Tallgrass Prairie Center Native Seed Production Manual (review)

The production of high quality native seed appropriate for ecological restoration is a skill that takes a great deal of knowledge, time, observation, and a fair amount of trial and error to develop. With the assistance of a well compiled, easy to read technical manual such as the Tall Grass Prairie Center Native Seed Production Manual, the learning curve is greatly diminished. Drawing upon the expertise of Greg A. Houseal, Program Manager of the Iowa Ecotype Project and the United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) Plant Materials Program, this manual not only covers the fundamentals of native plant propagation and seed production, but it also offers critical insights into the selection and sourcing of native plant materials important to native seed producers and ecological restoration practitioners.

Being native seed producers ourselves, it is important that a production manual provide a wealth of knowledge and at the same time be concise and easy to use and to refer. This native seed production manual offers all of these benefits. It is organized in 4 easy to use sections—general information, seed reference sheets, appendices, and supplemental information. The general information section offers easily read, comprehensive descriptions of the full scope of seed production, including foundation seed collection and sampling methods, greenhouse propagation, harvesting and seed processing, as well as covering issues pertaining to seed source and quality. We found this to be particularly useful for those interested in native seed production, but who have yet to obtain extensive experience.

From the start, this section tackles one of the most important biological phenomena necessary to understand in order to propagate native plants—seed dormancy. Three mechanisms of dormancy are intelligibly described, giving the reader a better understanding of how diverse seeds of different species can be and the how the understanding of this diversity is important to all aspects of native seed production. This manual does not merely stop at describing the various mechanisms of seed dormancy, but it immediately continues to describe the basic methods employed to break dormancy, encourage germination, and ensure successful establishment.

From seed treatment, the manual moves on to cover the basics of greenhouse production, from a recipe for good soil medium to light and temperature requirements necessary for greenhouse production of native plants. One particular aspect we really liked about this manual is that the author not only offers tips on what to do but also explains to the reader what not to do. This general section on propagation also touches on the field transplanting seedlings and offers an array of techniques and recommendations for successful field establishment. For example, the suggestion is made to plant directly into ground cloth for its usefulness at suppressing weeds and retaining soil moisture. We have found in our seed plots that it is also key in trapping dispersed seed, which can easily be collected using a shop-vac or a dustpan and broom. The manual also offers good information on appropriate planting seasons to maximize success of field plantings and to minimize the need for active irrigation.

It is essential that seed be harvested as close to maturity as possible, and this manual offers practical methods for determining seed ripeness in the field and touches on factors that affect seed maturing and dispersal. This is a skill that is learned through time, but the descriptions given can greatly reduce the learning curve. Creative hand harvesting techniques are also discussed, such as using scissors and combs, as well as mechanical methods for larger scale operations from modified combines to specialized commercial seed strippers. Though mentioned, there is not a great deal of detailed information on harvesting equipment which could be useful for new producers.

In addition to touching on harvesting methods, the manual discusses other important issues, such as sampling methods and genetic considerations. We were glad to see that the manual addressed these subjects because in our production, we strive to promote genetic diversity...