propagate in a nursery. My personal experience has taught me that the main practical issues many reforestation programs face are: propagating seeds in a nursery and transplanting the seedlings into exclusion areas is very resource intensive and requires an depth knowledge of plants fruiting cycles and propagation techniques. After transplanting occurs the plants still need to be regularly watered and cared for to ensure the highest survival rates. This is problematic as the areas selected are usually difficult to access and transporting the large quantities of water needed is logistically challenging. This study intended to address the above issues by investigating a novel reforestation technique, the Groasis Waterboxx, and quantitatively assessed its feasibility as a direct seeding technique. It aimed to determine what effect the Waterboxx had on both germination and survival compared to other, more regimented watering techniques and to assess the costs and benefits associated with each technique. The treatments were: the Groasis Waterboxx, initial deluge and regular watering with a control which received no supplementary water. Environmental variables, such as natural rainfall, along with seed weight were be recorded to determine if they have any effect on germination and survival. The study focused on two pioneer species, Prosopsis juliflores and Caesera tremula, as they were expected have higher germination rates than later successional species and are adapted to arid environments. 1.1 Research questions Do seeds from both study species show increased germination in the Groasis Waterboxx over other watering regimes? Do seedlings from both species have increased survival to 94 days in the Groasis Waterboxx over other watering regimes? Is the Groasis Waterboxx more cost-effective than other watering regimes?
propagate in a nursery. My personal experience has taught me that the main practical issues many reforestation programs face are: propagating seeds in a nursery and transplanting the seedlings into exclusion areas is very resource intensive and requires an knowledge of plants fruiting cycles and propagation techniques. After transplanting occurs the plants still need to be regularly watered and cared for to ensure the highest survival rates. This is problematic as the areas selected are usually difficult to access and transporting the large quantities of water needed is logistically challenging. This study intended to address the above issues by investigating a novel reforestation technique, the Groasis Waterboxx, and quantitatively assessed its feasibility as a direct seeding technique. It aimed to determine what effect the Waterboxx had on both germination and survival compared to other, more regimented watering techniques and to assess the costs and benefits associated with each technique. The treatments were: the Groasis Waterboxx, initial deluge and regular watering with a control which received no supplementary water. Environmental variables, such as natural rainfall, along with seed weight were be recorded to determine if they have any effect on germination and survival. The study focused on two pioneer species, Prosopsis juliflores and Caesera tremula, as they were expected have higher germination rates than later successional species and are adapted to arid environments. 1.1 Research questions Do seeds from both study species show increased germination in the Groasis Waterboxx over other watering regimes? Do seedlings from both species have increased survival to 94 days in the Groasis Waterboxx over other watering regimes? Is the Groasis Waterboxx more cost-effective than other watering regimes? depth
Assessing%20the%20viability%20of%20the%20Groasis%20Waterboxx%20for%20dry%20forest%20restoration%20and%20reforestation.docx