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- Author or Editor: Dale T. Lindgren x
Wildflowers/native plants are increasingly being used in landscapes, especially in low maintenance areas. Buffalograss is also receiving attention as a low maintenance grass. Establishing wildflowers in buffalograss would be useful in sites where mowing occurred only once in the fall, such as with minimeadows. Four experiments were conducted to study the establishment of wildflowers in buffalograss. Survival of wildflowers after one year was 88% when wildflowers were planted as greenhouse grown transplants and buffalograss plugged in 2 weeks later, 67% when one-year-old field grown wildflowers were transplanted into buffalograss plugged at the same time and 48% when greenhouse grown wildflowers were transplanted into established buffalograss. Establishment of wildflowers overseeded into established buffalograss sod was very low. There were significant differences in wildflower survival within each study. Species which performed well in buffalograss included Leadplant, Blue Fax, Purple Prairie Clover, Little Bluestem and Stiff Goldenrod.
Penstemon, a U.S. native plant/wildflower, is increasing in use as a landscape plant. Penstemon species are commonly propagated by seeds. However, species vary greatly in percent seed germination,
Seeds from eight sources of Penstemon germplasm were given cold moist stratification periods of either 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10 weeks. One-half of the seed for each treatment was scarified with sandpaper. The study was repeated twice, once in 1989 and once in 1990.
Seed germination varied with species, and with the length of stratification. Greatest germination occurred at the 6, 8 and 10 week periods and the lowest germination occurred with no stratification. There were also differences between species in percent germination, Average percent germination was highest for P. gracilis and lowest for P. haydenii There was a significant species × stratification interaction, Seed scarification did not influence germination as much as seed stratification in these studies
Four planting depths and two time intervals (1 or 2 years) between transplanting and initial year of harvest of asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) yield were compared for 4 years. Spear emergence and initial spring harvest date were delayed and susceptibility to spring frost injury was decreased with increasing planting depth (from 5.0 to 20.0 cm). Over years, crown depth increased for the shallowest planting and decreased for the deepest planting. Harvesting after 1 year vs. 2 years from planting reduced yield. There were no significant interactions between year of initial harvest and depth of planting.
Documenting the successful interspecific crosses in a genus is a valuable tool in making decisions in developing strategies for plant breeding activities. However, summarizing the breeding and hybridization can be confusing because of incomplete or lost breeding records and the failure to register the parentage of new cultivar names. A summary of interspecific crosses in the genus Penstemon at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln West Central Research and Extension Center over 10 years provides insight into both successful and unsuccessful crosses. The results, based on seed production and percent of successful crosses, would suggest that interspecific crosses are more likely to be successful when the parent species are more closely related.
Differences in potato leafhopper (Empoasca fubae Harris) injury symptoms were noted in 22 cultivars or lines of dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in a 1991 field trial at North Platte, Neb. Seed yield, biomass, and plant injury symptoms were recorded. The same 22 dry bean cultivars or lines were planted in a split-plot design, with main plots protected (sprayed with insecticide) vs. unprotected (not sprayed) and cultivars or lines as subplots in 1992 and 1993. Significant differences were observed between cultivars/lines for leafhopper injury and yield in all 3 years. `Tacaragua' (black-seeded) and pinto `Sierra' were highly resistant to leafhoppers, with no visual leafhopper injury symptoms in all 3 years. Significant negative correlation coefficients between leafhopper injury symptoms and yield were recorded in the protected (4.50) and unprotected (-0.33) plots in 1993 but only in the unprotected (-0.46) plots in 1992. A cultivar x spray interaction response to leafhoppers occurred in 1992 but not in 1993. The degree of leafhopper injury symptoms varied between years.
Two studies in west-central Nebraska to determine the survival of wildflowers planted with buffalo grass [Buchloe dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm.] and blue grama grass [Bouteloua gracilis (H.B.K.) Lag. ex Steud.)] were conducted in 6 and 10 year studies. In total, 19 forbs and 1 grass were transplanted with `Texoka' buffalo grass in the first study, and 16 forbs were planted in a split-plot design into 3 buffalo grass selections, blue grama or a clean cultivated plot in the second study. Survival between transplants in both studies varied significantly. In the first study, survival was significantly higher for little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium Michx.) (85%), bouncing bet (Saponaria officinalis L.) (100%), and stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida L.) (100%) over the 6 years of the study. In the second study, there were significant differences between species for survival, with grayhead prairie coneflower [Ratibida pinnata (Vent.) Barnh.] (85%) and pitcher sage (Salvia azurea Lam.) (80%) having the highest survival at the end of the 10-year study. There were significant differences in height and number of flower stalks within S. rigida, R. pinnata, and S. azurea between years and between main plots. This study demonstrates differences in survival and growth of wildflowers when planted in conjunction with buffalo grass and blue grama grass.