Registration of ‘Sims’ little bluestem

Authors: Springer, Timothy; BRANDON, CARR - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, USDA)

Submitted to: Journal of Plant Registrations
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/8/2022
Publication Date: 10/18/2022
Citation: Springer, T.L., Brandon, C. 2022. Registration of ‘Sims’ little bluestem. Journal of Plant Registrations. 17(1):34-39. https://doi.org/10.1002/plr2.20246.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/plr2.20246

Interpretive Summary: Sims little bluestem was released cooperatively by the Agricultural Research Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service of USDA on 6 April 2022 to provide for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, soil and water conservation, renewable energy, and horticultural landscapes in the southern Great Plains of the United States. Two cycle of recurrent selection for 7-d laboratory seed germination in a low water potential solution were used to create Sims from little bluestem germplasm UC-2 (PI 676265). The superior characteristics of Sims are greater seed germination and seedling establishment under field conditions. The 7-d laboratory seed germination of Sims little bluestem in water averaged 68% compared with 39%, 53%, and 71% for ‘Cimarron’, ‘Aldous’, and ‘Ahring’, respectively. Sixty days after field planting, plant population density of Sims averaged 8.9 plants m-2 compared with 7.1, 8.4, and 9.4 plants per meter squared for Aldous, Cimarron, and Ahring, respectively. Sims is identical to the cultivar Ahring for 7-day laboratory seed germination and plant field density and consistently outperformed the other adapted cultivars Aldous and Cimarron when it came to 7-day spikelet laboratory germination and plant population density and field emergence. The distinguishing feature that separates Sims from Ahring is canopy morphology. Sims has an upright and compact (columnar with erect culms) canopy morphology compared with the upright and open (caespitose with ascending culms) canopy morphology of Ahring. Sims is a publicly released cultivar and not protected. Sims is adapted to USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 6 and 7 of the Great Plains region.

Technical Abstract: ‘Sims’ little bluestem [Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash] was selected for greater 7-d laboratory seed germination potential and superior field emergence. Two cycles of recurrent selection were used to develop Sims from little bluestem germplasm ‘UC-2’, PI 676265. Cycle 1 consisted of germinating 3,500 open-pollinated pure-spikelets (seed) of germplasm UC-2 (designated UC-2 C0) in water of –0.8 MPa potential for 7-d. All seed that germinated in 7-d (~250) were selected to create population ‘UC-2 C1’. Cycle 2 selection was identical to cycle 1 selection except that population UC-2 C1 was used to create population ‘UC-2 C2’. The 7-d laboratory seed germination of Sims in deionized water averaged 68% compared with 39%, 53%, and 71% for ‘Cimarron’, ‘Aldous’, and ‘Ahring’, respectively. Sixty days after field planting, plant population density of Sims averaged 8.9 plants m-2 compared with 7.1, 8.4, and 9.4 plants m-2 for Aldous, Cimarron, and Ahring, respectively. Thus, recurrent selection for increased seed germination in a negative water potential resulted in a little bluestem population capable of rapid seed germination and field emergence. Sims little bluestem is useful for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, soil and water conservation, renewable energy, and horticultural landscapes in the southern Great Plains of the United States. Sims was released cooperatively by the Agricultural Research Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the USDA.