Setaria spp.) Seed Cores
Setaria spp.) Seed CoresJohnson Farm Soil Seed Bank, Story Co., Iowa
Field Plots
Soil Core Extraction
Soil Core Markers
Seedling Emergence
Johnson Farm Soil Seed Pool, Ames, Story Co., Iowa Field Plots
FateLess 97. Johnson farm seed bank plots staked (below), with individual cores with 200 seeds buried within each. The plots below have giant foxtail seed harvested and buried in the fall of 1997, and experiment I call "FateLess 97". The weather station is cranking out that meterology every minute (below, upper left corner).
FateLess 98. As the foxtail seed falls by the bazillions across Iowa and the world, we capture some and bury it to evaluate its behavior, hopefully to provide predictive information to managers. The 1997 plots are now dominated by the soybean crop (below, left, top) and the newly established 1998 plots (below, left, bottom) with the first giant foxtail seed buried (blue flags). Brad Atchison is busy with the bulb planter placing his seed in these plots (below, right).
Periodically we extract the soil-seed cores to determine the fate of those since since burial, it leaves a nice hole (below).
Lo and behold, we caught worms in the core (below). Not using barriers around our placed seed helps us recreate more of the natural seedbank ecology, so we get worms.
Several things were apparent from the winter. Considerable freeze-frost-heaving of the soil displaced many of the small stick plot markers. This is most apparent below, bottom right; somewhat below, bottom left. Intact markers can be seen below, upper.
The panty hose placement system was unsuccessful (below). The freezing and rain activity resulted in the contraction of the panty hose, and the seed within. The seed burial depth was much shallower as a result. Fortunately, the large metal stakes with flags remained intact.
Wooden stick markers were replaced using a cardboard restaking template (small sticks), the metal flag marker, and the few old original wooden markers (darker wooden stakes) still remaining after the winter (below: left, middle, right).
Plenty of giant foxtail have emerged in the plots at the Johnson Farm, south of Ames (below left). Despite the fact these plots have been put in a long term sod, some small numbers of foxtail remained and we are getting some background emergence (below right).
The giant foxtail spring flush had its peak emergence period of the season in the first half of May. This was readily apparent today in the Johnson Farm plot weekly emergence counts with (below left) or without panty hose (below right).
