Germination, forage yield, and seed production characteristics were studied in American sloughgrass (Beckmannia syzigachne (Steud.) Fern.), a valuable wetland forage species in the northwestern and northcentral states. Germination of field-collected caryopses from northeastern Montana, stored at 7 degrees C for 60 days post-harvest, was significantly (P<0.05) higher under alternating temperatures (7 degrees C for 15 h and 21 degrees C for 9 h in each 24-h period) than at constant 21 degrees C. Germination percentages greater than 60% were found for freshly harvested greenhouse-produced spikelets and caryopses after 14 days in complete darkness, and no significant differences were detected between complete darkness and 15 h dark/9 h light treatments under alternating temperatures. Greenhouse-produced caryopses were significantly heavier and exhibited significantly higher germination than caryopses from field collections. A Montana field collection and a seed increase of that collection significantly (P<0.05) outyielded a local South Dakota collection for both forage and seed at Brookings, South Dakota. Overall mean dry matter forage and mature seed yields were 2,700 and 540 kg/ha, respectively. Forage yields at early-head of the seed increase population planted at 15, 18, and 21 kg/ha were not significantly different and had an overall mean of 5,000 kg/ha. These preliminary data indicate that the potential of B. syzigachne as a cultivated forage for cropland depressions in the Northern Great Plains does not appear to be limited by complex germination requirements, low forage yield, or weak seed production. This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. 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.