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Browsing by Subject "Seeds"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Cost-Effective Roadside Revegetation Methods to Support Insect Pollinators
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2022-08) Mitchell, Timothy; Verhoeven, Michael; Darst, Ashley; Evans, Elaine; Cariveau, Dan; Snell-Rood, Emilie
    Roadsides contain promising habitat for insect pollinators, yet roadside restorations can be expensive and are rarely evaluated for effectiveness. Where do we establish pollinator-friendly revegetation to maximize benefits? How effective are current revegetation practices at providing habitat for pollinators? We address these questions with two studies. Chapter 2 examines the impact of roadside-adjacent habitat that has been identified as pollinator-friendly for bumble bees. We use pollinator habitat maps to examine associations between the amount of nearby pollinator-friendly habitat and bumble bees (abundance and richness). We also regroup land covers to more specifically align with bumble bee habitat needs and compare the ability of both land cover categorizations to predict bumble bee metrics. This study can help refine predictors in mapping efforts to prioritize locations for pollinator habitat enhancements. Chapters 3 and 4 combine detailed insect and floral surveys of sites with known revegetation history to test efficacy of current revegetation methods for providing habitat for insect pollinators. We show which plants establish after seeding and how communities change as they age. We find that native flowering plants are more likely to establish in roadsides when they are planted, but native and non-native seeded sites converge in the plant community through time. Bumble bee and butterfly abundance and diversity is tied to flowering plant abundance and diversity, regardless of their status as native plants. This work identifies where pollinator-friendly restorations should be implemented and how current seeding practices could be modified to improve benefits to pollinators while reducing costs.
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    Estimating seed dispersal distances with incomplete genetic data:new methods, power analyses and a case study of the tropical tree Tabebuia rosea
    (2012-12) Vargas Timchenko, Marta Isabel
    Genetic data linking seeds directly to parents through maternal seed tissue are often hailed as the best way to obtain information on seed dispersal distances. However, DNA quality in maternally derived seed tissue is often low, leading to high rates of genotyping errors, and usually much discarding of data. This study tested and applied methods for gleaning information on seed dispersal distances from incomplete and error-prone genetic data, using the tropical tree Tabebuia rosea as a case study. Genotyping error rates were calculated and then incorporated these rates into a model to estimate seed dispersal distances using all available data. Simulations were used to evaluate the effects of both genotyping error rates and the number of seeds genotyped upon dispersal estimates. Results demonstrate the importance of calculating error rates, and the value of including incomplete genetic data in analyses in order to increase power and obtain better parameter estimates.
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    Regional Optimization of Roadside Turfgrass Seed Mixtures
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2019-12) Watkins, Eric; Sessoms, Florence; Hollman, Andrew; Laskowski, Michael; Moncada, Kristine
    Current MnDOT specifications for roadside turfgrasses suggest statewide planting of mixtures that are grouped into five broad categories such as low maintenance turf and high maintenance turf. The objective of this research was to identify turfgrasses that possess traits necessary to survive in the harsh roadside environments found throughout Minnesota. We investigated the impacts of possibly the three most limiting environmental conditions (heat, salt and ice cover) on multiple cultivars from up to fifteen individual turfgrass species. Salt stress screening revealed several species with good levels of adaptation including alkaligrass and tall fescue. In the heat stress trial, we found cultivars and selections of Canada bluegrass, tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, strong creeping red fescue and slender creeping red fescue were among the top performers. Finally, in our ice cover screening, tall fescue and Chewings fescue did well; however, these results did not correlate well with our typical field observations. For each of these stresses, we identified top-performing cultivars that will be evaluated in field studies with the goal of identifying optimized mixtures for stakeholders in Minnesota.
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    Regional Optimization of Roadside Turfgrass Seed Mixtures Phase 2: Regional Field Trials and Economic Analysis
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2022-07) Watkins, Eric; Christensen, Dominic; Yue, Chengyan; Moncada, Kristine
    Our goal was to develop seed mixture recommendations to improve establishment and development of roadside vegetation in Minnesota. We selected 14 research sites across Minnesota and seeded 40 turfgrass mixtures. Turfgrass coverage was assessed at each site twice a year and the weed seed bank was examined. We found that greater seeded turfgrass species richness was important for increasing and stabilizing roadside turfgrass coverage across space. We also found differences in the type and density of the weed seed bank at many sites, but its impact was relatively low on weed coverage over time. We considered soil and weather variables and found three significant seeding clusters for Minnesota consisting of two geographical seeding clusters (north and central/south) and one non-geographical cluster for sites with poor soil quality. Three new mixtures for each cluster were recommended for Minnesota. Implementing these mixtures will reduce soil erosion, improve aesthetics, save local communities' financial resources, and improve the overall environment we occupy. As a complement to the field research, we developed cost prediction models that were incorporated into a detailed enterprise budget tool to calculate the roadside establishment costs that include labor, water, seed, sod, fertilizer, and other factors. This Excel-based tool can be used by local and state officials in determining budgets for roadside installations and which types or combinations of turfgrasses would be most cost effective, while also generating optimal performance.
