ROADSIDE DRY-LAND PLANTING RESEARCH IN MONTANA

DRY-LAND PLANTING OF ROADSIDES UNDER SEMI-ARID GROWING CONDITIONS IS COSTLY. THE GREATEST POTENTIAL IN SAVINGS IS REALIZED BY REDUCING THE COST OF PLANTING STOCK AND THE AMOUNT OF HANDWORK THROUGH MECHANIZATION. TWO APPROACHES TO SUCCESSFUL DRY-LAND PLANTING OF ADAPTABLE SPECIES ARE EITHER PUT ROOTS DOWN BELOW THE DRY UPPER SOIL LAYER WHERE THE SOIL MOISTURE IS OR BRING THE SOIL MOISTURE UP TO WHERE THE ROOT SYSTEM IS. THE MONTANA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION IS INVESTIGATING SEVERAL SYSTEMS, ONE OF WHICH IS PARTICULARLY WELL ADAPTED TO COMPLETE MECHANIZATION FROM NURSERY TO ROADSIDE-THE NURTURING OF SEEDLINGS IN NARROW BUT EXTRAORDINARILY LONG TUBES USED AS POTS. ROOTING RESPONSE IS A FUNCTION OF SPECIES, POTTING-SOIL TEXTURE SEQUENCE, AND COMPOSITION OF THE CONFINING TUBE. PLACING UNDISTURBED ROOTS OF ACTIVELY GROWING "TUBELINGS" DOWN IN DEEP SOIL MOISTURE REDUCES TRANSPLANT SHOCK, GROWTH STAGNATION, NEED FOR IRRIGATION, AND MAINTENANCE. ADVANTAGES OF TUBELINGS IN NURSERY PRODUCTION INCLUDE REDUCED SPACE REQUIREMENTS, QUANTITY OF SOIL, AND LABOR AND EASE OF TRANSPORTATION. ANOTHER APPROACH TO DRY-LAND PLANTING IS THE USE OF PLASTIC-LINED PLANTING BASINS TO REDUCE EVAPORATION AND TO CONDENSE SOIL MOISTURE. WHEN THE FUNNEL-SHAPED LINER IS STRETCHED AND SEALED OVER THE BASIN AND WEIGHTED NEAR THE EXPOSED PLANT, CONDENSATE TRICKLES DOWNWARD TOWARD THE PLANT AND IRRIGATES IT. THE QUANTITY OF CONDENSATE IS DETERMINED BY SOIL MOISTURE CONDITIONS, TEMPERATURE DIFFERENTIALS, LINER COLOR, SOIL TEXTURE AND COLOR, BASIN AREA, AND LEAKS IN THE LINER. CONDENSATE COLLECTED BENEATH CLEAR PLASTIC LINERS EXCEEDED THAT OF BLACK LINERS BY THREE TIMES. ONLY SMALL QUANTITIES OF WATER ARE NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN A SMALL GROWING PLANT UNDER EVAPORATION-CONTROLLED CONDITIONS. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrr/1970/335/335-007.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Paper sponsored by Committee on Right-of-Way Maintenance and presented at the 49th Annual Meeting. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Hodder, Richard L
• Publication Date: 1970

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 29-34
• Monograph Title: Roadside development and maintenance
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 335
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Arid land; Condensate; Costs; Evaporation; Irrigation; Maintenance; Mechanization; Pavement layers; Planting; Plastics; Reduction (Chemistry); Roadside; Roots; Soil water; Soils; Texture; Tubing; Urban growth
• Geographic Terms: Montana
• Old TRIS Terms: Basins; Liners; Nursery production; Reduction; Root effects; Roots (Plants); Semiarid land; Soil texture
• Subject Areas: Design; Environment; Finance; Geotechnology; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00204821
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jun 1 1971 12:00AM