I. Buried seed populations

Abstract

Numbers of buried legume seeds in the upper layers of soil were determined in a survey over an area of hill country pasture at the Grasslands Division research station, Ballantrae. Seeds of suckling clover (Trifolium dubium L.) and white clover (T. repens L.) were most numerous, mean numbers per ln 2 being average for this particular type of pasture (2541 and 291 repectively). White clover seed numbers were not significantly different between site types, whereas suckling clover seeds were highest on north aspects and stockcamps and lowest on south aspects and wet sites. These variations could be attributed largely to climatic and stock behaviour factors, and distribution of legume plants. Little of the buried legume seed germinated in tests, but scarification revealed that viability was high. The role of buried legume seed as a source of seed in pasture improvement is discussed. 211