Prairie Dropseed Germination Highest with Warm, Moist Conditions

摘要

We tested prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) using six different germination treatments and found the best results with cold (40 degrees F), dry storage followed by direct seeding into a commercial germination mix placed in a 75 degrees F glass-glazed greenhouse with intermittent mist (5 seconds of mist every 8 minutes), and 600-W high-pressure sodium lighting with a 16-hour daylength. We found commercial laboratory viability analysis from tetrazolium staining did not correspond to germination results. Cold (34 degrees F), moist (2.3 g seed moistened with 2.5 mL deionized water) treatment, also known as cold conditioning, produced significantly less germination and fewer transplantable seedlings, and is not recommended for prairie dropseed.