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Home → Publications → Tree Planters' Notes → Tree Planters' Notes Volume 65, Number 1 (2022) → Determining Avian Herbivory Patterns at Sowing Using Loblolly and Longleaf Pine Seed

Determining Avian Herbivory Patterns at Sowing Using Loblolly and Longleaf Pine Seed

Avian herbivory of pine seeds is a leading cause of seedling loss in container nurseries. Practices currently used to prevent herbivory are not fully effective and have not changed much in the last 60 years. Because no clear avian herbivory patterns of seeds have been documented, two trials were conducted to determine effects of: (1) container cell color and growing medium depth using longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) seeds at two sites, and (2) genetic quality of longleaf pine and loblolly pine (P. taeda L.) seeds at two sites. In the first trial, fewer seeds were consumed after 5 days from cavities filled to two-thirds of operational capacity compared with those filled to operational capacity, but by day 10, birds foraged in all cavities regardless of medium depth. In the second trial, birds showed no preference for pine species or genetic quality of seeds. Birds tended to avoid an open field area. Birds also recognized where containers had been placed for a previous trial, which led to earlier and faster seed consumption in the subsequent trial.


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Author(s): Kelsey D. Shoemaker, D. Paul Jackson, Heidi L. Adams

Publication: Tree Planters' Notes - Volume 65, Number 1 (2022)

Volume: 65

Number: 1