Sego Supreme: Pathway to Cultivation

Abstract

The anthropocentric process of introducing new, economically useful plants showcases the interdependence of plants and civilization. Arboreta, botanical gardens, and like institutions can build on this interdependence to introduce plants that benefit humanity. An ever-increasing interest in the work of ornamental plant breeding and selection, and an increasing demand for wild plant genetics to ameliorate those already in cultivation, is opening new venues for legitimate plant introduction activities. The goal of plant introduction is to develop a marketable cultivar with characteristics that are either new or superior to those already in the trade. Utah State University formalized the Sego Supreme plant breeding and introduction program in 2012 to promote and monetize plant-breeding efforts by Utah State University researchers. Here we introduce the Pathway to Cultivation framework—Discovery, Curation, Research and Development, Production, and Promotion—to bring new plants to the marketplace. To date, 4 perennial selections have been commercially released under the Sego Supreme brand.