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    Regional Roadside Turfgrass Testing Program
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2019-08) Watkins, Eric; Trappe, Jon; Moncada, Kristine; Renz, Mark; Soldat, Doug; Kreuser, William; Murphy, James; Frank, Kevin
    Roadsides are a challenging environment for successfully establishing turfgrass. Site-specific stresses demand multi-site testing of grasses and grass mixtures. This study evaluated 60 entries that varied by cultivar, species, or mixture by establishing on-site trials in MI, MN, NE, NJ, and WI. The entries tested included 50 individual cultivars and 10 standard mixtures, two from each participating state based on their current specifications. One location in each state was along an urban or suburban street with a curb, while the second location was along a rural highway without a curb having a ditch that slopes away from the road with a daily traffic volume of at least 30,000 vehicles. Plots were seeded at most sites in late summer 2016, and data were collected through spring 2018. Turfgrass performance was assessed by counting living turf cover, weed cover, and bare soil using the grid intersect method in the spring and fall of each year. Species and cultivar performance varied among locations. Several species showed potential for inclusion in effective mixtures. Other species performed well at some locations and poorly at others. Performance of standard mixtures was also inconsistent across locations. This research demonstrates the need for locally generated data on roadside turfgrass performance.
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    Turfgrass Seed Variety Evaluation Process
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2023-05) Watkins, Eric; Yue, Chengyan; Hollman, Andrew; Moncada, Kristine
    Our project addresses two critical needs: to update existing MnDOT turfgrass recommendation lists and to develop a new process to keep lists continually updated in a fair manner with data-driven recommendations. We evaluated the current list of MnDOT-approved turfgrass varieties and found underperforming varieties that should be removed. We then found new, improved varieties that should be considered for inclusion on the MnDOT lists. To facilitate a process to keep lists updated for the future, we first conducted a survey of seed distributors. Using their input, we developed a new process that MnDOT can use to approve turfgrass varieties for inclusion as official seed mixtures. Ultimately, this will lead to a more nimble, consistent, and clear process so that existing and new seed vendors can have complete confidence in data-driven decision making by MnDOT.
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    Validation of Wetland Mitigation in Abandoned Borrow Areas – Phase II
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2016-03) Johnson, Kurt W.
    Road construction in northeast Minnesota often causes wetland impacts that require compensatory mitigation. Borrow areas excavated for road construction material can be developed into wetland mitigation sites if hydric vegetation, hydric soils and adequate hydrology are provided. Fourteen wetland mitigation sites were constructed north of Virginia, Minnesota along the U.S. Trunk Highway 53 reconstruction project corridor. The sites were established with the goal of mitigating for project impacts to seasonally flooded basin, fresh meadow, shallow marsh, shrub swamp, wooded swamp, and bog wetlands. Monitoring results indicate that the 14 mitigation sites range in their potential to receive wetland mitigation credit. All but one of the sites consistently meet wetland hydrology criteria. The sites contain a variety of plant communities dominated by wet meadow, sedge meadow, and shallow marsh. Floristic Quality Assessment (FQA) condition categories for the sites range from "Poor" to "Exceptional." Invasive plant species, particularly reed canary grass and narrow leaf cattail, are present on a number of sites and should be controlled. Tamarack and black spruce plantings have been successful on some of the drier areas and should be expanded to increase the quality and potential mitigation credit for other sites. These sites have shown the potential for creating mitigation wetlands in abandoned borrow pits in conjunction with highway construction. Adaptive management, particularly water level regulation, early invasive species control, tree planting, and continued long-term annual monitoring can make mitigation sites like these successful options for wetland mitigation credit. Continued site monitoring to determine potential for mitigation credit is recommended.
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    Wetland Mitigation in Abandoned Gravel Pits
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2010-03) Johnson, Kurt W.
    It is becoming increasingly difficult to provide on-site mitigation for wetland impacts due to road construction in northeastern Minnesota counties that retain greater than 80 percent of their pre-settlement wetlands. Abandoned gravel pits are one of the few remaining areas that can serve as wetland mitigation sites. The overall goal of the project is to develop cost-effective methods for creating functional mitigation wetlands on abandoned gravel pit sites to compensate for wetland impacts due to road construction. Two approximately 1-hectare wetland creation demonstration sites were established in adjacent abandoned gravel pits within the U.S. Trunk Highway 53 reconstruction corridor to evaluate techniques for wetland establishment. Wet meadow and shrub swamp wetlands were attempted on one site, and wooded swamp and bog wetlands on the other. Wetland seed mixes provided both positive and negative effects on the developing plant communities on both sites initially but their effect was limited to the first year. Alder thicket and bog donor soil applications had positive effects but not until the third year of the study. Hardwood willow cuttings were effective for establishing a shrub component. Conifer seedlings did not survive unless planted on soil mounds. Fertilizer proved ineffective for promoting wetland plant growth during the study period. The use of straw mulch is questionable on saturated wetland sites such as those in this study.