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Seed Separation and Enumeration from Soil Using K2Co3-Centrifugation and Image Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2017

Douglas D. Buhler
Affiliation:
U.S. Dep. Agric., Agric. Res. Serv., Plant Sci. Res. Unit, Dep. Agron. and Plant Genet., Univ. Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108
Bruce D. Maxwell
Affiliation:
Dep. Plant and Soil Sci., Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT 59717

Abstract

This research presents a modified floatation method to extract weed seed from soil samples and an automated imaging technique to enumerate seed following extraction. Rapid floatation of weed seed from soil in a K2CO3 solution was facilitated by centrifugation. High recovery of seed from soil samples was accomplished in a relatively short time. Recovery of seed of giant foxtail and velvetleaf from a silt loam soil was near 100% and recovery of redroot pigweed was 86%. Germination of common lambsquarters, giant foxtail, and velvetleaf seed was reduced by exposure to K2CO3 under certain conditions. However, these reductions do not appear to reduce the utility of this extraction technique. The automated image capture technique for counting seed showed similar limitations as with manual counting. Seed count accuracy generally decreased with increased number of seed and smaller seed sizes. In general, the image capture technique compared favorably with manual seed counting and has the potential to further improve seedbank assessment methods.

Type
Soil, Air, and Water
Copyright
Copyright © 1993 by the Weed Science Society of America 

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References

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