Germination and Planting Experiments on Soft-Stem and Hard-Stem Bulrush

Abstract

with the primary purpose of revegetating large open water areas with stands of emergent vegetation (Harris, 1957). As a part of this program, a considerable amount of soft-stem bulrush (Scirpus validus Vahl.) and a lesser amount of hard-stem bulrush (S. actus Muhl) seed was broadcast onto newly exposed mud flats by an airplane during midand late June. Although bulrush development was widespread on the mud flats, careful examination failed to reveal any important differences in the amount of development between seeded and unseeded areas, and it was thought that the seeding operation had made little if any contribution to the establishment of these stands. These observations led to a number of germination and seeding experiments which comprise the present report. Previous germination tests of these two species have not been carried out in connection with field operations such as experimental seeding, large scale machine harvesting, or extensive planting. Oborn (1938) subjected hard-stem bulrush seed to many different storage conditions and obtained moderate germination only with seed which had been stored under water in darkness at