Propagation of Alaska Native Plants for Landscape and Restoration Use

Propagation of Alaska Native Plants for Landscape and Restoration Use

Summary

SUMMARY
This project is part of a six-year study on the feasibility of growing native legumes for seed production to be used for restoration projects on Alaska’s North Slope, where oil companies are required to restore pads and roads throughout the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay. The companies currently collect native legume seeds growing wild in the region, clean them and spread them on reclaimed areas at a cost of around $1,000 a pound. Previous attempts to grow legumes for seed collection had failed because the seeds were sown like other crops but could not compete with weeds on cultivated land.

The idea of this project was to see if the plants could be grown on a farm where growing, harvesting and cleaning could be done in a controlled manner, reducing labor costs and providing a new, low maintenance, high profit crop for interior Alaska farms. The idea was to grow the plants in containers until they were big enough to compete with weeds. Phase one of the project (FW00-050) determined that the seeds could be germinated and container grown. Phase two sought to answer questions about field production.

While the native legume starts transplanted in cultivated fields greened up quickly and were soon in flower, problems with weeds and aphids stymied growth and the project field was abandoned in the spring of 2003 and the plot tilled.

OBJECTIVES
1. Assess methods to improve field survival of native plants
2. Evaluate cost and effectiveness of varying soil pH and amendments
3. Determine seed production rates per plant and per unit area
4. Assess insect infestation problems
5. Evaluate the extent of weed problems and weed control methods
6. Determine costs of small-scale production and develop cost estimates for larger scale production

RESULTS
The plants were transferred to the field in 2001 and evaluation of the flowering and field production was begun in 2002. The plants are true arctic plants and begin growing and flowering at the earliest thaw in the spring. Early results were encouraging. Oxtropis deflexa and Astragalus alpina greened up quickly and were soon in flower. O. campestris, O. maydelliana and O. viscida greened up more slowly but still flowered. For the most part, Hedysarum alpinum failed to survive, and those that did grew slowly or not at all.

Another characteristic of arctic plants is exceptionally slow growth compared with other populations of the same species from more southern climates. Although the plants grew fast they were still relatively small (2-5 centimeters tall) after two growing seasons. Weed competition soon became a problem. Weeding, begun immediately in the spring (mid May) soon took 30 hours a week for the quarter-acre plot. As the season progressed, cash crops and resources required farm resources, and the weeds rapidly took over.

Despite the weeds, seeds were harvested from all species except H. alpinum. O deflexa, O. viscida and O. campestris produced particularly well. A. alpinus was weakened by a disease and most died by mid summer, and H. alpinum did not flower. An aphid that normally infests leguminous species in the area infested all project plants.

Weeding was continued through the summer, though less intensively, and the experimental plot was considered a lost cause by August. The project team waited until spring before making a decision, but despite plant green-up in 2003, the plants that survived the aphids and weeds were less vigorous, and the plot was tilled.

After starting 4,000 plants in spring 2002, the intent had been to start another experimental plot in 2003 in the field, but that too was abandoned. Had the first set of experiments survived, the project would have proceeded. But other mitigating factors entered into the decision, including limited field space and the intensive labor for weeding. Further, the farm soils are silt to silt loam, and most of the species are adapted to well-drained rivers sands and gravels. Mixing sand and gravel into the experimental plots was considered, but there was concern that if the project failed, that part of the farm would no longer be suitable for traditional crops.

BENEFITS OR IMPACT ON AGRICULTURE
None reported.

PRODUCER ADOPTION
None reported.

REACTIONS FROM PRODUCERS
None reported.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Although the experiment failed on project coordinator Mike Emers’ farm, with its resources and setting, he said he believes that growing these plants and harvesting seed at a profit is still possible. One needs to start with a more sandy and gravelly soil and then plant the plants through landscape fabric to discourage weeds.

OUTREACH
None reported.