Beckmannia (syzigachne)

Dave Skinner PMC Farm Manager USDA NRCS - Pullman Plant Materials Center Room 211A Hulbert Hall WSU Pullman, Washington 99164-6211 509-335-9689 509-335-2940 (fax) abbie@wsu.edu http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/wapmc

---

Family Scientific Name:	Poaceae
Family Common Name:	Grass
Scientific Name:	Beckmannia syzigachne (Steud.) Fern.
Common Name:	American sloughgrass
Species Code:	BESY
Ecotype:	near Tensed, Idaho
General Distribution:	Beckmannia syzigachne is a circumboreal species of Europe, Asia, and North America. In North America it is found in wet meadows, along streams and lakes, and in vernal pools from Alaska south to California and east across Canada the northern tier states but is generally absent from the southeastern US. It is an obligate wetland species (US Fish and Wildlife Service 1988). Specimens were collected in the late1800's and early 1900's from wet places in Whitman County near Pullman, Washington (Weddell 2002).
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	10 cu. in.
Time To Grow:	4 Months
Target Specifications:	Tight root plug in container.
Propagule Collection:	Seed ripens from mid-July to early August. It is collected when the inflorescence begins to dry and the seed is in the soft to hard dough stage but before it shatters from the inflorescence. Harvested seed is stored in paper bags at room temperature until cleaned. 238,000 seeds/lb (USDA NRCS 2006).
Propagule Processing:	Small amounts are rubbed to free the seed, then cleaned with an air column separator. Larger amounts can probably be threshed with a hammermill, then cleaned with air screen equipment. Spikelets disarticulate below the glumes (Hitchcock 1971, Hitchcock & Cronquist 1973). The glumes should be left attached to the seed (Wright 1991). Clean seed is stored in controlled conditions at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 40% relative humidity.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	South Dakota seed germinates in the spring (Hoffman, et al, 1980). They found that light enhanced germination but only attained 26% germination under ambient temperatures and light. For northeastern Montana seed, germination is highest with alternating temperatures of 21 degrees Celsius for 9 hours and 15 degrees Celsius for 15 hours (Boe and Wynia, 1985). They found that seeds will germinate in the dark. Alaskan seed germinates best under laboratory conditions with a 5-7 day prechill and 0.2% KNO3 followed by alternating temperatures of 15-25 degrees Celsius (VanZant 2006). Unpublished data from trials conducted at the Pullman Plant Materials Center revealed that seed subjected to alternating day/night temperatures with no prechill germinated at 85%. Seed subjected to alternating day/night temperatures after a 7 day prechill at 38-40 degrees Fahrenheit germinated at 77%. Seed which received a 7 day prechill at the above temperature, but constant greenhouse temperatures thereafter, germinated at 62%. Seed sown directly into containers in the greenhouse without prechill or alternating temperatures germinated at 65%. 30 days of cold, moist stratification followed by constant greenhouse temperatures reduced germination to 12.5%.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	In January seed is sown in the greenhouse in 10 cu. in. Ray Leach Super cell conetainers filled with Sunshine #1 and covered lightly. Head space of ¬ to « inch is maintained in conetainers to allow deep watering. A thin layer of pea gravel is applied to prevent seeds from floating. Conetainers are watered deeply. Trays are placed in the greenhouse under lights for 8 hours at 72-75 degrees Fahrenheit, then moved to a side room at 50 degrees Fahrenheit for 16 hours in the dark. Alternating temperatures are continued in this manner for 2 weeks, then the trays remain in the greenhouse at constant temperatures. Since the seed is covered, it is unlikely that light has an effect on germination.
Establishment Phase:	Medium is kept moist until germination occurs. Germination usually begins in 10 days and is complete in 15 days.
Length of Establishment Phase:	2 weeks
Active Growth Phase:	Plants are watered deeply every other day and fertilized once per week with a complete, water soluble fertilizer containing micro-nutrients.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	2-3 months
Hardening Phase:	Plants are moved to the cold frame in late March or early April, depending on weather conditions. They are watered every other day if the weather is cool, and every day during hot, dry spells.
Length of Hardening Phase:	2-4 weeks
Other Comments:	Most authorities regard Beckmannia syzigachne as an annual, but the cultivar `Egan', released by the Alaska Plant Materials Center, is a perennial (Wright 1991). Some of the plants at the Rose Creek site survived into a second year, suggesting that at least part of the Tensed ecotype is perennial.
References:	Boe, A., and R. Wynia. 1985. Germination, Forage Yield, and Seed Production of American Sloughgrass (Beckmannia syzigachne). Journal of Range Management 38:114-116. Guard, B. Jennifer. 1995. Wetland Plants of Oregon and Washington. Lone Pine Publishing. Renton, WA. 238 pp. Hitchcock, A.S. 1971. Manual of the Grasses of the United States. 2nd edition. Revised by Agnes Chase. Dover Publications, Inc., New York, NY. 2 volumes. Hitchcock, C. Leo, and Arthur Cronquist. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Seattle, WA. 730 pp. Hoffman, G.R., M.B. Hogan, and L.D. Stanley. 1980. Germination of Plant Species Common to Reservoir Shores in the Northern Great Plains. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 107:506-513. Mohlenbrock, Robert H. Undated. Western Wetland Flora: A Field Office Guide to Wetland Species. USDA, NRCS Western Region. Sacramento, CA. Piper, C.V., and R.K. Beattie. 1914. The Flora of Southeastern Washington and Adjacent Idaho. Lancaster, PA. Press of the New Era Printing Company. 296 p. Pohl, Richard. W. 1968. How to Know the Grasses. Wm. C. Brown Co., Publishers. Dubuque, Iowa. 244 pp. St. John, Harold. 1963. Flora of Southeastern Washington and of Adjacent Idaho. 3rd edition. Outdoor Pictures. Escondido, CA. 583 pp. USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL: http://www.ars-grin.gov2/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?448068 (22 March 2006). USDA, NRCS. 2006. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). Data compiled from various sources by Mark W. Skinner. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA. US Fish and Wildlife Service. 1988. National list of vascular plant species that occur in wetlands. US Fish & Wildlife Service Biological Report 88 (24). VanZant, Kathi. Alaska State Seed Laboratory. 2006. Personal communication. Weddell, B. J. 2002. Historical vegetation of seasonally moist depressions in the South Fork of the Palouse River Watershed. Appendix 5 in Servheen, G., P. Morgan, B. Weddell, P. Gessler, and P. McDaniel. Wetlands of the Palouse Prairie: Historical Extent and Plant Composition. Unpublished report funded by the USDI Environmental Protection Agency. Wright, Stoney. 1991. Registration of "Egan" American Sloughgrass. Crop Science 31:1380-1381.

Citation:

Skinner, David M,; Weddell, Bertie J.. 2006. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Beckmannia syzigachne (Steud.) Fern. plants 10 cu. in.; USDA NRCS - Pullman Plant Materials Center Pullman, Washington. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/06/01). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.