Germination trials of, and evaluation
of post-germination stress in,
Wyoming big sagebrush and
Munro’s globemallow
Anthony S. Davis
Olga A. Kildisheva
Emily C. Overton
Robert F. Keefe
Center for Forest Nursery and Seedling Research
Department of Forest Resources
University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho
Overview
• Background
– Center for Forest Nursery and Seedling Research
• Seedling quality
• Restoration ecology
• Nursery production
• Research plan
– Munro‟s globemallow
– Wyoming big sagebrush
• The Native Plant Network
About me
• Assistant Professor
Department of Forest Resources
– Research
• Optimizing seedling production
• Native plant regeneration
– Teaching
• Forest regeneration (core course)
‘getting the right
plant in the right
place’
• Director
Center for Forest Nursery and Seedling Research
– Operate Pitkin Forest Nursery
– 3.5 full time and ~20 part time employees
Seedling quality
• What is a quality seedling?
– Quality: “superiority in kind”
– Must be defined within constraints
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“Fitness for purpose”
Environmental
Cost
Ownership objectives
Silvicultural practices
Biological
• A quality seedling is one which is likely to meet
its desired performance upon outplanting
Seedling quality
• Influenced by
– Genetic composition
– Size
– Seedling vigor (nursery culture)
– Environmental conditions
– Storage, planting, and handling
The “target plant concept”
Vision
• Regional, national, and international leader
– Native plant regeneration
• Education
• Scholarship
• Valued partner with native plant growers and
users
Center for
Forest Nursery
and Seedling
Research
Facilities
• Franklin H. Pitkin Forest Nursery
– Produces up to 400,000 seedlings (~70 species) annually
– ~2 miles from University of Idaho main campus
– On-site research laboratory
Lab facilities
• Plant environmental stress research
• Seedling gas exchange
• Controlled environments
• Temperature, pH, moisture meters, sensors, probes
Cold hardiness
• Surrogate
measure of
dormancy status
• Predict ability to
withstand stress
of lifting, storage,
and planting
– Indicator of
performance
potential
– Indicator of
stress resistance
(Fuchigami et al. 1992)
Seed quality
• Computer model to predict seed germination
as a function of seed morphology
– Optimizing uniformity of germination rate
• Use of digital X-ray for rapid seed quality
assessment (supported by Faxitron Corp.)
• Use of digital X-ray and marked seed for
precision seed cleaning and grading
Digital X-ray and scan
Arrowleaf
balsamroot
Fernleaf
biscuitroot
Oregon
grape
Overcoming seed dormancy in
Munro‟s globemallow
Overall research objectives
• Develop protocol for overcoming dormancy in
S. munroana
• Assess early life development of seedlings
under a variety of modified environmental
conditions (e.g., moisture regimes and CO₂
levels)
Preliminary trials
• Identify the effects of scarification on imbibition
and germination
– Seeds soaked for 24 and 48 hours
– ½ of the seeds pierced prior to soaking
• Increased germination in pierced seed would indicate
physical dormancy
– Test the “whitebark pine scarifier” for effectiveness
• Seeds placed in the scarifier for 0, 1, 10, or 15 minutes
• No soaking occurred following scarification.
Soaking/piercing results
30
# germinants
24 hours
25
Soaking/piercing Trial
20
% germination
24 hr soak
20
24 hr soak, pierced
52.5
48 hr soak
2.5
15
10
5
0
8/10/2009
24 hours,
pierced
Treatment
48 hours
65 48 hrs,
48 hr soak, pierced
8/15/2009
8/20/2009
8/25/2009
8/30/2009
9/4/2009
9/9/2009
pierced
Scarification results
# germinants
30
Scarification Trial
control
25
Treatment
15
Control
10
1 minute
5
10 minutes
0
9/19/2009159/24/2009
9/29/2009
minutes
10
% germination
minutes
20
10/4/2009
16.8
1 minute
17.6
15
20.8
minutes
10/9/2009
9.6 10/14/2009
Potential of pelletizing to aid in
germination and establishment
• Used in sowing of crop species with small or
irregularly shaped seeds
• Makes seed heavier and more uniform in shape
• Formed by tumbling seeds, while an adhesive and an
inert binding material are added
– Appropriate pellet thickness
– Optimum adhesive and
binding materials
Potential of „priming‟ seed to
improve germination success
• Priming seed is another option that may improve
germination and establishment using direct seeding
• Osmo-priming, using polyethylene glycol (PEG),
hydrates seed to a point where germination beings
but radicle emergence does not occur
• Priming allows for more uniform germination under
suboptimal temperatures and possibly other
environmental stressors
The Native Plant Network
• Online home of Native Plants Journal
• Native Plant Propagation Protocols Database
– User-uploaded protocols
– Searchable
– Over 2500 protocols
www.nativeplantnetwork.org
Leveraging
• Idaho Transportation Department
– Fully funding a graduate student
• University of Idaho Seed Grant* Program
– Additional research equipment
*may have been awarded on humor of applying for a
seed project