Bromus rubensL. seeds in calcareous desert soil which was brought from the Nevada Test Site to UCLA for pot tests with differential excess trace metal treatments gave differential emergence in response to the trace metal experiments. Zinc up to 5300 μg/g soil did not impair emergence. Cadmium at 1200 μg/g soil impaired emergence but 800 μg/g did not. Nickel at 500 μg/g soil did not impair emergence but 1000 and 2000 did. There was no emergence at 3000 μg Ni/g soil.