Selection, Evaluation, and Introduction of Hardy Superior Woody Plants By the NDSU Woody Plant Improvement Program

The North Dakota State University (NDSU) Woody Plant Improvement Program has been servicing the Northern Great Plains for 60 years, beginning germplasm trial evaluations in 1954. The program has evaluated 200+ genera and 3,000+ species and cultivars of trees and shrubs. In 1974, NDSU purchased an 80-acre (~32 hectares) farm to be established as the NDSU Horticulture Research Farm near Absaraka, ND and began trial plantings in fall of 1974. This research farm provides ideal horticultural soil for evaluation and breeding projects for ND. Approximately 45 acres (~18 hectares) of this farm is used for evaluation, selection and breeding of woody ornamental plants. The main portion of this research farm is the center 35-acre (~14 acres) plot dedicated as the NDSU Dale E. Herman Research Arboretum. This was named after Dr. Dale E. Herman who developed this program for nearly 40 years. This research arboretum is the most extensive collection of woody ornamental plants in North Dakota and in the Northern Great Plains. There have been over 9500+ accessions obtained, evaluated and developed since planting began in 1974. Accessions have been collected from local, regional, national and international sources. All plants are arranged alphabetically by genus with germplasm representing each letter from the alphabet from A to Z. This makes the arboretum more accessible and enhances its value for teaching, research and educational use. NDSU woody plant introductions are currently being propagated for sale by commercial wholesale firms in four countries; Australia, Canada, England, and the United States (14 states, including 35 nurseries). This project has introduced 53 superior woody plants for production and sale with increased disease tolerance and winter hardiness for landscapes. The first introduction from the program (1986) was a flower bud hardy Forsythia hybrid, ‘Meadowlark’. This was a collaborative release with SDSU, Arnold Arboretum and the USDA North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station. Some of the most promising selections include: Dakota Pinnacle^® Birch, Royal Splendor^® Norway Spruce, Northern Acclaim^® Thornless Honeylocust, Prairie Expedition^® American Elm, Prairie Statesman^® Swiss Stone Pine, Northern Tribute^® River Birch, Northern Empress^™ Japanese Elm and Cinnamon Curls^™ Dwarf Korean Birch. In 2012, several breeding programs were initiated focusing on magnolia (Magnolia spp.), lilac (Syringa spp.) maple hybridizing (Acer pseudosieboldianum x A. palmatum) and mutagenic breeding of several shrub species. The goals of the NDSU Woody Plant Improvement Program are selection, evaluation and introduction of hardy superior woody plants for the landscape industry.