Notice of release of Pineywoods Germplasm thickspike gayfeather selected class of natural germplasm

Abstract

Pineywoods Germplasm, released in 2020, is a selected class of thickspike gayfeather (Liatris pycnostachya Michx. [Asteraceae]). This selected class release provides an adapted source of thickspike gayfeather for restoration of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill. [Pinaceae]) and shortleaf pine (Pinus echinate Mill.) understory, and wildlife habitat in the Western Coastal Plain region of East Texas. Thirty-three seed collections from eastern Texas were evaluated for germination and seedling vigor under greenhouse conditions. Twenty-six accessions with favorable germination and seedling vigor were further evaluated for disease resistance, lodging, bloom dates, seed production, mature plant height, and seed maturity date in a common-garden study at the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service East Texas Plant Materials Center. Accession #9067351 was selected from the initial evaluation because of its superior seedling vigor, best scores for plant vigor and seed production, and above average score for lodging. Seed from the original collection was used to establish a breeder block of Pineywoods Germplasm thickspike gayfeather.