2009 Annual Report: Center for Plant Health Science and Technology (CPHST)
CPHST Fort Collins and cooperators at the University of Alabama in Huntsville recently developed a molecular genotyping method to help establish the identity of wavy leaf basket grass (WLBG, Oplismenus hirtellus ssp. undulatifolius), a shade tolerant grass that was recently discovered invading the forest understory in Maryland and aggressively spreading to the state of Virginia. In collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution to search for the origin of WLBG in the U.S., we found that Oplismenus undulatifolius from Caucasus Mountains in Russia (Krasnodarskiy region) was a genetic match to the U.S. invasive WLBG. We will now begin genotyping specimens from China to determine if these are also potential source populations. For questions, please contact Sharon Talley at 970-490-4463.
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