Registration of Smooth Cordgrass Cultivars ‘LA11‐101’, ‘LA11‐102’, and ‘LA11‐103’

Abstract

Smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora Loisel.) is a perennial intertidal saline marsh grass used in restoration projects throughout the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic coast of the United States to mitigate coastal erosion. Three vigorous, genetically distinct cultivars with high seed set and germination and rapid recovery after transplant were developed from seeds collected from natural populations throughout Louisiana: ‘LA11‐101’ (Reg. No. CV‐261, PI 664963), ‘LA11‐102’ (Reg. No. CV‐262, PI 664964), and ‘LA11‐103’ (Reg. No. CV‐263, PI 664965). LA11‐101, LA11‐102, and LA11‐103 are clonal cultivars that were tested in replicated field trials for 9 yr in 11 environments. LA11‐101, LA11‐102, and LA11‐103 recovered more quickly after transplant and produced more viable seeds than ‘Vermilion’, the only smooth cordgrass cultivar adapted to Louisiana environments. The average plant vigor, plant spread, and number of stems per plot were similar for LA11‐101, LA11‐102, LA11‐103 and Vermilion. The genetic diversity of LA11‐101, LA11‐102, LA11‐103 and Vermilion was determined using 30 loci, and the Jaccard similarity coefficients of all four ranged from 0.083 to 0.733. LA11‐101, LA11‐102, and LA11‐103 are vigorous, genetically distinct, smooth cordgrass cultivars with superior seed set, seed germination, and transplant recovery and are recommended for saline marsh restoration projects in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Registration of ‘St. Bernard’, ‘Las Palomas’, and ‘Lafourche’ Smooth Cordgrass Cultivars

“…Seeds of 126 smooth cordgrass populations collected in 1998 were germinated in the spring of 1999 (Fang et al, 2004). Twenty genotypes from the 20 highest‐germinating populations with high seedling vigor and survival were evaluated in preliminary field trials in 2000 (Knott et al, 2012); 3 of the 20 selected populations were the original populations of St. Bernard, Las Palomas, and Lafourche. Beginning in the preliminary field trial, St. Bernard, Las Palomas, and Lafourche were tested as 98NR7‐00BH‐12, 98NR8‐00BH‐5, and 98NR26‐00BH‐18, respectively.…”

“…Beginning in the preliminary field trial, St. Bernard, Las Palomas, and Lafourche were tested as 98NR7‐00BH‐12, 98NR8‐00BH‐5, and 98NR26‐00BH‐18, respectively. The 40 highest‐performing genotypes were selected (Knott et al, 2012), clonally harvested, and evaluated in “advanced” field trials at a man‐made terrace in a saline marsh on Grand Terre Island and in a freshwater production pond in Baton Rouge, LA. The average plant height, spread, rating for rust (caused by Puccinia sparganioides Ellis and Tracy), and plant vigor were determined.…”

“…Plant vigor, rust rating, plant spread, plant height, and the total number of stems per plot were measured at the Rice Research Station in 2005 and 2006, approximately 5 mo after transplant. The percentage seed set and seed germination were determined at the Rice Research Station in 2005 as described in Knott et al (2012).…”

Soil erodibility differs according to heritable trait variation and nutrient-induced plasticity in the salt marsh engineer Spartina alterniflora

“…We also examined the cultivar 'Vermilion' (C1), which has been in wide use since 1989, as well as the more recently developed 'CP' cultivar (C2). Vermilion was developed for aboveground biomass production, transplantation survival, and tolerance to inundation and salinity (LAPMC 1989, Fine & Thomassie 2000, whereas CP was developed for high seed set and germination to enable aerial seeding (Utomo et al 2010, Knott et al 2012. We obtained starting stocks of C1 and C2 from nurseries at Nicholls State University, Thibodaux, LA, and the LSU AgCenter, Baton Rouge, LA, respectively.…”

Intraspecific variation in landform engineering across a restored salt marsh shoreline

“…Aboveground canopy growth can further increase platform elevation by encouraging sediment deposition (Leonard & Luther, 1995;Mudd et al, 2010). Interest in the use of S. alterniflora cultivars has been rising, especially since the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill (Blum et al, 2014;Zengel et al, 2015), in order to support expanding portfolios of restoration projects like those laid out in Louisiana's >$50B Coastal Master Plan (Knott et al, 2012(Knott et al, , 2013Utomo et al, 2010). The prospect of greater cultivar use has been met with some consternation, however, with the many misadventures of introduced S. alterniflora serving as cautionary examples of good intentions gone awry (Bernik et al, 2016;Strong & Ayres, 2013).…”