Progress 06/01/04 to 09/30/07
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) Straw and hay have been found to be significant vectors for transport and introduction of invasive plant species in other states and countries. Federal Agencies including the U.S. Forest Service have required that straw and hay brought onto federal lands meet various criteria concerning invasive weed seed content. It is not known whether straw and hay imported into Alaska or grown locally contain seed of invasive weed species. Approach (from AD-416) Methods: 1.)Find out from merchants, horse owners, and dog mushers where hay and straw is being produced and imported from. 2.)Buy hay and straw from Fairbanks, Delta, Palmer, Anchorage, produced in-state and from major out-of-state sources. 3.)Shake out straw or hay and collect seeds. 4.)Identify seed from reference collection and grow out seed to verify identification. 5.)Publish results in either a peer-review journal or appropriate Alaskan gray literature. Documents Reimbursable with Forest Service. Log 27066. Significant Activities that Support Special Target Populations This report serves to document research conducted under a specific cooperative agreement between ARS and the US Forest Service, State and Private Forestry. Additional details of the research can be found in the report for the parent CRIS 5341-22000-002-00D, Integrated Pest Management for Alaska Agriculture. The ADODR monitored project activities with telephone calls, e-mail communications, and frequent meetings of the Committee for Noxious and Invasive Plant Management in Anchorage, Alaska. Purveyors of hay and straw in Alaska were surveyed in 2006 to determine the sources and amounts of hay and straw imported to Alaska. Two bales of hay or straw were purchased from each source and were sifted over screens to obtain seeds within the bales. The seeds were mixed with sterile potting soil and incubated in the greenhouse to determine the number and species of alien plants contained in the bales. Plants that did not flower were put in growth chambers and were allowed to flower over winter and summer 2007. Seed of 33 alien species were found in hay and straw imported into Alaska. Large differences were found between suppliers of straw. Bales from some producers contained no seeds while bales from the worst producer contained 160,000 alien seed, including downy brome which is not now established in Alaska. Hay contained more seed than straw (9188 seed VS 1102 seed/bale) which contained more seed than alfalfa (128/bale). Technology Transfer Number of Non-Peer Reviewed Presentations and Proceedings: 2 Number of Newspaper Articles,Presentations for NonScience Audiences: 1
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Progress 10/01/05 to 09/30/06
Outputs
Progress Report 4d Progress report. This report serves to document research conducted under a reimbursable agreement between ARS and Mike Sheppard of the USDA Forest Service in Alaska. Additional details of research can be found in the annual report for the parent CRIS 5341-22000-002-00D. The objective of this cooperative research project is to determine the pathways of weeds introduction to Alaska. Soils of ornamental plants imported into Alaska were found to contain a large number of invasive and other non-native plant seeds including Canada thistle. Ornamental plants shipped into Alaska were obtained from nurseries and box stores in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau. Soils were incubated in a greenhouse and seedlings that emerged were identified. Balled and burlapped and large containers had a higher density of exotic plants than smaller containers. Plants that were found in the containers which were previously unrecorded for Alaska included spiny sow thistle, Western
salsify, hairy bittercress, prickly lettuce, hairy nightshade, hairy crabgrass, and barnyard grass. A similar study is being performed to determine if hay and straw imported into Alaska is a significant pathway for introduction of invasive and exotic plant species.
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