Effect of Location and Burial Depth on Woolly Cupgrass (Eriochloa villosa) Seed Germination1

Abstract

Woolly cupgrass seeds are dormant at physiological maturity and lose dormancy while afterripening in winter. Field experiments were conducted with the seeds collected from the locations across Iowa in the fall of 1991 and 1992. The seeds were buried in mid-November 0, 5, and 15 cm below the soil surface. Seeds were extracted biweekly until mid-February and germination tests conducted. Seeds buried below the soil surface were less dormant when compared with seeds on the soil surface. There were also dormancy differences between locations. Differences observed between locations and variations from 1991 to 1992 indicated that the parent plant environment, and the likely genotype, had a significant effect on woolly cupgrass seed dormancy.Nomenclature: Woolly cupgrass, Eriochloa villosa (Thunb.) Kunth #3 ERIVI.Additional index words: ABUTH, Abutilon theophrasti, acetochlor, afterripening, Amaranthus rudis, AMATA, atrazine, dormancy, pendimethalin, Setaria faberi, SETFA.Abbreviations: TZ, tetrazolium test.