1 / 16

LESSONS LEARNT FOR HARVESTING SEED IN BIODIVERSITY MITIGATION AND ENHANCEMENT SCHEMES IN THE UK

LESSONS LEARNT FOR HARVESTING SEED IN BIODIVERSITY MITIGATION AND ENHANCEMENT SCHEMES IN THE UK. Professor R Neil Humphries CSci CBiol BSc MA PhD MBS MIPSS FIQ Sustainable Reclamation ASMR National Meeting, Tupelo, Ms. June 8th-15th, 2012. Background .

lieu
Download Presentation

LESSONS LEARNT FOR HARVESTING SEED IN BIODIVERSITY MITIGATION AND ENHANCEMENT SCHEMES IN THE UK

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. LESSONS LEARNT FOR HARVESTING SEED IN BIODIVERSITY MITIGATION AND ENHANCEMENT SCHEMES IN THE UK Professor R Neil Humphries CSciCBiol BSc MA PhD MBS MIPSS FIQ Sustainable Reclamation ASMR National Meeting, Tupelo, Ms. June 8th-15th, 2012

  2. Background Objective - to understand more about seed collection from natural sources • Study undertaken in 1992 & 1993 • 5 coalfield grassland – mire/fen meadow sites in South Wales, UK, harvested early & late July • All UK Biodiversity Action Plan grasslands (NVC mesotrophic grasslands MG5 & MG8; mires M23, M24 & M25; acid grassland U5) • Emorsgatetractor-drawn suction harvester • Seed was air-dried, sieved & bagged

  3. Four Studies Undertaken • Donor site species composition and their flower & seed development stages • Species composition of harvested seed • Efficacy of suction harvester • ‘Harvestability’ of seed

  4. Seed Harvesting

  5. MG5 Cynosuruscristatus – Centaureanigrameadow

  6. M23 Juncuseffusus – Juncusacutiflorus – Galiumpalustre rush pasture

  7. M24 Moliniacaerulea – Cirsiumdissectumfen meadow

  8. Summary of Results • Number of Key-Constant (+ Rare) Species in Harvested Seed

  9. Lessons Learnt Need for – • Seed-burden surveys • Multiple-harvests • Adequate donor sites • More than one method of collection • Good storage and control of pests

  10. 1 – Seed Burden Surveys Year prior to harvest and harvest year: • Determine species composition & field scale spatial variation, access, and • Species flower/seed architecture & seed ripening/shedding period(s), methods of collection • Determine areal contribution to seed yield (area / grasses & forbs) and number of harvests required (single or multiple) • Change land use to maximise seed yield (remove grazing pressure)

  11. 2- Multiple Harvests Need for multiple harvests because: • Different seed yields between years (1992 & 1993) • Species ripen at different times within years:

  12. 3 - Donor Sites Preplanning - • Access for harvest method • Species composition • Control of land use & management Adequate yield of seed (area) –

  13. 4 - More Than One Method More than one seed collection method available More than one because of: • Weather - dry standing crop • Access limitations (steep, patterned & soft ground) • Selective harvest of seed / seed heads (flower architecture, key species, weevil infestation)

  14. 5 - Storage & Control of Pests • Seed collected is valuable in terms of effort and limited resource • Reduced viability through infestation by mildews and white-shouldered house moth If not sown on collection there is need for: • Drying & dry storage • Insecticide treatment

  15. Conclusions • Study is highly relevant to today’s drive to establish native plant grassland communities • Study provides basis for planning collection and evidence for achievability to planning authorities • Showed need for careful & informed planning, realistic & achievable programme spanning seed ripening times & a number of years, and sufficient donor resource

  16. AcknowledgementsBritish Coal (former national coal company) for their foresight and funding of this study

More Related