food reserves by sending shoots through the sand to the surface. Backshore sand drifts are 

 unpredictable, and at times may cover some parts of a planting for several days or weeks, 

 then drift out, or move to another part of the planting. In most beach plantings, sand burial 

 is less than a foot above the original planting surface. 



Two similar experiments were conducted to determine the effect of sand burial on fresh 

 transplants of bitter panicum (Table 25). Sea oats also was tested, but none of the plants 

 survived, including the control. The survival ability of bitter panicum transplants was 

 decreased considerably by the accumulation of more than 6 inches of sand on the 

 uppermost living part of the transplant. Accumulation of over 20 inches resulted in total 

 failure. Drifts of this magnitude were not a problem on the backshore, but were a regular 

 occurrence on fence-built dune plantings. Most surprising was the emergence of the shoots 

 of several plants through 12 to 18 inches of sand after 5 months of burial. 



Table 25. Survival of bitter panicum transplants with different 

 depths of sand accumulation on Padre Island. 



Accumulation 1 



Transplants 



Survival 2 



(inches) 



(number) 



(percent) 



North Padre 



Variable sand fence plot (planted 4 April 1973) 3 







25 



68 a 



4 to 8 



24 



29 a, b 



8 to 12 



24 



4b 



12 to 16 



24 



8b 



16 to 20 



24 



12 b 



20 to 24 



30 



0b 



South Padre 



Stabilized dune plot (planted 19 March 1973) 4 j 







20 



45 a 



6 



20 



45 a 



12 



20 



5b 



24 



20 



b 



1. Accumulated sand depth refers to inches of sand covering uppermost living 

 part of transplant. 



Figures sharing a common letter are not significantly different (P« „»). 



Three parallel rows of fabric fence, in the shape of an inclined plane, designed 

 to accumulate sand in a continuum from 4 to 24 inches above the planting 

 surface. Culms planted flush with surface before fence erection. 



4. Culms planted horizontally in bottom of trenches at indicated depths, and 

 buried with sand. The planting site was a shallow-sloped dune, stabilized 

 by beach morning glory. 



90 



