Seed production of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) plants established from containerized seedlings was compared to plants established by direct seeding. A garden of 'Hobble Creek' mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana (Rydb.) Beetle) and a garden of Gordon Creek Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis Beetle &Young) were established in central Utah for this study. Each garden consisted of 10 rows of plants. Seed-derived plants were established on odd-numbered rows and container-derived plants in even-numbered rows. Seed-derived plants produce more seeds, larger top growth, deeper roots, lateral roots nearer the soil surface, and heavier root systems than container-derived plants. Seed-derived plants also produced large prominent tap roots; the containerized plants did not. Seed-derived plants had a zero death rate for the 4 study years. Death rates for containerized plants were 16% ('Hobble Creek') and 13% (Gordon Creek). To help meet seed demands, growers should establish seed-increase gardens with seed-derived plants. A cautionary note: It is unknown if the use of container-derived plants for adaptation trials might erroneously influence the results of such studies. However, the root development problems described in this study should cast some doubt. The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020
Scholarly peer-reviewed articles published by the Society for Range Management. Access articles on a rolling-window basis from vol. 1, 1948 up to 5 years from the current year. Formerly Journal of Range Management (JRM). More recent content is available by subscription from SRM.