Seeding Nevada’s Rangelands: How does seeding rate affect establishment?

Authors: Harmon, Daniel; Phillips, Jacob; Tonkel, Kirk; Clements, Darin

Submitted to: Popular Publication
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/17/2026
Publication Date: 4/13/2026
Citation: Harmon, D.N., Phillips, J.D., Tonkel, K.C., Clements, D.D. 2026. Seeding Nevada’s Rangelands: How does seeding rate affect establishment?. Popular Publication. 26(4):24-26.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Seeding efforts are among the most common range improvement treatments in the Great Basin. This practice is conducted annually, often after wildfires, to reduce soil erosion, suppress exotic weeds and provide natural resources for livestock and wildlife. Establishing perennial plants is the most effective way to mitigate the catastrophic habitat loss of over a million acres annually due to wildfires fueled by exotic annual grasses, such as cheatgrass. What factors determine if a seeding effort is successful has been a conversation for nearly 80 years in the Great Basin. Ongoing land management discussions have focused on what species to seed, at what seeding rates and using what method. Beginning in 2023, the USDA-ARS Great Basin Rangeland Research Unit began a study examining the effect that seeding rate has on the establishment of two introduces grasses and four native grasses. The six grass species were seeded at three sites using three rates (low, medium, high) for three consecutive years. The seeding rates (low, medium and high) were implemented using a drill seeding and a broadcast seeding method. Our preliminary results from the first two years of our seeding rates experiment indicate some possible seeding guidelines. We find that the grass species fall into two categories: (1) species that increasing seeding rate has a stronger effect on establishment (Siberian wheatgrass, crested wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass and bluebunch wheatgrass) and (2) species for which seeding rate has a weaker effect on establishment densities (bottlebrush squirreltail and thickspike wheatgrass). This information can be used in multiple ways. Species like bottlebrush squirreltail, where higher seeding rates don’t equate to significantly higher establishment densities, should be kept at lower rates in a seed mix if included at all, with the cost savings of using a lower rate put toward higher rates (higher seed cost) for species where the rate more strongly affects establishment densities, like Siberian wheatgrass or Sandberg bluegrass. We can also estimate the lowest rate that will achieve our minimum density establishment required to competitively suppress cheatgrass with these data. While such research can help predict the chance for seeding success, ultimately the best management recommendations should include on-the-ground experience and outcomes of past seedings in similar working areas.