Emergence of Grass Seedlings Under Crop Residue Culture

Abstract

Five grass species were fall seeded on dryland under three cultural treatments-summer fallow, tilled stubble, and standing stubble-in 1966, 1967, and 1968. Seedling emergence was recorded the following spring on each of the seedbeds. Significant differences in emergence were found among the grasses and the seedbeds with the summer fallow treatment generally producing more seedlings. For practical purposes of stand establishment and area occupancy, however, all cultural treatments produced adequate stands. Interactions among years, seedbeds, and grass species were too great to permit predictions of consistency for any one cultural treatment. Dramatic suppression of rhizome extension of western wheatgrass occurred under the crop residue treatments. This suppression was too severe to be attributed entirely to nitrogen deficiency. Phytotoxicity of the plant residue is suspected as a contributing factor.