Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Influence of container size on Wyoming big sagebrush seedling morphology and cold hardiness

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is a key component of sagebrush steppe ecosystems and is a dominant shrub throughout the western United States. Our objective was to identify the effect of container size on plant morphology of Wyoming big sagebrush. We used three different stocktypes (45/340 ml [20 in3], 60/250 ml [15 in3], 112/105 ml [6.4 in3]) of 1-year old seedlings to examine seedling quality in regards to cold hardiness, height, root-collar diameter, dry mass, root volume, shoot volume, and root:shoot. Cold hardiness was measured four times in the fall and once in the spring. All other measurements were taken in the spring. Cold hardiness was not affected by container size. Plant height, root-collar diameter, and dry mass increased with container size. Shoot volume increased with container size, and root volume of seedlings from the two largest container sizes was greater than that of seedlings grown in 112/105 ml (6.4 in3). Our results indicate the strong effect that container size has on plant morphology. This information provides us with a greater ability to develop target plants for use in restoring a particular site.

Parent Publication

Keywords

seedling, nursery, stocktype, outplanting

Citation

Herriman, Kayla R.; Davis, Anthony S.; Dumroese, R. Kasten. 2009. Influence of container size on Wyoming big sagebrush seedling morphology and cold hardiness. In: Dumroese, R. K.; Riley, L. E., tech. coords. National Proceedings: Forest and Conservation Nursery Associations-2008. Proc. RMRS-P-58. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 44-47
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/32936