Post-fire Seeding Strategies and Native Plant
Materials for the Northern Great Basin
Nancy Shaw, Matt Fisk, Erin Denney
USDA FS, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Boise, Idaho
Robert Cox
Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
Jim Truax
Truax Co., New Hope, MN
Stink Bugs and
Plant Materials
Seed Production
Bob Hammon
Colorado State University
Tri River Area Extension
Grand Junction CO
bob.hammon@mesacounty.us
Stink Bugs
• Stink bugs can have major
impact on native & horticultural
& agricultural seed yield
• Hit & run feeding strategy, broad
host range, piercing & sucking
mouthparts
• Many species of native stink
bugs
• Feeding in early vegetative
stages causes seed abortion.
• Damage is invisible – low seed
yield
Moromorpha tetra on Panicum
obtusum, Kelsey Clouse, Seeds of
Success , Tucson
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Halyomorpha halys (Stål)
• Agricultural pest in Asia
• Introduced into Eastern US in
early/mid 1990’s
• Population exploded in 2010
• A nuisance home invader
• Notorious hitchhiker
– Introduction into GB is
certain!
– already established in OR &
CA
• Adult & immature can be
present simultaneously as
gregarious feeders
Stink Bug Survey
• If you see stink bugs in seed
production or collection sites,
try to collect
• Five or more bugs in a collection
• Hand pick them into crush proof
container
– They don’t bite – if they do, cuss at me
and stick them in the jar anyway
Conchuela, Chlorochroa ligata (Say)
• Record location, host plant, date
• Stick them in a freezer
• Contact Bob for mailing instructions
– bob.hammon@mesacounty.us
Brown stink bug, Euschistus servus (Say)
The effects of
smoke water and
heat shock on
seed germination
of Great Basin
species
Robert D. Cox
Texas Tech University
Smoke and Heat Effects on
Germination
• Seeds in fire-prone areas
may respond to smoke,
heat, or both.
• Such fire-cues indicate that
space and nutrients are
available for establishment
of new plants.
• Hundreds of species
worldwide have such
responses
FORB RESPONSE TO HERBICIDES FOR SEED
PRODUCTION AND RANGELAND RESTORATION
Corey Ransom and Kim Edvarchuk
Utah State University
Objective - Seed Production
Identify herbicides for weed
management in forb seed
production.
- Astragalus filipies
- Dalea ornata
- Dalea searlsiae
Objective – Rangeland Restoration
Evaluate native species
response to
herbicides applied to
control downy
brome.
How will they handle
exposure to these
herbicides when
germinating?
Eastern Idaho
Crested Wheatgrass
Diversification Study
Corey Moffet
The Samuel Roberts
Noble Foundation
Ardmore, OK
Boise - Plant Materials
2010 Germplasm Conservation Collections
Species
Collections
Species
Collections
Achillea millefolium
4
Eriogonum ovalifolium
1
Achnatherum hymenoides
4
Eriogonum umbellatum
1
Achnatherum thurberianum
2
Erigeron pumilus
2
Agoseris glauca
1
Hesperostipa comata
2
Agoseris heterophylla
1
Machaeranthera canescens
1
Aristida purpurea
3
Oenothera caespitosa
1
Artemisia tridentata
3
Penstemon acuminatus
9
Astragalus eremiticus
2
Penstemon cyaneus
1
Balsamorhiza hookeri
3
Penstemon deustus
9
Chaenactis douglasii
1
Phacelia hastata
3
Crepis acuminata
1
Phacelia linearis
1
Crepis occidentalis
1
Poa secunda
1
Dalea ornata
2
Sphaeralcea munroana
7
Delphinium andersonii
1
Townsendia florifer
1
Eriogonum heracleoides
8
Wyethia amplexicaulis
1
Eriophyllum lanatum
3
TOTAL
81
Boise - Plant Materials
2010 Seed Collections Provided to Cooperators *
Species
Cooperator
Species
Achnatherum hymenoides ARS
Eriogonum heracleoides
Achnatherum
OSU
Eriogonum vimineum
thurberianum
Allium acuminatum
ARS
Hesperostipa comata
Artemisia tridentata
IFG
Lomatium dissectum
Astragalus lentiginosus
RMRS SSL Lomatium grayi
Astragalus utahensis
RMRS SSL Lupinus sp.
