Date of Award:

5-1959

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Plants, Soils, and Climate

Department name when degree awarded

Agronomy

Committee Chair(s)

DeVere R. McAllister

Committee

DeVere R. McAllister

Abstract

Reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) is adapted to low wet lands and survives flooding and periods of drought. Much of the valley bottom land of Utah is flooded during part of the year, yet some of this land is very dry late in the summer. This grass could become an important forage for Utah's valley bottom lands if stand establishment could be assured. Low germination percentages and long germination periods under field conditions often result in poor stands.

In most cases quick uniform germination is a decided advantage in establishing stands. Fall plantings have usually been more successful than spring plantings, but they have not been consistent enough to assure adequate stands. In Utah, Van Epps (1955) found that planting late in the fall in the bottom of furrows offered the best chance of establishment.

Studies by Peaden (1957) have shown that germination could be improved and hastened by removal of the flowering lemma and palea from the seed. These studies suggested that germination was inhibited by one of the following: some chemical contained within the lemma and palea, the prevention of water and/or oxygen from entering the caryopsis, or mechanical restriction.

This present study was designed to determine how the lemma and palea cause inhibition of germination and to establish and evaluate various treatments other than removing the lemma and palea that might overcome this inhibition.

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