A modified version of the laboratory vacuum plate seed counter was developed for precision planting of small seeds in soil. The planter, a vacuum chamber constructed from rigid plastic plate, would palce 100 seeds on a 228 × 228 mm plot. The individual seed holders were hypodermic needles inserted into the bottom of the chamber on a square grid at a 25 mm spacing. When a vacuum was applied to the chamber, a single seed was held at the tip of each needle. Seedbed preparation consisted of forming small impressions in the soil surface with a grid spacing identical to the planter. With the planter properly aligned, a single seed was dropped into each impression. This technique was successfully used with seeds ranging in size and shape of Panicum antidotale Retz to Eragrostis lehmanniana Nees. Three people were able to seed 120 plots with 100 seeds in less than 4 hours. 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.