INFLUENCE OF SEEDING VARIABLES ON TIFTON-9 BAHIAGRASS ESTABLISHMENT

'Tifton 9' possesses attributes similar to 'Pensacola' bahiagrass (Pas palum notatum Flugge var. saurae Parodi) including persistence, wide a daptation, and positive rotation effects for subsequent crops. Seed do rmancy has been implicated as a cause of slow establishment of bahiagr ass. Our objective was to evaluate dormancy-reducing seed treatments o n multiple seed lots with a range of seeding rates during spring, summ er, or fall planting. Tifton 9 seed lots with high or low dormant seed fractions were planted without treatment, after solid matrix priming (SMP), or after accelerated aging (AA) at elevated temperature and hum idity. Seed was planted during 2 yr at Tifton, GA (31 degrees 26' N, 8 3 degrees 35' W), or Immokalee, FL (26 degrees 27' N, 81 degrees 26' W ), using seeding rates of 5.6, 16.8, or 50.4 kg ha(-1). Tiller counts at 1 and 2 mo following planting, stand occupation the year following planting and dry matter harvested were obtained to monitor establishme nt. Seed lot had no influence on any variable evaluated. Initial stand s were improved by SMP, indicating enhanced early emergence; however, SMP did not increase second-year stands and forage yield compared with other seed treatments. Accelerated aging provided no advantage. Incre asing the seeding rate resulted in greater emergence and second-year s tand coverage, but yield advantages were small. Response to planting s eason varied with year and location. A November freeze damaged October -planted stands at Tifton in 1993. Stand establishment was hastened wi th a high seeding rate, but any advantage of high seeding rates was sh ort lived. Seed treatments examined in this research provided little b enefit, and it may be possible to reduce standard seeding rate recomme ndations without impairing long term establishment.