Keywords

seed coating, pathogenesis, rangeland restoration, Pseudoroegneria spicata, bluebunch wheatgrass

Data Set Description Summary

This dataset contains emergence, biomass, and fungal biomass data collected during a laboratory study examining the effects of soil fungal level and seed coating treatment on the growth of bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata). Pathogenesis from soil and seed-borne fungus can limit success when restoring native species. Fungicides can combat fungal pathogens, but in some studies, fungicides treatments are ineffective at improving seedling emergence over untreated, control seed. These studies suggest low fungal presence due to dry conditions may be the cause of the ineffectiveness of fungicide treatments for some years and sites. This study tested if fungicide treatment effectiveness is indeed related to the amount of fungus in the soil. We analyzed the emergence and biomass of uncoated, blank-coated, and fungicide-coated bluebunch wheatgrass across five soil fungal levels (autoclaved, untreated, low, medium, and high).