Seedling emergence and root elongation of four grass species and evaporation from bare soil as affected by polyacrylamide

The effects of polyacrylamide (PAM), a synthetic soil conditioner, were evaluated on seedling emergence and root elongation of four grass species in test plots on arid rangeland. PAM was applied at doses of 0-40 kg/ha, markedly improving the emergence of sideoats grama, even at the lowest applicatio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of arid environments 1990, Vol.18 (1), p.33-41
Main Authors: Rubio, H.O, Wood, M.K, Cardenas, M, Buchanan, B.A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Autoecology
Biological and medical sciences
Bothriochloa ischaemum
Bouteloua curtipendula
evaporation
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
infiltration
Panicum antidotale
Plants and fungi
polyacrylamide
roots
seedling emergence
setaria macrostachya
shear strength
soil strength
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Summary:The effects of polyacrylamide (PAM), a synthetic soil conditioner, were evaluated on seedling emergence and root elongation of four grass species in test plots on arid rangeland. PAM was applied at doses of 0-40 kg/ha, markedly improving the emergence of sideoats grama, even at the lowest application level. Blue panicgrass and King Ranch bluestem were unaffected. Plains bristlegrass had no emergence in any of the test plots. Roots of blue panicgrass and sideoats grama that grew in tubes treated with PAM were larger than untreated speciments. PAM reduced the crust forming the soil surface, as evidenced by shear strength measurements.
ISSN:0140-1963
1095-922X
DOI:10.1016/S0140-1963(18)30867-X