Camassia quamash
CWI
Penstemon acuminatus
Chaenactis douglasii
ARS
Penstemon cyaneus
Crepis acuminatus
ARS
Penstemon deustus
Dalea ornata
USU
Poa secunda
Elymus elymoides
ARS
Pseudoroegneria spicata
Ericameria nauseosa
IFG
Sphaeralcea grossulariifolia
Erigeron glabellus
CWI
Sphaeralcea munroana
* 79 collections totaling 33 kg distributed to 11 cooperators
Cooperator
OSU, CWI, ARS
CWI
ARS
UCIA
UCIA, CWI, ARS, NSL
ARS
NSL, OSU
OSU
ARS, CWI, NSL, OSU
ARS
ARS
RMRS SSL
RMRS SSL, UI
Boise – Plant Materials
2010 Seed Distribution to Private Growers *
Scientific Name
Germplasm
Origin**
Achillea millefolium
Chaenactis douglasii
Eriogonum umbellatum
Lomatium dissectum
Lomatium grayi
SRP-GBRI-ACHMIL
NBR-GBRI-CHADOU
NBR-GBRI-ERIUMB
SRP-GBRI-ERIUMB
SRP-GBRI-LOMDIS
SRP-GBRI-LOMGRA
SRP
NBR
NBR, SRP
SRP
SRP
Lomatium nudicaule
NBR-GBRI-LOMNUD
NBR
Lomatium triternatum
NGB-GBRI-LOMTRI
NGB
Machaeranthera canescens NGB-GBRI-MACCAN
NGB
Penstemon acuminatus
SRP-GBRI-PENACU
SRP
Penstemon cyaneus
SRP-GBRI-PENCYA
SRP
Penstemon speciosus
SRP-GBRI-PENSPE
SRP
Poa secunda
Mt. Home
SRP
Sphaeralcea munroana
NBR-GBRI-SPHMUN
NBR
*25 lots totaling 24 kg; **NBR = Northern Basin and Range,
SRP = Snake River Plain, NGB = Northern Great Basin
Wildland Seedings
Elko
Drill Seeding Studies
(Where do we put the seed?)
Transition from single-species
forage plantings to diverse grass,
herb, shrub plantings
 Artemisia – small seeds, surface
plant, subject to drying
 Available equipment not suited
for planting multiple species with
varied sizes and shapes at
appropriate depths and rates
 Need to conserve residual
natives, biological soil crusts and
soil microorganisms
Rangeland drill Minimum-till drill
Minimum-till Drill Updates
Boot casing – oblong opening
(left) - permits seed to fall
against disc blade
Bristle brushes reduce
plugging
Calibrating Your Rangeland Drill:
A Training Video
Lisa Outka-Perkins
USDA FS Missoula Technology &
Development Center
Collaborators:
• USDA NRCS Aberdeen Plant Materials
Center
• Truax Company
• USDI BLM Vale Equipment Center
• USDA FS Rocky Mountain Research
Station
Calibrating Your
Rangeland Drill
Checking a drill's seed output
 The wheel circumference
method
 The seed per row-foot method
 The small bag per land area method
Adjusting the seed box outputs
GPS Data Logger for
Rangeland Drills
Damien Hoffman
USDA FS Missoula Technology
& Development Center
Collaborators:
• Truax Company, New Hope, MN
• Hindsite, Inc., Kemmerer, WY
• USDA FS Rocky Mountain Research Station
GPS Data Logger for
Rangeland Drills
Logs:
 Operation time
(moving vs stopped)
 Distance traveled
 Maximum speed
(buzzer if exceeds limit)
 Average speed
 Altitude changes
 Route followed
Updates and
editing
by:
Rob Cox
Texas Tech
Lubbock, TX
Seedling Emergence
of Diverse Seed
Mixes in
Post-Wildfire
Rangelands
Robert D. Cox
Nancy L. Shaw
Mike Pellant
Treatments
Control (no drilling or seeding)
Rangeland drill (no seed, low rate, high rate)
Minimum-till drill (no seed, low rate, high rate)
7 treatments x 5 replications x 2 sites
Seed Mix
Drill mix
Broadcast
Fourwing saltbush
Wyoming big sagebrush
Blue flax
Rubber rabbitbrush
Munro globemallow
Western yarrow
Bluebunch wheatgrass
Sandberg bluegrass
Bottlebrush squirreltail
Indian ricegrass
Research Methods
Precipitation
ResultsDrilled
Species
Density
ResultsBroadcast
Species
Density
(no sage)
Results–
Cheatgrass
Density
Conclusions
• Precipitation:
– always a concern…!
