http://hdl.handle.net/10150/635458 Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:51:06 GMT 2026-06-18T13:51:06Z http://hdl.handle.net/10150/650585 Journal of Range Management, Volume 54, Number 2 (March 2001) Complete digitized issue. Thu, 01 Mar 2001 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10150/650585 2001-03-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10150/643857 Technical Note: Early harvest of squirreltail seed Doescher, P. S. Squirreltail (Sitanion hystrix (Nutt. J. G. Smith), a native, cool-season perennial bunchgrass of the Intermountain West has been shown to reinvade degraded rangelands invaded by exotic annual weeds. However, one limitation to mechanical seed collection of this species is the disarticulating nature of the rachis at seed maturity. The purpose of this research was to determine if early harvest of the inflorescence before disarticulation would result in viable seed. After anthesis, seeds were collected weekly in 1995 and about every 10 days in 1996 at a research site near Prineville, Oregon. Seeds were germinated for 21 days at a constant temperature of 20 degrees C. Germinable seeds were present at all collection dates from late anthesis to seed shatter in 1995, and all but early anthesis in 1996. Total germination, rate of germination and seed weight increased as seeds were collected later in the summer. Collection of squirreltail seed when a majority of seed awns have moved from a reddish to a divergent, straw colored appearance resulted in germination properties similar to fully mature seed. This occured about 1 week prior to the onset of seed head disarticulation. Thu, 01 Mar 2001 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10150/643857 2001-03-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10150/643856 Technical Note: Physical and chemical comparisons between microphytic and non-microphytic soil seedbeds Blank, R. R.; Allen, F. L.; Young, J. A. In arid and semi-arid climates, the physical and chemical nature of the soil seedbed greatly effects success or failure of plant recruitment. We hypothesized that the presence or absence of microphytic soil crusts may influence the character of soil seedbeds. To test this hypothesis, we compared chemical and physical attributes of the soil seedbed (0-6 cm) between adjacent areas of well-expressed microphytic soil crusts and non-microphytic soil surfaces for 2 sites on granitic alluvial fans in north-western Nevada. As compared with non-microphytic areas, microphytic soil seedbeds were finer-textured and contained more DTPA-extractable Mn, Cu, and Zn. Further research should examine in greater detail the role of microphytic soil surfaces in eolian dust entrapment, its relationship to nutrient deposition, and the interaction with seed recruitment. Thu, 01 Mar 2001 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10150/643856 2001-03-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10150/643855 Technical Note: A simple method for preparing reference slides of seed Dacar, M. A.; Giannoni, S. M. Microhistological analysis has become the most commonly used and successful method for determining micromammal diets. However, this technique has a number of limitations, particularly when used on fecal samples where identification of some items is difficult. This method underestimates those nearly unrecognizable plant parts in the diet, such as seed, and overestimates easily identifiable parts, such as leaf epidermis. In this note we describe a simple technique that uses a macerating solution of 17.5% NaHCO3 for preparing reference slides of seeds. Advantages of the proposed method are discussed and compared with Jeffrey's technique. Thu, 01 Mar 2001 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10150/643855 2001-03-01T00:00:00Z