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Historic, Archive Document Do assume not content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. National Plant Program Materials Finding Vegetative Solutions to Conservation Problems Cover: Plant MaterialsCenterscollect manykinds ofevaluationdataon thousands ofplants annuallyand select the superior onesforrelease to commercial growers. All programs and services ofthe Soil Conservation Service are offered on a nondiscriminatorybasis without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, orhandicap. November 1991 Developing Specialized Vegetation The SoilConservation Service (SCS) provides technical assistance toowners and managers ofland to help them develop and implementplans to use theirsoil and water resources wisely. These plansfrequently require the use ofspecialized vegetation. SCS develops the needed plants and the best uses for them through itsNational Plant Materials Program. Specialized vegetation helps landownerscontribute to local and national SCS efforts to protect and enhance the environment. Major areas ofconcentration include: • Reducing erosion oncropland by developingcovercroppingsystems, • Improving and protecting the quality ofsurface and ground water, • Improving the condition and produc- tionofgrazing land, • Protecting, creating, and restoring — — wetlands, riparian areas, and coastal Covercrops suchasclover, redfescue, andryegrass aretestedat PMC'stoascertain shorelines, theirusefulness invineyards. • Providing protective coveron disturbed areas, 3 The Method Improvingwildlifehabitat, and Much ofthe worktodevelopplants Todevelopconservationplants, scientists at and the technologyforthe use ofthe plants the PMC's: Accelerating the commercialproduc- isdone at plant materials centers (PMC's) tionofconservationplants inhigh located inacross sectionoftopographic and Determine whichmethods orplants demand. climatic regions throughout the country. might have potentialforsolvinghigh- priority problems and collectas many variations ofthe plants aspossible, Evaluate the methods and collections at the PMC's and select superiorones totestfurtheron actual problemsites, Make the bestplants available to the public after selectionbyproviding geneticallypure material and produc- tion informationtocommercial growers, and Carry out apublic information campaignto announce the availability ofthe new plantsormethods. A windbreakofImperialCarolinaPoplarsprotectingcropland in Michigan: PMC'sevaluateplantsfor useasshelterbeltsandwindbreaks incroplandareaswithhigh winderosionproblems. 4 Location of Plant Materials Centers WA Location of PMC's WA Pullman• ND MN Pullman, OR Bismarck Corvallis, OR • Bridger • t CA Corvallis WY • SD Wl LBroicdkgeefro,rdM,T CA NV Aberdeen•1„0 IA RoseLakemMl TAubcesrodne,enA,ZID Lockeford UT NE IL M Meeker, CONM • CO Los Lunas, • Meeker MO va National PMC, ND KS Bismarck, Manhattan• Elsberry QuicksanKdY WV Beltsville Manhattan, KS AZ KnoxCity, TX NM Nacogdoches, TX LosLunas Booneville *s AL OA KingsvilleM, OTX Tucson KnoNxacCiotgydoches LA Coffeeville Americus GEBloosolbndeerevrniyl,Mlee,adAoRw, LA FL RoseLake, MI AK Hoolehua Golden Meadow Brooksvillei Quicksand, KY Kingsville Palmer HI Coffeeville, MS NY Big Flats, Cape May, NJ National PMC, Beltsville, MD GA Americus, Brooksville, FL AK Palmer, Hoolehua, HI 5 Accomplishments PMC's Combine Talents With Other Agencies Approximately 300 plantshave been All PMC's work closely with anumber cooperatively released to commercial ofFederal and State agencies. Although the producerssince 1937. The retail value of nature and intensityofthe cooperative the commercial productionfrom the 203 relations vary, ongoing activities typically SCS plants still on the commercial market exist betweeneach PMC and the U.S. was $78 million in 1989. Currently, more Department ofAgriculture's Extension than 30,000 individual variations ofplants Service and Agricultural Research Service, (accessions) are underevaluation, and more State agricultural experiment stations, State than 3,000 individual evaluationplantings crop improvement associations, and State are being conducted on the property of departments ofnatural resources. farmers and ranchers. In addition, aspecific PMC may develop a unique cooperative relationship with a Federal orState agency orprivate group tohelp fulfill aspecial local need. CriderMemorialGardenattheNational Plant MaterialsCenter, Beltsville, Maryland.These gardenplotsdisplay inone locationsomeofthe manyplantsavailable tothepublicfor conservationuses. 6 New Challenges for Future Work The PMC'scame into existence tofill the recognized need tofindvegetative solutions toconservationprohlems. New challenges beingaddressed orconsidered include: • Supporting sustainable agriculture, including cropland conversionfrom annual to perennial crops, • Controlling the spread ofnoxious weedsongrazing lands, • Usinggrasshedgesforbuilding inexpensive terraces tofacilitate erosioncontroland water conservation, • Preserving native germplasm, and • Recoveringendangered plant species. TheCoffeeville, Mississippi, PMC ispioneeringthedevelopmentofno-tillcotton. 7 United States Department of Agriculture P.O. Box 2890 Washington, D.C. 20013 OFFICIAL BUSINESS Penalty for Private Use $300