Improving Germination Rates for Select Native Perennial Seeds of The Sonoran Desert

Anthropogenic influences, such as the removal of vegetation for road and alternative energy construction, have degraded deserts of the southwestern United States (Abella, 2010). Sensitive and endangered wildlife, such as the desert tortoise, are dependent on desert vegetation for their diet and habitat in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts (Nussear et al., 2009). Disturbed desert lands contribute to increasing dust storms, which pose as a human health hazard (Pointing and Belnap, 2014). Revegetation by outplanting nursery-grown plants has been more reliable than seeding for establishing native desert perennials, suggesting a need for further research if seeding is to be successful (Abella et al., 2012). To minimize time and expenses for restoration projects, it is important to develop seed treatment techniques that raise germination rates