| The establishment of woody plants on roadsides depends on the interaction of numerous environmental, physiological and cultural factors. Establishment of transplanted materials may be especially difficult because of the drastic disturbance of the soil, harsh conditions, absence of intensive maintenance, and for many other environmental and imposed reasons.;Overall woody plant emergence and performance was poor after seeding in late autumn in tilled roadside conditions. Of 21 species tested, only three had greater than 6% emergence. These were Prunus pumila L. var. besseyi (Bailey) (29%), Cornus drummondii C. A. Mey. (13.4%), and Amorpha fruticosa L. (6.5%). However, one-year survival of those three species was 98%, 91%, and 77% respectively. Mulched (oat straw, 3.3 t/ha) seedlings tended to produce more growth. Woody plant growth in the field was generally unaffected by the presence of a nurse crop, Lolium multiflorum Lam., although emergence of woody seedlings tended to be less in its presence. Direct seeding failed in mown roadside sod after light sod surface cultivation.;Osmotic priming, drought, and temperature influences on germination and radicle growth were also investigated. Seeds of two woody species having potential for roadside plantings, Amorpha fruticosa L. and Hippophae rhamnoides L., were imbibed in osmotic solutions (0 to ;The short lag time until germination usually observed with herbaceous species did not occur with these woody species. Osmotic priming, drought, and low temperature each increased the time required for onset of germination. Low activation energies associated with osmotically primed seeds, however, suggested priming may have altered the rate-limiting step in A. fruticosa radicle growth in the presence of drought. Priming results generally vary with species, varieties, and seed lots, which complicates commercial application. Species-dependent treatments are apparently required.;The objectives of these studies were: to test various direct seeding methods of woody plant establishment under minimally maintained roadside conditions in the continental climate of Kansas; to determine species suitability for such practices; and to investigate osmotic seed priming as a way to enhance woody plant establishment. |
