Effect of Different Soil Water Content and Seed Storage on Quality of Six Range Grasses in the Semi-Arid Ecosystems of Kenya

Abstract

Seed quality and effects of storage on viability of six range grass species grown at 80, 50 and 30% Field capacity soil water content and rain fed were evaluated. Freshly harvested seeds at week 2 from date of harvest (DOH) had the lowest percent germination. Enteropogon macrostachyus showed low GP (<10%) after 2 weeks storage but at the late incubation periods of 11th to 14th day. Sorghum sudanense showed higher GP (> 50%) after storage period of 2 weeks from DOH and GP>75% from the three soil water content after storage period of 36 weeks. The results also showed after storage periods of 12 weeks, all the grass species start to germination after day 3 of incubation, unlike in the freshly harvested -2 weeks storage period where germination starts after 7 days of incubation except for Sorghum sudanense. Germination index (GI) increased with storage periods for all the grass species with Sorghum sudanense having the highest GI of over 20 after 12 weeks of storage. Storage period of 12 weeks increases seed viability of the six grasses and Sorghum sudanense has higher seed viability even when freshly harvested compared to the other species.