Open AccessSand burial effects on seed germination, seedling emergence and establishment of Panicum virgatum
Author(s) -
Zhang Jianhua,
Maun M. A.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
ecography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.973
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1600-0587
pISSN - 0906-7590
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0587.1990.tb00589.x
Subject(s) - panicum virgatum , seedling , germination , panicum , agronomy , growing season , environmental science , greenhouse , biology , ecology , bioenergy , renewable energy
Studies in the field and in a greenhouse were conducted to examine the effects of sand burial on seed germination, seedling emergence and establishment of Panicum virgatum L. on the foredunes of Lake Erie. Under natural conditions, the seedlings emerged from sand burial depths ranging from 0 to 11 cm, with a mean ± SD of 4.73 ± 1.82 cm. The frequency distribution of the depth of emergence of seedlings in the field was significantly skewed to the right and platykurtic. In the greenhouse, some seedlings emerged from a burial depth of as much as 16 cm. Although percent germination of seeds was not affected by sand burial, the percent emergence and the rate of emergence of seedlings were significantly reduced by excessive sand burial. Seedling mortality was found only among seedlings that emerged from sand burial depths of 10 cm or more. In the field, all the seedlings established in one growing season had originally emerged from sand burial depths of less than 12 cm. Within this burial range, seedlings from shallower burial depths had lower chances of establishment than expected, whereas those from deeper burial depths had higher probabilities of establishment than expected.