Developing Alternative Methods/Techniques for Plant Establishment Under Reduced Irrigation
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ROSA P serves as an archival repository of USDOT-published products including scientific findings, journal articles, guidelines, recommendations, or other information authored or co-authored by USDOT or funded partners. As a repository, ROSA P retains documents in their original published format to ensure public access to scientific information.
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Developing Alternative Methods/Techniques for Plant Establishment Under Reduced Irrigation

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English

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    Final; Oct. 2004-Dec. 2008.
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  • Abstract:
    The purpose of the study was to evaluate soil treatments for their effect on establishment of wild-land

    shrubs without supplemental irrigation. The treatments that significantly improved growth over irrigation

    alone at a central California fill slope site (Contra Costa County, route 4) involved deep soil

    decompaction and/or compost addition. General information regarding use of water by plants and

    retention of water by soil or soil amendments was evaluated from literature reviews, by lab analysis and

    with plant water-use modeling. A method was developed to predict the plant water use and soil water

    availability characteristics that would allow field establishment of shrubs through dry summer conditions

    without supplemental irrigation. This method was then tested in different substrate and climatic

    conditions in three additional counties around the state (Sutter (route 70), Mono (route 395) and San

    Diego (I-5)). In all cases, shrubs on soil treatments including deep soil decompaction and compost

    incorporation grew larger than those on untreated substrates. No supplemental irrigation was used

    except to wet the profile once at time of planting, and even then only if ambient soil moisture was

    insufficient. The recommended treatment is to decompact the substrate by excavation or ripping or

    fracturing to three feet depth if the substrate is not already rootable, then to add an inch of compost and

    incorporate into the top foot (unless the area receives atmospheric deposition or contains residual soil

    organic matter or is in a desert environment), and then to plant containers with site-appropriate species

    and to cover the immediate area with two inches of wood chip mulch.

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