INPUT TO SEED BANKS OF PROSO MILLET (Panicum miliaceum) IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO

Abstract

The production and dispersal of the black-seeded form of proso millet (Panicum miliaceum) were investigated at five farm fields in Huron County, Ontario in 1980. Three crops (corn, barley and white beans), subjected to normal crop management practices, were represented. Seed traps were used to determine the period, the distance, and the direction of seed dispersal. Seed production (density), determined from a single harvest, averaged 92 seeds/m2 in barley, 2354 seeds/m2 in corn and 38 247 seeds/m2 in white beans. Seed dispersal began on 11 Aug. in the corn crop, 25 Aug. in white beans and 8 Sept. in barley. Most seeds were dispersed in September, though dispersal continued until the field was disturbed at harvest or with fall tillage. Seeds were dispersed in almost equal proportions in all directions. Only a very few seeds were dispersed further than the maximum lateral spread of the parent plants.Key words: Proso millet, seed dispersal, seed banks, seed production, Panicum miliaceum