Effect of seed coating on seed emergence in the restoration of degraded alpine rangeland

Seeds of two forage species were coated with mixtures of hygroscopic and plantderived polysaccharide gums. Seedling emergence of the coated seeds was examined in a growth chamber to simulate climate in the Plateau. The water conserving capacities of the coating mixtures were tested. This study showed that the emergence of the uncoated seeds of two species were 86% and 88% at the optimal conditions and were 38% and 24% at the simulated conditions, respectively. The emergences of the coated seeds of two species were 60%-80% and 48%-82% at the simulated conditions. The speed of emergences and the rate of emergence of the coated seeds were related to water conserving capacities of the coating mixtures. The emergence were positively and linearly correlated to water conserving capacities of the coating mixtures, R2=0.954** and R2=0.915*, and the rate of emergence were also positively and linearly correlated to the water conserving capacity, R2=0.715(P0.01) and R2=0.753(P0.05).