Seed germination and seedling settlement by sowing seeds on soil surface

It is important to choose appropriate seeds whether aerial seeding is successful because of different germination rates of seeds on the soil surface. In this study, the seed germination of Onobrychis viciifolia cv. mengnong, Astragalus adsurgens, Psammochloa villosa and Bromus ircutensis on the soil surface and their seedling settlement at 25 ℃ and 20% soil moisture was measured to provide the theoretical basis for the selection of suitable grass seeds, which is suitable for sowing on soil surface. This study showed that the germination rates of P. villosa of completely sessile type (Ⅰ type) was the highest (60%) and the others were about 35%; In three germination behavior, germination index and vigor index of O. viciifolia cv. mengnong (Ⅰ type) were higher than that of others and had significantly difference, except P. villosa; Except A. adsurgens, the young root development of four plants of Ⅰ type almost completely inserted into the soil during growth stage, indicating that the O. viciifolia cv. mengnong spent shorter time to insert into the soil than B. ircutensis and P. villosa did. Comprehensive comparison showed that the seeds of O. viciifolia cv. mengnong were bigger than that of others and inserted into the soil quickly when they germinated fast to avoid adverse environmental conditions. This study suggested that O. viciifolia cv. mengnong was suitable for sowing its seeds on soil surface.