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NEW �FLASH FLAMING� TECHNIQUE IMPROVES SEED HANDLING AND COATING POTENTIAL OF DIFFICULT-TO-HANDLE GRASS SPECIES.
Author
Erickson, Todd E.
Guzzomi, Andrew L.
Mu�oz-Rojas, Miriam
Turner, Shane R.
Merritt, David J.
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2017
Body

Poor rehabilitation outcomes in the mined drylands of northern Western Australia have recently been highlighted by the state�s EPA, stating that the required biodiversity values of undisturbed ecosystems are not being reinstated to the agreed upon standards. In this region, for example, rehabilitation has been reported to achieve <15% of the pre-mined plant cover and density values. This alarming scenario is repeated across most Australian and overseas landscapes that have been degraded by intense human land-use. These rehabilitation shortfalls result from a poor understanding of native seed biology and the inability to effectively deliver seeds at scale. Under current practices over 90% of seeds fail to establish into a mature plant. In recent years, we have focused on seed enhancement technologies to overcome these shortfalls which involve novel, biologically-guided engineering solutions for precision delivery of seeds that are tailored to site-specific conditions to improve plant survival. Such improved, large scale machine seeding and engineering solutions have direct application to the rehabilitation of degraded lands. In this presentation we will demonstrate the benefits of our Australian �flash flaming� invention that removes unwanted seed appendages that impede automated seeding at large scales. This invention delivers significant seed volume and weight reduction, and improved application of artificial seed coatings that are used extensively in agriculture. Such coatings can be adapted to native seeds to facilitate precision, machine sowing and increase germination and survival, and overcome many aspects limiting the use of difficult to handle seeds in global rehabilitation programs.

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