ISHS Acta Horticulturae 1014: Proceedings of the International Plant Propagators Society - 2012
GERMINATION OF WATER SEDGE, CAREX AQUATILIS, AND COTTON SEDGE, ERIOPHORUM ANGUSTIFOLIUM, FROM ARCTIC COASTAL WETLANDS, PRUDHOE BAY, ALASKA© |
| Authors: | P.S. Holloway, S.D. Sparrow , M.S. Willison |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.2013.1014.71 |
| Abstract:
Oil well drilling pads, roads and buildings at Prudhoe Bay Oilfields, Alaska are built on permafrost soils that surface-thaw in summer to form extensive wetlands. To prevent thawing and subsidence of subsurface, ice-rich soils, gravel pads, 6 ft (1.8 m) or more thickness, are built to support these facilities. As the oilfields age, the gravel is removed, and sites must be restored. Since the 1970s, revegetation efforts have included a variety of planting techniques and seed treatments mostly with native grasses (Chapin and Chapin, 1980; Bishop and Chapin, 1989; Ebersole, 1987; Jorgenson, 1988; Kidd and Rossow, 1998; Kidd et al., 2004, 2006; Maslen and Kershaw, 1989; McKendrick, 1987, 1991, 2000; McKendrick and Mitchell, 1978; Mitchell et al., 1974; Schwarzenbach, 1996; Streever et al., 2003). Water sedge, Carex aquatilis Wahlenb, and cotton sedge, Eriophorum angustifolium Honck., form large populations that spread clonally by rhizomes and often dominate Arctic wetland environments (Shaver and Billings, 1975). Despite their abundance, these species have not been used for revegetation because clonal methods are time consuming and expensive compared to direct seeding, and little is known about seed germination for these species (Dr. William Streever, BP Alaska, pers. commun.). The objective of this experiment was to explore methods of seed germination for water sedge and cotton sedge, identify dormancy mechanisms, and identify seed treatments to enhance germination for direct seeding or plug production of Arctic wetland revegetation. | |
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