Evaluating Intraspecies Diversity of Intermountain West Native Plants Targeted for Landscape Use
Location
ECC 203
Event Website
https://water.usu.edu/
Start Date
3-31-2008 3:45 PM
End Date
3-31-2008 4:00 PM
Description
Water is the resource that most limits crop production and landscape management. The problem is magnified in the Intermountain West, where recurrent drought cycles, urbanization, and unprecedented population growth is straining water resources. More than half the potable water used in the West is applied to urban landscapes. Installation of regionally adapted native plants in urban landscapes can lower water use and decrease demand for limited water supplies. The market for regional native plants is expanding rapidly, and even traditional nurseries and growers are responding to this demand by producing and selling a limited number of regionally adapted native plants. However, the source of these plants varies widely, and most native plant species have not been evaluated independently and objectively for their tolerance to landscape conditions and for their adaptation to the varied climates across the region. Demand for native plants of consistent quality and performance continues to outpace supply. Our objectives are: 1) to identify, evaluate, and select native plant species and varieties that show promise for water and resource conservation in nursery crop production and in landscape systems; 2) to collect and disseminate information about heat and drought tolerance, ease of production, and limits of environmental adaptation of evaluated plants to the scientific community, to growers and retailers, and to the public. Trial sites are installed at four locations throughout the state, and selected plants are in their first year of evaluation. Information gained through propagation, production, and landscape trials will be described.
Evaluating Intraspecies Diversity of Intermountain West Native Plants Targeted for Landscape Use
ECC 203
Water is the resource that most limits crop production and landscape management. The problem is magnified in the Intermountain West, where recurrent drought cycles, urbanization, and unprecedented population growth is straining water resources. More than half the potable water used in the West is applied to urban landscapes. Installation of regionally adapted native plants in urban landscapes can lower water use and decrease demand for limited water supplies. The market for regional native plants is expanding rapidly, and even traditional nurseries and growers are responding to this demand by producing and selling a limited number of regionally adapted native plants. However, the source of these plants varies widely, and most native plant species have not been evaluated independently and objectively for their tolerance to landscape conditions and for their adaptation to the varied climates across the region. Demand for native plants of consistent quality and performance continues to outpace supply. Our objectives are: 1) to identify, evaluate, and select native plant species and varieties that show promise for water and resource conservation in nursery crop production and in landscape systems; 2) to collect and disseminate information about heat and drought tolerance, ease of production, and limits of environmental adaptation of evaluated plants to the scientific community, to growers and retailers, and to the public. Trial sites are installed at four locations throughout the state, and selected plants are in their first year of evaluation. Information gained through propagation, production, and landscape trials will be described.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/runoff/2008/AllAbstracts/33