Impacts of the Desert Legume Program & Boyce Thompson Arboretum

Following our latest special edition of the Boyce Thompson Arboretum’s Fall 2018 Member Newsletter on the Desert Legume Program (DELEP), here are some other great impacts accomplished by DELEP and BTA. This program contributes to the research component of BTA’s mission and fills many other roles as well.

DELEP MISSION:

1. To acquire and preserve in perpetuity seed of legumes native to the arid and semi-arid lands of the world,

2. To learn more about the nature and utility of these unique species,

3. To share this germplasm with professionals and laypersons having a legitimate interest, and

4. To aid in the preservation of desert legume biodiversity through both in situ and ex situ means.

Research & Conservation

• Hatch Grant - Researching effects of different salinity levels on legume seed germination.

• Sankyo Company, Ltd, Japan - Provided plant material for analysis for biomedical research.

• USFWS - Grew/installed 200 plants of Acacia angustissima on the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge for masked bobwhite quail project. Seeds from this legume are an important winter food source for the endangered masked bobwhite quail. Published in Aridus 3(4) 1991.

• International Floratech, Mesa AZ - Smoke Tree Project – grew/ planted over 500 plants in Wellton, AZ for study of seed oils and aromatic resins for economic potential. Published in Aridus 5(1) 1993.

• SW Center for Natural products & Research & Commercialization & University of Texas - Provided plant samples for biomedical research. Published in Aridus 8(2) 1996.

• AZ State Land Department - DELEP grew thousands of tree seedlings for planting in AZ for conservation purposes. Included legumes and others.

• Sam Bamburg & Associates / Chemgold Inc. Picacho Mine, Imperial CA - DELEP grew 300 desert Ironwood seedlings for revegetation project.

• Collaborative: Foundation for Research/Clayton Foundation, Boyce Thompson Institute, University of Texas Medical Center, UA SW Center for Natural Products Research and Commercialization - DELEP provided legume plant samples for pharmaceutical screening.

• Los Alamos National Laboratory, NM - DELEP provided leaf samples for genomic sequencing.

• Iowa State University - DELEP hosted Dr. Joe Miller for collecting plant samples of Acacia for phylogenetic analysis leading to taxonomic reevaluation of the genus.

• United Kingdom - DELEP hosted Dr. Mark Newman, botanist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, for several weeks on two separate occasions for seed collecting expeditions in AZ, NM, & CA. 87 accessions collected, most were new to Kew.

• South Africa - DELEP hosted Mr. Ian Oliver, curator, Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden, Worcester, South Africa.

• Japan - DELEP hosted Dr. Toshiyuki Akiyama, Sankyo Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan.

• Plant Protection Research Institute of the Agricultural Research Council, South Africa - DELEP hosted Dr. Fritz Heystek & Dr. Yoganambal Kistensamy who were investigating mesquite twig girdlers as a biocontrol agent for invasive mesquite in South Africa.