Rangeland Ecology & Management

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OPTIMAL SEEDING DEPTH OF THREE NATIVE FORBS IN SANDY AND CLAY SOILS
Author
Fugal , Rachel
Anderson, Val
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2014
Body

Seeding native forbs is an important part of establishing healthy, stable plant communities. Expense and limited seeding success preclude taking full advantage of the contribution of forbs. Understanding the germination and establishment requirements including seeding depth and preferred soil texture will aid in maximizing the use of resources for improvement and restoration projects. The following species were investigated: Arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagitatta), limestone hawksbeard (Crepis intermedia), and Bolander's yampah (Perideridia bolanderi). We tested 5 seeding depths (0 – 2.5 cm) in 2 different soils (clay loam -- sand 35%, clay 30%, silt 36%; sandy loam –sand 69%, clay 13%, silt 19%). Percent emergence and survival data were collected. Soil type was significant (p < 0.01) for both limestone hawksbeard (11% emergence in clay and 23% in sandy) and Bolander's yampah (13% in clay and 43% in sandy). Soil type was not significant for arrowleaf balsamroot emergence. Depth was significant for emergence of all three species. Arrowleaf balsamroot and bolander's yampah were successful with surface to 1.3 cm seeding depth with more than 30% and 27% emergence respectively. The 2.5-cm seeding depth produced significantly less emergence (11% and 7% respectively). Limestone hawksbeard emergence was significantly lower at 1.3 cm depth dropping from 20% emergence at the 0.6 cm depth to 9% at the 1.3 cm depth (p < 0.01). Survival was significantly different based only on the soil factor with higher survival in the sandy soil with all three species. Arrowleaf balsamroot had 52% and 20% survival (p < 0.01), limestone hawksbeard had 35% and 5% survival (p < 0.01), Bolander's yampah had 31% and 14% survival (p = 0.05) in the sandy and clay soils respectively. Our results indicate that seeding success will be higher in sandy soils at depths no greater than 1.3 cm for arrowleaf balsamroot and bolander's yampah and no greater than 0.6 cm for limestone hawksbeard.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Orlando, FL