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The Forest Service National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources (RNGR) is a leading source of technical information for nurseries and land managers regarding production and planting of trees and other native plants for reforestation, restoration, and conservation.

 
NPN Protocol Details Image

Sporobolus (cryptandrus)

Mary Wolf
PMC Agronomist
USDA NRCS - Aberdeen Plant Materials Center
1691 A South 2700 West
Aberdeen, Idaho 83210
208-397-4133
mary.wolf@usda.gov
http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/idpmc
Family Scientific Name: Poaceae
Family Common Name: Grass
Scientific Name: Sporobolus cryptandrus (Torr.) A. Gray
Common Name: sand dropseed
Species Code: SPCR
Ecotype: Seed was collected at 3 sites: near Oreana, Idaho, in Benton Co., Washington, and in Duchesne Co., Utah.
General Distribution: Sand dropseed is a native, warm season bunchgrass found throughout North America. It is an important rangeland species in the Intermountain West and Southwest.
Known Invasiveness: This species will establish on disturbed soils and is commonly found on roadsides.
Propagation Goal: Plants
Propagation Method: Seed
Propagule Collection: Seed was hand collected from wildland stands near Oreana, Idaho, in Benton Co., Washington, and in Duchesne Co., Utah. Inflorescences were harvested by cutting with a hand scythe or clippers.
Propagule Processing: Inflorescences were dried in paper bags for several weeks prior to processing. Each collection was rubbed by hand to remove seed, then hand sieved to remove stems and leaf bits. Seed was cleaned with a Westrup multi-deck air-screen cleaner with a top screen of 1.15 or 6 x 30, a bottom screen of 6 x 34 or 6 x 32, front air set at 0, side/top air set at 0, and speed control fan set at 2.0. After air screening, a volume of 30 cm^3 of seed was run for 20 seconds in a Forsberg electric sample seed scarifier lined with 40 grit sandpaper. The Forsberg scarifier removed the hulls (palea and lemma) from the seeds but did not actually scarify the pericarp. Winnowing with air (air-screen cleaner or a small fan) separated the removed hulls from the seed. Scarification of the pericarp was accomplished by hand-rubbing with 180 grit fine sandpaper (Ferrari et al., 2015).
Pre-Planting Treatments: We tested germination with 8 pre-treatments consisting of three factors, each with two ranks: cold/moist stratification (28 days at 2 C) and not, scarification and not, and germination in aerated water baths (bubblers) (Tilley & Pickett, 2021) or in petri dishes. The combinations of treatments were as follows: (Sc, B) no stratification, scarification, and placed in bubblers; (B) no stratification, no scarification, and bubblers; (Sc, St, B) scarification, stratification, and bubblers; (St, B) stratification, no scarification, and bubbler; (Sc, P) no stratification, scarification, and petri dish; (P) no stratification, no scarification, and petri dish (control); (Sc, St, P) scarification, stratification, and petri dish; and (St, P) stratification, no scarification, and petri dish. We did not include seed source location as a factor but treated the three populations separately. For the bubblers we placed 25 seeds in fine mesh bags and submerged the seed into mason jars filled with water. We inserted an aquarium bubbler in each jar for aeration. For the petri dish treatments, we placed 25 seeds on wet blotter paper in petri dishes. The stratified seed showed the beginnings of fungal growth, so all stratified seed was subject to a 10 min bath in a 1:8 bleach bath (6% sodium hypochlorite : water) followed by thorough rinsing. All treatments were placed in a growth chamber with a diurnal cycle of 17 hr light, 35 °C/7 hr dark, 22 °C (Toole, 1941). Each treatment was replicated 6 times in a completely randomized design. Final percent germination (FPG) was evaluated at 28 days.

For each accession, the highest final percent germination occurred with scarified seed germinated in petri dishes (Sc,P) (Oreana 99%, Benton 77%, Duchesne 89%). In some cases, stratification alone (St,P) improved germination over the control (P) (Benton 41% vs 25%, Oreana 89% vs 75% respectively), but in other cases it resulted in lower germination due to fungal growth (Duchesne 83% vs 61%). Scarification combined with stratification (Sc,St,P)decreased germination compared the control (P) for Oreana and Duchesne due to fungal growth but increased germination over the control in Benton (67% vs 25%). For all three accessions, germination in petri dishes was superior to that in bubblers. These results suggest that scarification, and possibly stratification (both of which can be used for field-scale plantings) may improve the success of sand dropseed establishment in conservation seedings.
References: Ferrari, F.N. & Parera, C.A. (2015). Germination of six native perennial grasses that can be used as potential soil cover crops in drip-irrigated vineyards in semiarid environs of Argentina. Journal of Arid Environments 113:1-5.
Tilley, D. & Pickett, T. (2021). Germination response of curlycup gumweed seed to oxygenated water treatment. Native Plants Journal 22(1): 4-12.
Toole, V.K. (1941). Factors affecting the germination of various dropseed grasses (Sporobolus spp.). Journal of Agricultural Research 62 (12) 691-715

Citation:

Wolf, Mary K; Tilley, Derek J.. 2023. Propagation protocol for production of Sporobolus cryptandrus (Torr.) A. Gray Plants USDA NRCS - Aberdeen Plant Materials Center Aberdeen, Idaho. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/02/23). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.