Details for: PI 674468, Bromus biebersteinii Roem. & Schult., 'Arsenal'

The United States Department of Agriculture (ARS) announces the release of the cultivar `Arsenal? meadow bromegrass [Bromus biebersteinii Roem. and Schult. (excluded)] (Reg. No. CV-__, PI______) for use on semiarid rangelands and non-irrigated pastures as a rapid establishing forage grass with early spring growth, good fall nutritional quality, and exceptional winter hardiness. Arsenal is a 39 clone synthetic that was derived from the same base population as the meadow bromegrass cultivar Cache. Selection emphasis in Arsenal meadow bromegrass was for plant vigor, seedling emergence from a deep planting depth, forage and seed yield, and seed mass under dryland environments ranging between 250 to 450 mm of annual precipitation. Molecular marker genotyping demonstrated that Arsenal is genetically different from meadow bromegrass cultivars Cache, Fleet, Armada, and Admiral. On dryland sites, Arsenal had significantly better seedling establishment and overall stand persistence combined from 2011-2013 than Cache and Regar. Arsenal has been evaluated in NY, KY, WY, and UT for forage yield and is superior or equal to the cultivar Cache demonstrated its ability to produce DMY comparable to or better than smooth bromegrass and meadow bromegrass cultivars under higher precipitation environments in NY and KY. Fall nutritional characteristics of Arsenal were better than Cache in crude protein and in vitro true digestibility. Arsenal expands the use of meadow bromegrass from irrigated pastures to non-irrigated pastures and rangelands with 330 mm or more annual precipitation, providing livestock producers with high yielding nutritious forage, which is winter hardy and drought tolerant.

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• Jensen, K. B., D. Singh, B. S. Bushman, & J. G. Robins. 2015. Registration of 'Arsenal' Meadow bromegrass. J. Pl. Registr. 9(3):304. Number of accessions cited: 1

• Jensen, K. B., D. Singh, B. S. Bushman, & J. G. Robins. 2015. Registration of 'Arsenal' Meadow bromegrass. J. Pl. Registr. 9(3):304.

U.S. Plant Variety Protection