Growth differences among widely separated geographic accessions of fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens) in the great basin desert, New Mexico, USA

As part of a revegetation project, 16 accessions representing five varieties of Atriplex canescens (Pursch.) Nutt. were grown in a common garden experiment in northwestern New Mexico. The accessions were collected from Sonora, Mexico, to Idaho and from near sea level to 2800-m elevation. Plants were grown for 16 months on native soil irrigated with saline water (4800–9400 mg L⁻¹) collected from a seepage intercept system surrounding the ash disposal ponds at a coal-fired power plant, at 1660-m elevation. All but var. grandidentatum from Mexico had high survival, but there was a fourfold variation in the amount of net growth among accessions. The northern accessions had 50% greater net growth than the southern accessions. Revegetation projects that utilize A. canescens need to match the seed source to the local site conditions. Saline water recovered from the leach fraction below power plant ash ponds can be used to establish stands of A. canescens for revegetation projects.