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USE OF SOLID MATRIX PRIMING AND EXTRUSION TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE SEED GERMINATION TIMING.
Author
Anderson, Rhett M.
Madsen, Matthew
Richardson, William C.
Phillips, Karma
Bates, Thomas
Whitaker, Dallin
Poulson, Gabriel
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2017
Body

In the western United States, overgrazing and fires have damaged rangelands and led to invasive grass species moving into formerly native sagebrush-steppe systems. Reseeding is a common practice that attempts to restore native plant communities and ecological function back into the ecosystem. However, many invasive annual weed species such as�Bromus tectorum�have a faster germination time than native seeded species, which appears to give them an advantage in dealing with harsh temperature and soil moisture environments. A possible solution to this problem is to prime the native seeds so they have similar germination characteristics as the invasive weeds. We primed seeds of�Pseudoroegneria spicata,�Elymus elymoides�and�Linum lewisii�in a matrix of compost, clay, and chemical bio stimulants. Seeds were primed at -1.5 Mpa over a range of 1-7 days. After priming the seed and matrix material was extruded into pellets. Untreated seed and seed primed under the different priming durations were germinated in petri-dish at constant temperatures of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25oC. Wet thermal accumulation models were developed from seed germination data and applied to historical field temperature and moisture data from various sites in the Great Basin to estimate germination timing and predict seed performance in the field. Preliminary analysis appears to show that primed extruded pellets sown in the fall will provide seedlings with additional time to produce biomass to enhance their survival through the winter period. If seeded in the spring, early germination from primed pellets may allow seedlings to develop sufficiently so they can survive through the upcoming summer drought. Future field work is needed to verify the results of this research.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM St. George, UT
Collection
SRM Annual Meeting Abstracts