Effect of substrate properties on seedling emergence and its contribution to species selection for direct seeding in arid lands

We evaluated the emergence of three shrub native species from the Monte Desert, the most arid ecoregion of Argentina, in substrates artificially constructed (technosols) with different texture and salinity under nursery garden conditions. Two of the studied species (Strombocarpa strombulifera and Neltuma alpataco) had high emergence percentages (96.00 ± 4.62% and 98.00 ± 2.31) regardless of differences in texture and salinity. On the other hand, Larrea divaricata showed high emergence (72.00 ± 6.68%) in non-saline sandy loam soil with gravel, and minimum values in saline and fine-textured substrate (18.33 ± 6.22%). We conclude that studying seedling emergence performance in substrates under nursery garden conditions constitutes a preliminary step for the pre-selection of species for seed-based restoration in arid lands. We also found that technosols can serve as amendments, promoting the emergence of seedlings from various species depending on their formulation. •Seedling emergence in alternative substrates provides valuable data for direct seeding.•Artificial substrates can be excellent amendments to favor seedling emergence in arid lands.•Seedling emergence in different substrates varies by species.•Selected Fabaceae species showed satisfactory performance across a broad range of substrates.