Poster

         Conservation Biology

Micropropagation of Lepidium papilliferum (slickspot peppergrass).

Presenting Author
Anne (Jenny) Knerr
Description
Lepidium papilliferum (slickspot peppergrass) is one of Idaho’s federally threatened plant species. Slickspot peppergrass is believed to grow only in southwest Idaho, often in distinct microsites characterized by high sodium soils referred to as “slick spots”. Mechanical damage, invasive weeds, wildfire, and seed herbivory are the primary threats to this species. Creating additional populations in uncolonized slick spots maybe key to this species’ recovery. Slickspot peppergrass reproduces by seed but only a small portion of the persistent seed bank will germinate each year and insect seed predation can be prevalent. Micropropagation and subsequent out-planting may be an alternative method to seed introduction for establishing new populations. This study evaluated the feasibility of axillary shoot production of slickspot peppergrass. Seeds were surface sterilized and transferred to germination media. Stabilization in culture was completed on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with 0.5 µM indole-3-butyric acid and 1.1 µM 6-benzyaminopurine. Axillary shoot proliferation, in vitro rooting, and greenhouse acclimatization were completed. Interestingly, both annual and biennial growth forms arose in tissue culture. Micropropagation has been shown to be a feasible and potentially superior method to broadcast seeding for the conservation and restoration of slickspot peppergrass.