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The Effects Of Moist-Heat Treatments And Stratification On Germination Of Prairie Plant Seeds, John E. Stuurwold

Honors Theses

Germination of Silphium terebinthenaceum was enhanced by a post-stratification most-heat treatment at 80°C. Tested seeds of four other perennial herbs common to midwestern prairies (Andropogon scoparius, Sorghastrum nutans, Eryngium yuccifolium, and Solidago rigida) showed little adverse or beneficial effects of the heat treatment. Heat treatments alone had little effect on the seeds; the length of stratification periods necessary to effect maximal germination varied. The significance of these findings is examined in the light of related literature on grassland fire ecology.