Impact of fire suppressant on seed germination and seedling emergence of native and introduced flora from a Western Australian eucalypt woodland
Zoe Webber A * , Richard Harris A , Shane Turner A and Simone Pedrini AA
Abstract
Phos-Chek WD881A is a short-term retardant used by fire-fighters in Western Australia to suppress and control the movement of fire across the landscape. It is currently applied at a working concentration of 0.1–1%.
Our objective was to assess and quantify the impact of the suppressant on seed germination and seedling emergence across eight native and two weed species commonly found in Eucalyptus wandoo woodland.
Seeds were exposed to five Phos-Chek concentrations, from 0 to 10% (v/v), in a germination trial in Petri dishes, and three concentrations of 0, 0.1 and 1% (v/v) in a seedling emergence trial.
Increasing concentrations of Phos-Chek both delayed and reduced germination and emergence for all species except Acacia saligna. The sensitivity to Phos-Chek varied among the tested species.
Phos-Chek had a significant impact on the germination and emergence of native and invasive species, with irreversible damage to seed viability in one taxa (Allocasuarina humilis).
It is recommended that applications of Phos-Chek foam remain closer to the minimum recommended concentration (0.1% v/v) to reduce adverse effects on the recruitment of sensitive species, particularly during dry autumns when leaching of this chemical is likely to be limited.
Keywords: Phos-Chek, Darling Scarp, fire management, fire suppression chemical, Mediterranean, native seeds, weeds, Western Australia, wetting agent.
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