Stimulation of seed germination in an abandoned hay meadow
1999
Losvik, M.H.
In order to stimulate germination from the soil seed bank in a formerly species‐rich hay meadow for conservation purposes, eight gaps were made in each of four habitat types: (1) Dry/open, (2) Dry/shaded, (3) Moist/open and (4) Moist/ shaded; the meadow was abandoned 12 yr before the experiment started. The mean tree cover of the gaps was reduced from 50 % to 22 %. Light was estimated as distance to nearest tree towards south and shade as tree cover. Soil moisture content was estimated from topography and measured from soil samples. There were no significant differences in total herb number between strata before the experiment started. The number of the target group herb indicators of old, traditional management, was however higher in dry, open areas than in shaded areas whether moist or dry. After the treatment, 15 herbs appeared anew in the gaps, nine of these were indicators of traditional management. 80 % of the indicators present after treatment were either new or had increased in frequency in the gaps. More indicators of traditional management appeared in gaps in the open, on dry soils in slopes than in shaded gaps, on moist soils and flat surface. In order to stimulate germination from the seed bank of as many herb indicators of traditional management as possible in abandoned hay meadows of the region, dry, sloping areas, situated as far as possible from large trees towards south and in the open, should be chosen for making gaps for germination.
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