AC Saltlander green wheatgrass

AC Saltlander originated from seeds collected in Turkey by United States Department of Agricultural (USDA) scientists. Plants from these seeds were grown in a nursery near Logan, UT, where researchers at the USDA Forage and Range Research Laboratory selected desirable parents to obtain caespitose growth. In a collaborative project, selected germplasm of this natural hybrid was made available to the Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre (SPARC), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) for salt-tolerance testing and improvement. A series of mass selection breeding cycles was conducted at Swift Current, where the resulting plants were evaluated for resistence to root-zone salinity, winter hardiness, and desirable plant morphology, including uniform plant colour, vegetative vigour, leafiness, seed-set, and freedom from plant pests. The progenies from each cycle were cloned, half of which were transported to the Agricultural Research Service Laboratory in Utah, and half intercrossed to develop AC Saltlander, a palatable forage with salinity tolerance equal to that of tall wheatgrass [Thinopyrum ponticum (Podp.) Lui & Wang]. Key words: Green wheatgrass, salt-tolerant forage, salinity, Elymus hoffmannii, perennial forage, reclamation grass