The Challenge: High Quality Seed of Native Plants to Ensure Successful Establishment

Authors

Kenneth P. Vogel, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

2002

Citation

Vogel, K.P. 2002. The Challenge: High quality seed of native plants to ensure establishment. Seed Technology. 24:9-15.

Comments

U.S. government work

Abstract

Native species are planted to re-vegetate former cropland, degraded pastures and rangelands, mined lands, natural areas, roadside right-of-ways, and other land management areas with plants, usually perennials, to stabilize and provide desirable classes of vegetation. Acceptable stands need to be obtained in a reasonable time. Seed of native plants varies widely in seed quality factors including seed size, purity, dormancy, germination, and vigor. Seed quality tests required for sale of native seeds usually include germination, purity, and hard or dormant seeds. These laboratory tests do not always predict the capability of a seed lot to establish a stand under field conditions and do not give the end user enough information to determine planting rate. The number of emerged seedlings per gram of seed in species specific stress tests may be a method of quantifying seed quality that is predictive of the seeds capability of producing a stand under field conditions. A standardized establishment test based on a unit of weight could be used to directly calculate planting rates.