Plant Material Collection Guide

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Role of Plant Materials Centers and Conservation

The NRCS Plant Materials Program selects conservation plants and develops innovative planting technology to solve the nation's most important resource concerns. Just as with most things in nature no two plants are alike, meaning that plants vary among species. This variability influences the adaptability of a plant to different environments.
 
Plant Materials Centers (PMC) evaluate this variability among plant species and select plants that will perform the best in the environment of concern. For over 70 years, Plant Materials Centers and Specialists have provided essential and effective plant solutions for critical habitats, environmental concerns, management practices, and key farm and ranch programs. The Plant Releases and technology developed at PMC’s are incorporated into the NRCS Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG) and become standards for conservation practices implemented on public and private lands. Over 70 percent of the plant species listed in the FOTG were selected by the Plant Materials Program.

Why Perform Plant Collections?

This is your opportunity to provide a dramatic conservation impact. NRCS Plant Materials Centers have identified several key species to address resource concerns in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana; we need your help. To help identify these plants the PMC’s rely on NRCS Field Office Conservationist, private landowners and other state and federal agencies in the field. You have expert knowledge of plant communities in your area and can perform field collections for the Plant Materials Program. Who knows, perhaps the plants you collect will become the next vegetative conservation solution for your area and beyond!

What to Collect?

NRCS sends out a bulletin every year which lists the high-priority species. A detailed description of each species and photographs are available on the Texas NRCS website under Plants Collection. It is important to become familiar with the list prior to field season so that collection opportunities are maximized. Wildflower populations must be identified during flowering because it is difficult to locate the plants after the colorful blossoms have gone to seed. Know what to look for and mark the site for later visitation to collect seed. A GPS unit is a valuable source to reliably record accurate site locations.

Where to Collect?

Never collect seed from a yard, lawn, garden, park, or any other obviously cultivated site! Seed should be collected only in a wildland setting. It is important to obtain a complete genetic representation, so sample from many plants, not just a single plant. Plant populations growing in unusually harsh conditions are very good candidates for collection. Collect as much seed as possible over an entire area that is environmentally similar in associated plant community composition, soil type, aspect, and elevation. This means, for example, the same habitat type, ecological site, etc. Most of the high-priority species have a very large geographic distribution, so it will be necessary to conduct several collections across all the counties within a natural resource area. Always obtain prior permission from the landowner to collect seed.

When to Collect?

Collecting seeds at the correct time is crucial for propagation to be successful. The best time to collect seed is when the largest amount of seed is ripe or filled. The actual time of flowering and fruiting will vary from year to year, with precipitation and temperature as the driving factors. In general the interval between bloom and seed maturity is about 4 weeks. Cool moist weather may lengthen the interval while hot dry weather may shorten it. It is necessary to periodically monitor plants for seed maturity. Seed is usually ready to harvest when it feels firm. Hand cut a cross-section in a few representative seeds to determine stage of maturity. Figure 1 illustrates the difference between immature seed in a soft dough stage, as compared to mature seed in a hard stage. Seed in the firm dough stage will continue to mature into viable seed. The trick is to avoid collecting seed that is green, or immature, but also to harvest prior to shatter and dispersal. For more information refer to “Determining Seed Fill in Grasses” brochure developed by the Knox City Plant Materials Center.

Determining Seed Fill in Grasses  (105 KB)

Figure 1

Immature, soft dough stage on the left, and mature, hard stage on the right; note the green seed fill of the seed on the left.

How to Collect

A physical examination of the seed is crucial, take time to visually inspect for signs of immaturity.

NRCS-ECS-580: Plant Collection Information (64 MB)

Record a description of all physical characteristics, such as elevation, aspect, slope, soil texture, annual precipitation, MLRA, associated species, and ecological condition. Accurately record site location with the use of both a GPS unit and a topographical map to document the township, range, and section, and the proximity of landmarks, such as geographic formations, roads, rivers, bridges, structures, land ownership, etc. This is important because it may be necessary to re-visit the site sometime in the future.

After transporting, leave the sack open and periodically stir up the contents to promote drying. It is best if material can be spread out on a flat surface to dry at room temperature. When curing is complete, temporarily store the bag in a place that is cool and dry until it can be sent to the Plant Materials Center requesting the collection.

Where to Send?

The PMC processes the material to clean seed, assigns an accession number to each viable collection, and periodically installs initial evaluation plantings to test the performance of individual collections against one another. Assigned accession numbers are sent to the original seed collector(s) so they also can track the reported performance of the material throughout the testing and selection process. Superior performing material will proceed to comparative evaluation plantings, seed increase, field evaluation plantings, and eventual selection and release for distribution to the commercial seed industry.

How Does this Help?

The NRCS Field Offices play a vital role in the continued testing and selection of native species that help to conserve and protect the natural environment. The PMC’s plant releases will, with the assistance of the Field Offices and others who collect seed, continue to grow and be beneficial in biomass production, carbon sequestration, erosion reduction, wetland restoration, water quality improvement, streambank and riparian area protection, and other special conservation treatment needs.

Need More Details?

Additional information can be found in the following references:

Plant Materials Collection Guide, USDA NRCS Boise, Idaho, Technical Note Plant Materials No. 1, December 2003.
Collecting Plant Material, USDA NRCS Brooksville, Florida, Technical Note No. 35, 1997.
Collecting, Processing, and Germinating Seeds of Wildland Plants, J.A. Young and C.G. Young, Timber Press, October 1986.

Texas PMC Plant Collections List

If you have any questions, please contact one of the following:

Rob Ziehr, Plant Materials Specialist
Phone: (254) 742-9888

Susan Baggett, State Resource Conservationist
Phone: (254) 742-9805

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