Sow seeds of tree species in savanna

Overall effectiveness category Evidence not assessed
Number of studies: 1
Share Tweet Email

View assessment score

How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

not assessed
Certainty

not assessed
Harms

not assessed

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

Savanna habitats consist of a mixture of grassland and woodland habitats in which trees do not form a closed canopy. Trees are cleared in many savanna areas often to increase the quality of pasture for livestock. Sowing seeds of tree species may help to increase tree abundance.

Study locations

Key messages

One study examined the effects of sowing seeds of tree species in savanna on grassland vegetation. The study was in Brazil.

VEGETATION COMMUNITY (0 STUDIES)

VEGETATION ABUNDANCE (0 STUDIES)

VEGETATION STRUCTURE (0 STUDIES)

OTHER (1 STUDY)

Germination/Emergence (1 study): One replicated study in Brazil found that sowing tree seeds in savanna resulted in germination of 52% of the tree seeds.
Survival (1 study): One replicated study in Brazil found that after sowing tree seeds in savanna, 35% of the seeds produced seedlings that survived for more than two years.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A replicated study in 2010–2012 in an arable field in Brazil (Silva et al. 2015) found that over half of tree seeds sown germinated but fewer than half of seeds resulted in trees which survived for more than two years. After 42 days, 3,200 of the 6,180 tree seeds sown had germinated. After 780 days, 2,144 seedlings of the 3,200 that had germinated were alive. In November 2010, tree seeds of six species were sown in rows one metre apart resulting in 6,180 sown seeds. Seedling germination and survival was recorded for each plant after 42, 84, 126, 217, 398 and 780 days. This experiment was also part of a study testing the effect of fertilizer and plant cover on seedling germination and growth.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Silva R.R., Oliveira D.R., da Rocha G.P. & Vieira D.L. (2015) Direct seeding of Brazilian savanna trees: effects of plant cover and fertilization on seedling establishment and growth. Restoration Ecology, 23, 393-401.

Please cite as:

Martin, P.A., Ockendon, N., Berthinussen, A, Smith, R.K. and Sutherland W.J. (2021) Grassland Conservation: Global evidence for the effects of selected interventions. Conservation Evidence Series Synopses. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Grassland Conservation

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
Spray slurry of seed, mulch and water (‘hydroseeding’) Action Link	Evidence not assessed	4	Synopsis Link
Sow seeds of tree species in savanna Action Link	Evidence not assessed	1	Synopsis Link
Use erosion blanket after seeding/planting Action Link	Evidence not assessed	3	Synopsis Link