• Seeding Technology:
– Both drills successful with DRILLED seeds
– Min-till drill more successful with BROADCAST seed
– Rangeland drill reduced cheatgrass density the first
year
Seeding Technology and Equipment for
Reestablishing Artemisia tridentata
wyomingensis Communities
 USDA FS Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Boise and Provo
 USDA NRCS Aberdeen Plant Materials Center
 Texas Tech University
 Truax Co., Inc.
 USDI BLM, Idaho State Office
 USGS, Corvallis, Ecosystem Science Research Center
 University of Idaho
 University of Wyoming
 North Dakota State University
2
Glass Butte
2007
2 Mt. Home
Saylor 2
Creek
2010
2007
1
1
2 Scooby
2008
Treatments
Drill
Seeding Rates
No Drill
No Seed
No Seed
Standard
Minimum-till
5X ARTRW
10X ARTRW
Fall Hand Broadcast (5X)
Winter Hand Broadcast (5X)
No Seed
Standard
Rangeland
5X ARTRW
10X ARTRW
Fall Hand Broadcast (5X)
Winter Hand Broadcast (5X)
Scooby Seeding Mix
Species
Drill Mix
Bluebunch wheatgrass
Indian ricegrass
Bottlebrush squirreltail
Munro globemallow
Sulphur-flower buckwheat
PLS lbs/
PLS
acre
seeds/ft2
Total:
2.00
1.00
1.00
0.50
0.24
4.74
6
5
4
9
1
25
Total:
0.10
0.50
0.15
0.40
0.09
1.24
5
8
9
9
7
38
Broadcast Mix (Standard)
Wyoming big sagebrush
Rubber rabbitbrush
Western yarrow
Sandberg bluegrass
Blue penstemon
Unseeded
Scooby Seeding 2010
Seeded Grasses and Invasive Density
Scooby Seeding 2010 – Drilled Forb Density
Munro's globemallow
Sulphur-flower buckwheat
1.2
A
1
AB
Forbs m-2
0.8
0.6
Rangeland drill
Minimum-till drill
AB
ABC
ABC
0.4
0.2
BC
C
C
C
0
Control
Drill No
Seed
Drill 5X
Fall
Broadcast
Winter
Broadcast
Scooby Seeding 2010 – Broadcast Forb Density
Western yarrow
Blue penstemon
4
3.5
A
Forbs m-2
3
2.5
2
Minimum-till drill
1.5
BCD
BCD
BCD
1
0.5
AB
ABC
Rangeland drill
D
0
Control
CD
D
Drill No
Seed
Drill 5X
Fall
Winter
Broadcast Broadcast
Scooby Seeding 2010 – Sagebrush Density
0.4
A
0.35
0.3
Rangeland drill
AB
Plants m-2
0.25
Minimum-till drill
0.2
0.15
0.1
C
C
0.05
C
0
Control
C
BC
C
C
Drill (0) Drill (Std) Drill (5X) Drill (10X)
C
C
C C
Fall
Winter
Broadcast Broadcast
(5X)
(5X)
Upcoming Events
Native Plant Seed Production
Field Day
May 12, 2012
Oregon State University
Malheur Experiment Station
Ontario, OR
Re-establishing Sagebrush
Rangeland Technology and
Equipment Council
January 29, 2012
Spokane, Washington
GBNPSIP Website
• Publications
• Tech Notes
• Plant Guides
• Websites
• Databases
• Upcoming events
• Links
Cooperator list and links to their websites
Annual reports 2002 – 2009
Web address on brochure
Acknowledgments:
USDI BLM National Native
Plant Materials Development Program
BLM Great Basin Restoration Initiative
GBNPSIP Cooperators
Native Seed and Plant Industry
Any questions?