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Developing a field facility for evaluating flood tolerance of hardwood seedlings and understory ground covers

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Information about the flood tolerance of most plants has been obtained from either observations following natural floods or pot studies with amended soils. To better evaluate and compare flood tolerance among hardwood seedlings and ground covers for use in riparian buffer and bottomland plantings, a large outdoor facility with natural floodplain soils is needed where flood timing, depth, flow, and duration can be controlled and replicated. In 1999, the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry constructed a field facility at the Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center on the floodplain adjacent to Sulphur Creek. Using soil excavated to create a retention pond, 6-m wide by 2-m high berms were constructed on the original floodplain soil with minimal disturbance to soils within twelve parallel 6-m wide x 180-m long channels. Water from the retention pond can be pumped independently into each channel to control timing, depth, and duration of either standing or flowing water. First year survival of spring planted seedlings of black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) in the control channels has continued to increase each year with annual modifications to lower the high water table caused by seepage and improved post-flood draining of channels. On-going studies include evaluating genotypic variation in response to flooding within hardwood species and seedling flood tolerance among hardwood species and forage crops.

Parent Publication

Citation

Van Sambeek, J.W.; McGraw, Robert L.; Kabrick, John M.; Coggeshall, Mark V.; Unger, Irene M.; Dey, Daniel C. 2007. Developing a field facility for evaluating flood tolerance of hardwood seedlings and understory ground covers. In: Buckley, David S.; Clatterbuck, Wayne K.; eds. Proceedings, 15th central hardwood forest conference. e-Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-101. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station: 727-733.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/53492