Carrie A. Knott

Effect of Sea Oats (Uniola paniculata) Plant Size on Survival and Performance at Beaches with Low Dune Profiles

the gypsum blocks were buried too deeply to effectively measure the applied water. The modest quantities of water that we applied may have penetrated only the first several centimeters of soil, sufficient to enhance survival of new paintbrush seedlings, but not enough to reach the buried gypsum blocks. Given these results, it might be expected that the additional water applied in the water+fertilizer treatment would also have resulted in an increase in golden paintbrush survival. As this did not occur, we hypothesize that the associated vegetation, enhanced by fertilizer additions, may have provided significant competition for light, space, and water, negating the benefits additional watering may have conferred to the golden paintbrush. This experiment documented several factors that appear to be important in establishing golden paintbrush populations by seed. First, paintbrush seed germinated over a long period, with new seedlings continuing to appear well into the summer. These late-germinating recruits probably do not survive during typical dry summers, but may significantly increase the growth of populations during wetter years. Second, supplementary watering increased seedling survival, which may be especially important for seeds that germinate later in the summer, at the peak of drought conditions. In addition, of those seedlings able to survive this critical first summer, many were able to continue to thrive without additional watering. These results suggest several strategies managers might explore further in future restoration efforts. Paintbrush seed could be stratified prior to sowing in the early fall, which might allow a larger number of seeds to germinate and grow during mild fall, winter, and spring days when sufficient water is available, thereby permitting them to survive the critical seedling stage. Alternatively, supplemental watering of newly seeded paintbrush sites might be a viable approach. Where such means are logistically possible, large numbers of plants may be established at considerably less cost and effort than has been invested previously in growing and outplanting nursery-grown plugs.

Chemical Control of Weeds and Genetic Off-Types in Smooth Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) Production Ponds

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Fungal Communities Associated with Sea Oats Seeds Harvested from Sand Beaches and Seed Production Nurseries

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Management of Smooth Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) Stubble in Freshwater Production Ponds

Management of Smooth Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) Stubble in Freshwater Production Ponds Carrie A. Knott (corresponding author: Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, School of Plant, Environmental, and Soil Sciences, 104 M.B. Sturgis Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, cknott@agcenter.lsu.edu) and Pheonah Nabukalu (Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, School of Plant, Environmental, and Soil Sciences, Baton Rouge, LA).