Seed longevity of glyphosate resistant transgenic creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) lines

Abstract

Studies to estimate seed longevity and dormancy of creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) were conducted from 2000 to 2005 at Corvallis and Hermiston, Oregon. Seeds from three transgenic glyphosate resistant creeping bentgrass lines, 48-10, 48-13, and ASR368, and one non-transgenic glyphosate susceptible line, SR1020, were used. Creeping bentgrass seeds were buried at 3, 18 and 31 cm in 2000 and removed 6, 12, 18, 24, and 51 months later. Soil type and climatic conditions were different at the two locations. At Corvallis, the soil was a Malabon silty clay loam, and the winters wet and mild. The soil at Hermiston was an Adkins fine sandy loam, and winters drier and colder. Seeds of all creeping bentgrass lines deteriorated faster at Corvallis than at Hermiston. The estimated half-lives of creeping bentgrass lines buried at Corvallis were 8.4 to 20.2 months, while those buried at Hermiston were 8.4 to 37.7 months. At both sites, seeds of the glyphosate resistant lines, 48-10 and 48-13, deteriorated faster than the susceptible line, SR1020. However, seed deterioration in the resistant line, ASR368, was slower than all other creeping bentgrass lines. Based on the germination test, exhumed intact seeds at Corvallis were more dormant than those at Hermiston. If buried, it could be expected that viable creeping bentgrass seeds will persist more than 4 years after the seeds are introduced to a site, but environmental conditions can influence both seed longevity and dormancy.