The effect of hormone, dehulling and seedbed treatments on germination and adventititious root formation in blue grama.

Abstract

Under usual range conditions, the time between blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) germination and adventitious roots development is such that it is rare that both of these events occur with moist soil conditions, and seedling survival is infrequent. Establishment could be enhanced if the time between germination and adventitious root development were reduced. Dehulling followed by pretreatment of seeds with selected hormones such as indoleacetic acid reduced the time between these 2 events, and may increase the probability of successful seeding. These treatments also increased the length and number of adventitious roots during early stages of development. Water injection into the planting rows at seeding time added to the beneficial effects of seed treatment, while chemical mulching detracted from these responses.