R.J. JONES

CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Townsville, Queensland

Abstract

Seeds of Stylosanthes hamata cv. Verano (Verano) and S. Scabra cv. Seca (Seca) were sown in buckets and subjected to 0 (control), 1, 2 and 3 weeks of flooding to a depth of 3 cm. Stylo seedlings were recorded for 46 days. Hard seeds were recovered and counted from the soil after the initial growing period.
Stylo emergence declined exponentially with flood duration. There was no significant difference between Verano and Seca. Flooding for 3 weeks resulted in a reduction of 88% of the emergence measured in control treatments.
Flooding resulted in higher hard seed levels than in the control. Seed lost by rotting was higher with Verano than with Seca and increased with duration of flooding. Overall it varied from 15–58%.