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ARS Home » Plains Area » Mandan, North Dakota » Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #115607
Title: RUSSIAN WILDRYE SEEDLING DEVELOPMENT UNDER THREE TEMPERATURE REGIMES

Author
item Berdahl, John
item Ries, Ronald

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/7/2002
Publication Date: 9/1/2002
Citation: BERDAHL, J.D., RIES, R.E. RUSSIAN WILDRYE SEEDLING DEVELOPMENT UNDER THREE TEMPERATURE REGIMES. CROP SCIENCE 42:1647-1650. 2002.

Interpretive Summary: Russian wildrye provides valuable pasture for complementing native rangeland, but poor seedling vigor and frequent establishment failures have deterred widespread use of this grass. Artificially doubling the chromosome number of Russian wildrye has resulted in a more robust seedling. Seedlings from doubled (tetraploid) Russian wildrye had a near 2-fold greater emergence percentage from deep planting (3 inches) than normal (diploid) seedlings when grown under three temperature regimes in a controlled-environment chamber. These findings suggest that tetraploid Russian wildrye could safely be seeded in the field at twice the recommended 1/2 to 3/4-inch depth for this grass. The study also indicated that any advantage for early-spring seeding would be due primarily to more abundant soil water, not lower soil temperatures. This information will be helpful to producers in establishing seeded pastures of Russian wildrye.

Technical Abstract: Poor seedling vigor of Russian wildrye [Psathyrostachys juncea (Fisch.) Nevski] has resulted in frequent establishment failures and deterred more widespread use of this grass for complementary pasture. Early-spring seeding usually results in more satisfactory Russian wildrye stands than late-spring dates. This study was conducted to ascertain coleoptile length hand seedling emergence under three temperature regimes at a 70-mm planting depth in mortar sand (bulk density=1.6 g cubic cm) and in Parshall fine- sandy loam soil (coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Pachic Haplustolls; bulk density=1.3 g cubic cm). A second objective was to compare seedling development of four tetraploid populations with two diploid check cultivars. Diurnal temperatures (12/12 h, both dark) were 7/10C (low), 13/16C (medium), and 19/22C (high). Soil water was maintained near field capacity. Coleoptile lengths for the low, medium, and high- temperature treatments averaged 21.1, 22.6, and 25.2 mm, respectively, in sand and 52.0, 53.0, and 58.1 mm, respectively, in soil. Seedling emergence from a 70-mm depth was dependent on coleoptile elongation and soil penetration by the first seedling leaf. Diploids failed to emerge in most instances. Emergence was essentially complete 38, 21, and 14 d after planting, respectively, for the low, medium, and high-temperature treatments. The high-temperature treatment (19/22C) and a planting depth of 70 mm in soil allowed expression of coleoptile length and emergence percentage and would be appropriate for evaluation of seedling vigor in Russian wildrye. Under field conditions, any advantage for early-spring seeding would be due primarily to more abundant soil water, not lower soil temperatures.