Date of Award

2019

Publisher

North Dakota State University

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Awarded

Master of Science (MS)

Program

Natural Resources Management

Department

Natural Resource Sciences

College

Agriculture, Food Systems and Natural Resources

Faculty Advisor

Meehan, Miranda

Description

Riparian buffers have been created as a sustainable and effective way to combat the harmful effects of excess nitrogen and soil salinity in riparian settings. The goal of this research was to determine what species will I) germinate in saline environments and II) establish and produce sufficient biomass while being exposed to increased nitrogen. Incubation of eight native riparian graminoid species were evaluated for their ability to germinate in MgSO4-induced salinity. In a greenhouse study, seven riparian graminoid species were evaluated to quantify their ability to survive and take up nitrogen, mimicking buffer strips exposed to high inputs of runoff nitrogen. Slender wheatgrass and green needlegrass were able to germinate successfully when exposed to MgSO4 with EC levels up to 16 dS m-1 and 8 dS m-1, respectively. Of the graminoid species tested, smooth brome yielded sufficient biomass and nitrogen uptake percentages in a controlled setting.

Rights

NDSU policy 190.6.2

Rights Link

https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf

Author ORCID Identifier

0000-0003-2804-6257

Handle Identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/10365/31731

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