RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Establishing Wyoming Big Sagebrush Seed Orchards on Reclaimed Mined Land
JF Native Plants Journal
JO NATIVE PLANTS JOURNAL
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 247
OP 253
DO 10.2979/NPJ.2005.6.3.247
VO 6
IS 3
A1 Booth, D Terrance
YR 2005
UL http://npj.uwpress.org/content/6/3/247.abstract
AB Reclaimed mined lands often have restricted public access, a situation that could encourage sagebrush seed growers to invest in methods for increasing seed production and improving seed purity and quality. I tested the agronomic benefit of 2 seeding methods and fabric mulch and a cross-linked polyacrylamide polymer soil amendment by using these practices to establish 3 Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ssp. wyomingensis Beetle & Young [Asteraceae]) seed orchards on a reclaimed uranium mine in Wyoming’s Shirley Basin. Seed yield was monitored for 5 y. Cased-hole punch seeding (CHPS) produced more and faster growing plants than broadcasting. Seeds from plants established through mulch averaged 20 to 36 g (0.7 to 1.3 oz) per plant compared with less than 10 g (0.4 oz) per plant without mulch. Polyacrylamide-amended soil produced fewer seeds than untreated plots in every year of the study. Fabric mulch clearly enhanced sagebrush growth and seed yield; polyacrylamide did not.