline soils, therefore scientists proposed forage kochia as a candidate species on these soils. Forage kochia belongs to the Chenopod family, which contains other valuable arid rangeland species like winter fat (Krascheninnikovia lanata) and four-wing saltbush (Atriplex canescens). Forage kochia is a perennial semi-shrub that has the inherent potential to germinate and establish on a variety of soils including, clay, sandy and loamy as well as in climates that range from 5-27” of annual precipitation. For centuries, forage kochia has been an important fall and winter forage for cattle, sheep, horses, camels and wildlife in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the surrounding region. Early on researchers recognized the nutritional quality of forage kochia, 8-14% crude protein, therefor suggesting this species be used to improve winter forage for wildlife, especially mule deer. In 1984, the cultivar ‘Immigrant’ forage kochia (Bassia prostrata ssp. virescens) was released to aide in rangeland rehabilitation efforts. ‘Immigrant’ forage kochia averages 1-3’ in stature, competes with the exotic and invasive annual grass cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), stays green throughout the fire season and provides a nutritional forage on arid rangelands. Although ‘Immigrant’ forage kochia can be successfully established on harsh, arid and severely degraded habitats, its’ short stature often makes forage unavailable during winter snow depths. The development of ‘Snowstorm’ forage kochia (Bassia prostrata ssp. grisea) was initiated to breed a productive, protein-rich forage kochia cultivar with a large stature that would enhance forage kochia as a winter forage in the temperate deserts of the western United States (Figure 2). Dr. Blair Waldron, Research Geneticist, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Forage and Range Research Unit visited Uzbekistan in 2002 where he obtained 22 collections of forage kochia seed and brought those collections back to his research facility where he initiated a germplasm exchange in which ‘Snowstorm’ forage kochia is derived from. Following nearly 10 years of testing, ‘Snowstorm’ forage kochia was released in 2012 by USDA-Agricultural Research Service and the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station as a rehabilitation species to improve forage production for livestock and wildlife in semiarid environments. Mule deer are the only declining big game species in North America, fall and winter browse is critically important. Antelope bitterbrush, where present, has been reported to be more than 50% of the mule deer diet October through December, but as the nutritional value of antelope bitterbrush declines as leaves fall, their diet shifts to big sagebrush. Semi-evergreen shrubs such as big sagebrush or rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus sps.) retain higher levels of crude protein, but these shrubs contain tannins and essential oils that inhibit digestibility. If mule deer are forced to consume high amounts of big sagebrush with very limited other plant species inn their diet, they can essentially die of full stomachs as their digestive system shuts down. Grasses and forbs are normally deficient in crude protein during winter months and often drop down to 3-4%. During times of prolonged deep snow events, winter mortality can be quite significant. With the nutritiona Technical Abstract: Forage kochia, (Bassia prostrata) formerly (Kochia prostrata), native to the semi-arid regions of Eurasia has been referred to as “Russian alfalfa” as well as “alfalfa of the desert”. Forage kochia was first introduced to the United States in 1966 by researchers looking for plant materials that could biologically suppress the exotic and noxious weed, Halogeton (Halogeton glomeratus). Forage kochia is a perennial semi-shrub that has the inherent potential to germinate and establish on a variety of soils including, clay, sandy and loamy as well as in climates that range from 5-27” of annual precipitation. Early on researchers recognized the nutritional quality of forage kochia, 8-14% crude protein, therefor suggesting this species be used to improve winter forage for wildlife, especially mule deer. In 1984, the cultivar ‘Immigrant’ forage kochia (Bassia prostrata ssp. virescens) was released to aide in rangeland rehabilitation efforts. Although ‘Immigrant’ forage kochia can be successfully established on harsh, arid and severely degraded habitats, its’ short stature often makes forage unavailable during winter snow depths. The development of ‘Snowstorm’ forage kochia (Bassia prostrata ssp. grisea) was initiated to breed a productive, protein-rich forage kochia cultivar with a large stature that would enhance forage kochia as a winter forage in the temperate deserts of the western United States. Following nearly 10 years of testing, ‘Snowstorm’ forage kochia was released in 2012 by USDA-Agricultural Research Service and the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station as a rehabilitation species to improve forage production for livestock and wildlife in semiarid environments. ‘Snowstorm’ is more than 60% taller in stature as well as providing nearly 70% more forage than ‘Immigrant’. ‘Snowstorm’ also is reported to have 22% higher crude protein, 10-18%, and 4% higher digestibility.‘Snowstorm’ forage kochia’s attributes of taller stature, increased forage and crude protein are a game changer for wildlife on degraded big game winter ranges and provide critical nutrition during both deep snow level years as well as drought years when other species are lacking nutrition. ‘Snowstorm’ forage kochia provides resource managers with an added tool to increase grazing resources and improve nutritional quality of degraded rangelands year-around. |
