02205naa a2200217 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001910000180006024500920007826000090017052016060017965000120178565000150179765000130181265000120182565300170183765300200185465300200187465300210189477300720191517874431996-02-26       1944    bl ---       0--  u    #d1 aBURTON, G. W.  aSeed production of several southern grasses as influenced by burning and fertilization.  c1944  aBurning old sods of Bahia grass and Bermuda grass stimulated seed production and resul- ted in greatly increased yields of seed. Burning had no effect upon the seed yield of ribbed paspalum and actually reduced the yield of carpet grass seed significantly. It is evident, therefore, that burning will not stimulate seed production in all grasses. In Paraguay Bahia grass burning increased the head abundance decreased the panicle size and seed wei- ght and had no influence upon the percentage of florests to set seed. These results, toge- ther with the decreased vegetative growth that results from burning dormants sods of this grass, indicate that burning changed the plants from a vegetative to a reproductive con- dition. Generally, January, February, March and April burnings were equally effective in stimulating seed production in Bahia grass. A notable exception was found in the early maturing Pensacola strain of Bahia grass which produced less seed than the unburned checks when burned in April. The favorable response of nine different strains of Bahia grass to burning indicates that burning old sods may be expected to stimulate seed produ- ction in all strains of this species. In 1943, the first year of this study, nitrate of soda (16% N) applied at the rate of 500 pounds per acre and 4-8-4 fertilizer at a 2,000 pound rate were equally effective in increasing the yield of seed and the aboveground parts in Para- guay Bahia grass. Fertilization of the burned plots gave the greatest seed yields, but the percentage increase, due to fertilization, was greater in the unburned plots.  aburning  aProdução  aQueimada  aSemente  aFertilizacao  aGrama meridiona  aSeed production  aSouthern grasses  tJournal of the American Society of Agronomygv.36, p.523-529, 1944.