Publication Date
1997
Description
Warm season perennial grasses such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) provide useful wildlife habitat on reclaimed surface mined land but stand establishment is often slow. Two switchgrass cultivars: (1) ‘Alamo’ and (2) ‘Cave-in-rock’, two seed stratification treatments: (1) wet chilled and (2) untreated, and three establishment treatments: (1) no mulch or companion crop, (2) seeded with oat (Avena sativa L.), or (3) mulched with wheat straw were compared in a factorial experiment. In Sept. after spring seeding, stand density ranged from 2.5 seedlings m-1 of drill row for Alamo control plots to 6.8 for CIR with oat. Stand densities of Alamo benefitted more from mulching than did CIR. Straw mulch increased Alamo tiller numbers per plant but did not do so for CIR. Stratification effects were small. These results show that mulching greatly improved seedling survival and growth in this environment.
Citation
Collins, M; Demond, T P.; Ditsch, D C.; and Phillips, T D., "Cultivar and Seed Stratification Effects on Switchgrass Establishment on Coal Mine Spoil" (2024). IGC Proceedings (1997-2023). 6.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1997/session16/6
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Cultivar and Seed Stratification Effects on Switchgrass Establishment on Coal Mine Spoil
Warm season perennial grasses such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) provide useful wildlife habitat on reclaimed surface mined land but stand establishment is often slow. Two switchgrass cultivars: (1) ‘Alamo’ and (2) ‘Cave-in-rock’, two seed stratification treatments: (1) wet chilled and (2) untreated, and three establishment treatments: (1) no mulch or companion crop, (2) seeded with oat (Avena sativa L.), or (3) mulched with wheat straw were compared in a factorial experiment. In Sept. after spring seeding, stand density ranged from 2.5 seedlings m-1 of drill row for Alamo control plots to 6.8 for CIR with oat. Stand densities of Alamo benefitted more from mulching than did CIR. Straw mulch increased Alamo tiller numbers per plant but did not do so for CIR. Stratification effects were small. These results show that mulching greatly improved seedling survival and growth in this environment.
